The 3d September I
Went On Board The Tiger, Accompanied By The Masters And Merchants To
Survey Her, And We Found Her In A Very Leaky Condition With Only Six Men
Fit For Duty, One Of Whom Was Master Gunner.
It was agreed accordingly
to take all the men into the other ships, with all the goods we could
save, and then to abandon her.
We began discharging her on the 5th, and
having taken out her guns, victuals, gold, and every thing we could by
the 8th, we set her adrift in lat. 25 deg. N.
[Footnote 281: At this place Hakluyt observes in a note, the
great inconvenience of staying late on the coast of Guinea. He ought
rather to have said, the impropriety of sailing too late for that
coast. - E.]
On the 6th October, the ships companies both of the Minion and
Christopher being very weak, so as to be scarce able to keep the sea, we
agreed to make for Vigo, which is frequented by many English ships; but
having a fair wind for England on the 10th, we fired two shots to give
notice to the Christopher of our intention, and immediately shaped our
course homewards. She followed us, and we carried a light to direct her
way; but it was so thick next morning that we could not see her, and as
she was not seen all that day we concluded she had either shot ahead of
us in the night or had bore up for Spain, for which reason we hoisted
our top-sails and continued our course, being then 120 leagues from
England and 45 leagues N.W. by W. from Cape Finister, having then only
six mariners and six merchants in health. The 16th we had a great storm
at W.S.W. by W. which came on about 6 P.M. and our men being very weak
and unable to hand our sails, we that night lost our mainsail, foresail,
and spritsail, and were obliged to _lie hulling_ till the 18th, when we
got up an old foresail; and finding ourselves now in the Channel, we
bore up for the coast of England. In less than two hours the old
foresail was blown from the yard by a spurt of wind, and we were again
forced to lie to till the morning of the 19th, when we got up an old
bonnet, or topsail, on the fore-yard, which by the blessing of God
brought us to the Isle of Wight in the afternoon of the 20th.
* * * * *
_Commodities most in request in Guinea, between Sierra Leone and the
farthest extremity of the Mine or Gold Coast[282]._
MANILS of brass, and some of lead.
Basins of various sorts, but chiefly of latten.
Pots holding a quart or more, of coarse tin.
Some wedges of iron.
Margarites, and other low priced beads.
Some blue coral.
Some horse nails.
Linen cloth, principally.
Basins of Flanders.
Some low priced red cloth, and kersies.
Dutch kettles with brass handles.
Some large engraved brass basins, like those usually set upon.
their cupboards in Flanders.
Some large pewter basins and ewers, graven.
Some lavers for holding water.
Large low priced knives.
Slight Flemish caskets.
Low priced Rouen chests, or any other chests.
Large pins.
Coarse French coverlets.
Good store of packing sheets.
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