5 Oz., After Which We Put Men Out Of
All Our Ships Into The Prize To Keep Her.
On the 12th, on coming to
_Egrand_, having taken all the goods out of the prize, we offered to
sell the ship to the Frenchmen; but she was so leaky that they would not
have her, and begged us to save their lives by taking them into our
ships.
So we agreed to take out all the victuals and sink the ship,
dividing the men among us.
On the 15th, it was proposed to proceed to Benin, but most of our people
refused; wherefore it was agreed to remain as long as we could on the
coast of Mina, leaving the Minion at Egrand, sending the Tiger to
Perecow 4 leagues, west, and the Christopher to Weamba 10 leagues west,
with directions in case of seeing any force they were unable to cope
with, to come to leewards to us in the Minion at Egrand. We remained
here till the last of April, by which time many of our men fell sick and
six of them died, and we could only trade with the natives three or four
days of the week, as on the other days they could not come off to us.
The 3d May, as the pinnace had not come to us with cloth from the other
ships, as promised, we sold French cloth, giving only three yards for
every _fuffe_. The 5th the negroes left us, saying they would be back in
four days. The 8th all our own cloth being sold, I called the people
together, to ask them whether they chose to remain till the prize cloth
was all sold. They answered, that as several of our men were dead, and
twenty now sick, they would not tarry, but desired that we should repair
to the other two ships. On the 10th we accordingly sailed in quest of
the other ships, meaning to try what we could do at Don Johns town. The
11th we joined the Christopher, which had done little. The 13th the
Tiger was sent down to Egrand, as we found no trade worth while at
Perinnen. The 14th the pinnace was sent with cloth to Weamba, where she
had before got 10 libs. of gold.
The 21st we anchored before Don Johns town; and on the 22d we manned our
boats and went close in shore, but the negroes would not come to us. The
24th our pinnace came to us from Cormantine, where they had taken 2
libs. 5 oz. of gold. The 25th the master of the Christopher sent his
boat on shore at Mowre for ballast, when the negroes attempted to drive
them off with stones; but our men slew and hurt several of them, then
burnt their town and stove all their canoes. The 27th we went to
Cormantine, where we were joined next day by the Christopher. The 2d
June the Tiger came to us from Egrand and the pinnace from Weamba, the
two having procured 50 libs. of gold. The 4th we made sail and plied to
windward for Chama, not being able to remain longer for want of
victuals, and especially as our drink ran short. The 7th we saw five
Portuguese ships at anchor beside the castle. The 8th George and Binny
came off to us, and brought about 2 libs. of gold. The 21st we put 25
Frenchmen into our pinnace with such victuals as we could spare, and
sent them away. The 25th we put to sea on our homeward voyage. The 30th
we fell in again with the land, 18 leagues to leeward of the place
whence we had taken our departure, having been deceived by the current
which sets continually towards the east. The 7th July we fell in with
the island of San Thome [280], where we wished to come to anchor; but
the wind coming about we again made sail. From that time till the 13th
we were tossed about by baffling winds, and that day fell in again with
San Thome.
[Footnote 280: They must have fallen far to leeward, as San Thome is to
the east of the Bight of Benin, almost 8 degrees or 160 leagues to the
east of St George del Mina. - E.]
This is a very high island, and being on the west side of it, we had
sight of a very high small and upright peak, like the steeple of a
church, which peak is directly under the equator, and to the westward of
the south end of the island there is a small islet about a mile from the
larger one. The 3d of August we set sail from San Thome with the wind at
S.W. The 22d we fell in with the island of _Salt_, one of the Cape
Verds; and being told by a Scotsman whom we had taken among the French
on the coast of Guinea, that there were fresh provisions to be had at
this place, we came to anchor. The 24th we went on shore, where we found
no houses, and only saw four men who would not come near us. We found
plenty of goats, but so wild that we could only take three or four of
them; but we got plenty of fish, and great quantities of sea-fowl on a
small isle close to the larger one. At night the Christopher broke her
cable and lost an anchor, so that we were all obliged to weigh and put
to sea. On this occasion the Scotsman was left on shore, by what means
we could not tell, unless that he had been found asleep by the
inhabitants and carried off-prisoner.
The 25th the master of the Tiger came on board, and reported his ship to
be in so leaky a condition and his men so weak, that he was unable to
keep her afloat, and requested therefore that we would return to the
island to take every thing out of her, that she might be abandoned:
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