This Went Down Merrily, Although It Was Bitter And Dirty, With
Washing The Ship, But We Sweetened It With Sugar, And Were Happy To Have
Our Fill.
Besides our other extremities, we were so tossed and turmoiled
with stormy and tempestuous weather, that every man had to hold fast his
can or dish, and to fasten himself by the ropes, rails, or sides of the
ship, to prevent falling on the deck.
Our main-sail was torn from the
yard, and blown away into the sea; and our other sails so rent and torn
that hardly any of them remained serviceable. The raging waves and
foaming surges of the sea came rolling upon us in successive mountains,
breaking through the waste of the ship like a mighty river; although in
fine weather our deck was near twenty feet above water. So that we were
ready to cry out, with the royal prophet, Psalm 107, verses 26 and 27.
"They mount up to heaven, and go down again to the depths: Their soul is
melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a
drunken man, and are at their wits end." In this extremity of foul
weather, the ship was so tossed and shaken, that, by its creaking noise,
and the leaking which was now more than ordinary, we were in great fear
that it would have shaken asunder, and had just cause to pray, a little
otherwise than the poet, though marring the verse, yet mending the
meaning:
Deus maris et caeli, quid enim nisi vota supersunt;
Solvere quassatae parcito membra ratis.
Yet it pleased God of his infinite goodness to deliver us out of this
danger. We made a new main-sail, which we fastened to the yard, and
repaired our other damages as well as we could. This was hardly done
when we were reduced to as great extremity as before, so that we had
almost lost our new main-sail, had not William Antony, the master of our
ship, when no one else would venture for fear of being washed overboard,
by crawling along the main-yard, then lowered close down upon the rails,
and with great danger of drowning, gathered it up out of the sea and
fastened it to the yard; being in the mean time often ducked overhead
and ears in the sea. So terrible were these storms, that some of our
company, who had used the sea for twenty years, had never seen the like,
and vowed, if ever they got safe to land, that they would never go to
sea again.
At night on the last day of November, we met with an English ship, and
because it was too late that night, it was agreed that they were to give
us two or three tons of wine next morning, being, as they said, all the
provision of drink they had, save only a butt or two which they must
reserve for their own use: But, after all, we heard no more of them till
they were set on ground on the coast of Ireland, where it appeared they
might have spared us much more than they pretended, as they could very
well have relieved our necessities, and had sufficient for themselves
remaining to bring them to England. The first of December we spoke with
another English ship, and had some beer out of her for our urgent
necessities, but not sufficient to carry us to England, wherefore we
were constrained to put into Ireland, the wind so serving. Next day we
came to an anchor under the land, not far from the S. Kelmes, under the
land and wind, where we were somewhat more quiet. But as that was not a
safe place to ride in, we endeavoured next morning to weigh our anchor,
when having some of our men hurt at the capstan, we were forced to leave
it behind, holding on our course for Ventrie Haven, [Bantry Bay?] where
we safely arrived the same day, and found that place a safe and
convenient harbour for us, so that we had just cause to sing with the
Psalmist, _They that go down to the sea in ships_, &c.
As soon as we had anchored, my lord went forthwith on shore, and
presently after brought off fresh provisions and water; such as sheep,
pigs, fowls, &c. to refresh his ships company, though he had lately been
very weak himself, and had suffered the same extremity with the rest:
For, in the time of our former want, having only a little water
remaining by him in a pot, it was broken in the night and all the water
lost. The sick and wounded were soon afterwards landed and carried to
the principal town, called _Dingenacush_[368], about three miles distant
from the haven, and at which place our surgeons attended them daily.
Here we well refreshed ourselves, while the Irish harp sounded sweetly
in our ears, and here we, who in our former extremity were in a manner
half dead, had our lives as it were restored.
[Footnote 368: Called otherwise Dingle Icouch by the editor of Astleys
collection. - E.]
This Dingenacush is the chief town in all that part of Ireland,
consisting but of one street, whence some smaller ones proceed on either
side. It had gates, as it seemed, in former times at either end, to shut
and open as a town of war, and a castle also. The houses are very
strongly built, having thick stone walls and narrow windows, being used,
as they told us, as so many castles in time of troubles, among the wild
Irish or otherwise. The castle and all the houses in the town, except
four, were taken and destroyed by the Earl of Desmond; these four being
held out against him and all his power, so that he could not win them.
There still remains a thick stone wall, across the middle of the street,
which was part of their fortification.
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