Most Of The Seamen Had No Watch-Coats Or Other Warm
Cloathing, To Enable Them To Support The Fatigue Of Watching And Their
Daily Labour, Having Made No Provision Of Such Things, As They Believed
Themselves Bound To Warm Climes.
To remedy this evil, the general
ordered cloth to be distributed among them.
[Footnote 86: In Harris these are erroneously called Pimento, but they
must have been the Wintera aromatica. The Pimento, or Myrtus
Pimenta, is a native of the warm regions of America and the West India
islands, producing Pimento, All-spice, or Jamaica pepper. - E.]
[Footnote 87: This date, here anticipated, refers to the day when they
afterwards set sail. - E.]
It was found that many of the seamen, when at their meals, were in use
to sell their victuals to others at high prices, and afterwards
satisfied their hunger with raw muscles and green herbs, which
occasioned them to fall into dropsies and other lingering sickness, of
which several died: For this reason, the captains and other officers
were ordered to be present at all their meals, to see and oblige them to
eat their allowances.
The 7th May the vice-admiral was sent, with two boats, to an island
opposite Great bay, to catch sea-dogs.[88] He found there seven small
boats or canoes, with savages on board, who were of a reddish colour
with long hair, and, as well as he could observe, seemed ten or eleven
feet high. On seeing the Dutch boats, the savages went on shore and
threw many stones at the Dutch, so that they did not venture to land.
The savages then took courage, and came towards them in their canoes;
and coming within musket-shot, the vice-admiral made his men give them a
general discharge, by which four or five of the savages were slain, and
the rest so frightened that they escaped again on shore. They then
pulled up some trees, which appeared afar off to be a span thick; but
the vice-admiral chose to let them alone, and returned to the ships. The
26th of May, as some seamen were on shore, looking for muscles, roots,
and herbs, and were dispersed, expecting no danger, a number of savages
fell upon them suddenly, killed three of them, whom they tore in pieces,
and wounded two, who were rescued by the admiral. All these savages were
naked, except one, who had the skin of a sea-dog or seal about his
shoulders. They were armed with wooden javelins, which they threw with
great strength and dexterity. The points of these javelins were like
cramp-irons, tied to the shafts with the guts of sea-dogs, and would run
so deep into the flesh, that it was almost impossible to get them out.
[Footnote 88: Seals are probably here meant. - E.]
While the fleet lay in this bay, the admiral ordered his long-boat to be
put upon the stocks, to be enlarged and altered into a pinnace, which
was named the Postillion, and the command of her was given to the second
pilot of the Hope. Having no provisions for making broth, Captain de
Weert landed on the 27th July, in order to catch seals; and while he was
ashore, so great a storm arose that he was obliged to remain two days
and two nights, before he could get back to his ship, and caught
nothing. After enduring great hardships in this Green bay,[89] and
which the Dutch named the Bay of de Cordes, they set sail on the 23d of
August, having the wind at N.E. but next day the weather became so calm,
that they were obliged to put into a great bay on the south side of the
straits. Here, to perpetuate the memory of so dangerous and
extraordinary a voyage into these straits, to which no nation had
hitherto sent so many or such large ships, the general instituted a new
order of knighthood, of which he made his six principal officers
knights. They bound themselves by oath, never to do or consent to any
thing contrary to their honour or reputation, whatever might be the
dangers or extremities to which they were exposed, even death itself;
nor to do or suffer to be done any thing prejudicial to the interests of
their country, or of the voyage in which they were now engaged. They
also solemnly promised, freely to expose their lives against all the
enemies of their nation, and to use their utmost endeavours to conquer
those dominions whence the king of Spain procured so much gold and
silver, by which he was enabled to carry on the war against their
country. This ceremony was performed ashore on the eastern coast of the
straits, in as orderly a manner as the place and occasion would permit,
and the order was named of The Lion set free, in allusion to the
Belgic lion, the cognizance of their country, which they professed to
use all their endeavours to free from the Spanish yoke. After this
ceremony, a tablet was erected on the top of a high pillar, on which the
names of the new-made knights were inscribed, and the bay was named the
Bay of Knights.
[Footnote 89: This seems the same formerly named Great bay. - E.]
Leaving this bay on the 28th of August, they put into another bay a
league farther on, where they were again becalmed. The admiral at this
time gave orders to Captain de Weert to go back in his boat to the Bay
of Knights, to remove the tablet to a more convenient situation. When
about to double the point of the bay on this errand, de Weert saw eighty
savages sitting on the shore, having eight or nine canoes beside them;
and, as soon as the savages saw the boat, they set up a dismal noise,
inviting the Dutch to land, by means of signs. But, having only a small
number of men, de Weert turned back towards the ships; on which the
savages ran across the woods along shore, always hallowing, and making
signs for the Dutch to land.
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