The Famous Voyage Of Sir Francis Drake Into The South Sea, And Therehence About The Whole Globe Of The Earth, Begun In The Year Of Our Lord 1577 Narrative By Francis Pretty
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They Were
Very Agile People And Quick To Deliver, And Seemed Not To Be Ignorant
In The Feats Of Wars, As By Their Order Of Ranging A Few Men Might
Appear.
These people would not of a long time receive anything at our
hands; yet at length our General being
Ashore, and they dancing after
their accustomed manner about him, and he once turning his back
towards them, one leaped suddenly to him, and took his cap with his
gold band off his head, and ran a little distance from him, and shared
it with his fellow, the cap to one and the band to the other. Having
despatched all our business in this place, we departed and set sail.
And immediately upon our setting forth we lost our canter, which was
absent three or four days; but when our General had her again, he took
out the necessaries, and so gave her over, near to the Cape of Good
Hope. The next day after, being the 20th of June, we harboured
ourselves again in a very good harborough, called by Magellan, Port
St. Julian, where we found a gibbet standing upon the main; which we
supposed to be the place where Magellan did execution upon some of his
disobedient and rebellious company.
The two and twentieth day our General went ashore to the main, and in
his company John Thomas, and Robert Winterhie, Oliver the master-
gunner, John Brewer, Thomas Hood, and Thomas Drake. And entering on
land, they presently met with two or three of the country people. And
Robert Winterhie having in his hands a bow and arrows, went about to
make a shoot of pleasure, and, in his draught, his bowstring brake;
which the rude savages taking as a token of war, began to bend the
force of their bows against our company, and drove them to their
shifts very narrowly.
In this port our General began to enquire diligently of the actions of
Master Thomas Doughty, and found them not to be such as he looked for,
but tending rather of contention or mutiny, or some other disorder,
whereby, without redress, the success of the voyage might greatly have
been hazarded. Whereupon the company was called together and made
acquainted with the particulars of the cause, which were found, partly
by Master Doughty's own confession, and partly by the evidence of the
fact, to be true. Which when our General saw, although his private
affection to Master Doughty, as he then in the presence of us all
sacredly protested, was great, yet the care he had of the state of the
voyage, of the expectation of her Majesty, and of the honour of his
country did more touch him, as indeed it ought, than the private
respect of one man. So that the cause being thoroughly heard, and all
things done in good order as near as might be to the course of our
laws in England, it was concluded that Master Doughty should receive
punishment according to the quality of the offence.
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