The Other
Course Is On The Outside Of The Island Of St Lawrence Or Madagascar,
Which They Take When They
Set out too late, or come so late to the Cape
as not to have time to stop at Mozambique,
And then they go on their
voyage in great heaviness, because in this way they have no port; and,
by reason of the long navigation, and the want of fresh provisions and
water, they fall into sundry diseases. 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.
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