Their Gums Become Sore, And Swell
In Such A Manner That They Are Fain To Cut Them Away; Their Legs
Swell,
and all their bodies become sore, and so benumbed that they cannot move
hand nor foot, and so they
Die of weakness; while others fall into
fluxes and agues, of which they die. This was the way we were forced to
take; and, although we had above an hundred and fifty sick, there did
not die above seven or eight and twenty, which was esteemed a small loss
in comparison with other times. Though some of our fraternity were
diseased in this sort, thanks be to God I had good health the whole way,
contrary to the expectation of many: May God send me as good health on
the land, if it may be to his glory and service. This way is full of
hidden rocks and quicksands, so that sometimes we dared not sail by
night; but by the goodness of God we saw nothing all the way to hurt us,
neither did we ever find bottom till we came to the coast of India.
When we had again passed the line to the northward, and were come to the
third degree or somewhat more, we saw crabs swimming that were as red as
if they had been boiled; but this was no sign of land. About the
eleventh degree, and for many days, more than ten thousand fishes
continually followed, or were round about our ship, of which we caught
so many that we eat nothing else for fifteen days, and they served our
turn well; for at this time we had no meat remaining, and hardly any
thing else to eat, our voyage drawing nigh to seven months, which
commonly is performed in five, when they take the inner passage. These
fishes were no sign of land, but rather of deep sea. At length two birds
were caught of the hawk tribe, which gave our people great joy, thinking
they had been birds of India, but we found afterwards that they were
from Arabia; and when we thought we had been near India, we were in the
latitude of Socotoro, an island near the mouth of the Red Sea. Here God
sent us a strong wind from the N.E. or N.N.E. on which they bore away
unwillingly toward the east, and we ran thus for ten days without any
sign of land, by which they perceived their error. Hitherto they had
directed their course always N.E. desiring to increase their latitude;
but partly from the difference of the needle, and most of all because
the currents at that time carried us N.W. we had been drawn into this
other danger, had not God sent us this wind, which at length became more
favourable and restored us to our right course.
These currents are very dangerous, as they deceive most pilots, and some
are so little curious, contenting themselves with ordinary experience,
that they do not take the trouble of seeking for new expedients when
they swerve, neither by means of the compass nor by any other trial.
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