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: This
day on mustering the companies of all the three ships, we had not above
30 sound men altogether[281]. The 25th we had sight of St Nicholas, and
the day following of St Lucia, St Vincent, and St Anthony, four of the
Cape Verd islands, which range with each other from N.W. by W. to S. E
by E. The 26th we were unable to weather the Cape of St Anthony, and
this day Philip Jones the master of the Christopher came on board and
reported that they were not able to keep the Tiger from sinking as she
was so leaky, and the master and crew were very weak.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 248 of 441
Words from 129700 to 130259
of 230997
