Part 8

First is chewing it in their mouths, and after mingling it with water, after a loathsome manner, yet the commonest drinke that they have; and that held best which is chewed by an old woman.[138]

The second manner of their drinke, is baking it till it be halfe burned, then they beate it into powder; and when they will drinke, they mingle a small quantitie of it with water, which giveth a reasonable good taste.

The third, and best, is baking it, as aforesaid, and when it is beaten into powder, to seeth it in water; after that it is well boyled, they let it stand some three or foure dayes, and then drinke it. So, it is much like the ale which is used in England, and of that colour and taste.

[The manner of planting _yuca_.]

The Indians are very curious in planting and manuring of this _yuca_. It is a little shrubb, and carryeth branches like hazell wands; being growne as bigge as a mans finger, they breake them off in the middest, and so pricke them into the ground; it needeth no other art or husbandry, for out of each branch grow two, three, or foure rootes, some bigger, some lesser: but first they burne and manure the ground, the which labour, and whatsoever els is requisite, the men doe not so much as helpe with a finger, but all [With the labour of the women.] lyeth upon their poore women, who are worse then slaves; for they labour the ground, they plant, they digge and delve, they bake, they brew, and dresse their meate, fetch their water, and doe all drudgerie whatsoever: yea, though they nurse a childe, they are not exempted from any labour; their childe they carry in a wallet about their necke, ordinarily under one arme, because it may sucke when it will.

The men have care for nothing but for their cannoas, to passe from place to place, and of their bowes and arrowes to hunt, and their armes for the warre, which is a sword of heavie blacke wood, some foure fingers broad, an inch thicke, and an ell long, something broader towards the toppe then at the handle. They call it _macana_, and it is carved and wrought with inlayd works very curiously, but his edges are blunt. If any kill any game in hunting, he bringeth it not with him, but from the next tree to the game, he breaketh a bough (for the trees in the Indies have leaves for the most part all the yeare), and all the way as he goeth streweth little peeces of it, here and there, and comming home giveth a peece to his woman, and so sends her for it.

If they goe to the warre, or in any journey, where it is necessary to carry provision or marchandize, the women serve to carry all, and the men never succour nor ease them; wherein they shew greater barbarisme then in any thing, in my opinion, that I have noted amongst them, except in eating one another.

[Polygamy of the Indians.]

In Brasill, and in the West Indies, the Indian may have as many wives as he can get, either bought or given by her friends: the men and women, for the most part, goe [Their attire.] naked, and those which have come to know their shame, cover onely their privie parts with a peece of cloth, the rest of their body is naked. Their houses resemble great barnes, covered over or thatched with plantyne leaves, which reach to the ground, and at either end is the doore.

[Their manner of housing.]

In one house are sometimes ten or twentie households: they have little household stuffe, besides their beds, which call _hamacas_,[139] and are made of cotton, and stayned with divers colours and workes. Some I have seene white, of great curiositie. They are as a sheete laced at both ends, and at either end of them long strappes, with which they fasten them to two posts, as high as a mans middle, [And sleeping.] and so sit rocking themselves in them. Sometimes they use them for seates, and sometimes to sleepe in at their pleasures. In one of them I have seene sleepe the man, his wife, and a childe.

SECTION XXVIII.

We tooke out of this prize, for our provision, some good quantitie of this meale, and the sugar shee had, being not above three or foure chestes: after three dayes we gave the ship to the Portingalls, and to them libertie. In her was a Portingall knight, which went for governour of Angola, of the habit of Christ, with fiftie souldiers, and armes for a hundreth and fiftie, with his wife and daughter. He was old, and complained, that after many yeares service for his king, with sundry mishapps, he was brought to that poore estate, as for the relief of his wife, his daughter, and himselfe, he had no other substance, but that he had in the ship. It moved compassion, so as nothing of his was diminished, which though to us was of no great moment, in Angola it was worth good crownes. Onely we disarmed them all, and let them depart, saying that they would returne to Saint Vincents.

We continued our course for the Straites, my people much animated with this unlookt for refreshing, and praised God for his bountie, providence, and grace extended towards us. Here it will not be out of the way to speake a word of the particularities of the countrie.

SECTION XXIX.

[The description of Brasill.]

Brasill is accounted to be that part of America, which lyeth towards our north sea, betwixt the river of the Amazons, neere the lyne to the northwards, untill a man come to the river of Plate in thirty-six degrees to the southwards of the lyne.

This coast generally lyeth next of any thing south and by west; it is a temperate countrie, though in some parts it exceedeth in heat; it is full of good succors for shipping, [Its havens.] and plentifull for rivers and fresh waters; the principal habitations are, Farnambuca, the Bay De todos los Santos, Nostra Senora de Victoria, alias Santos, the river Ienero, Saint Vincents, and Placentia; every of them provided of a good port. The winds are variable, but for the most part trade[140] along the coast.

[Its commodities.]

The commodities this country yeeldeth, are the wood called Brasill,[141] whereof the best is that of Farnambuc; (so also called, being used in most rich colours) good cotton-wooll, great store of sugar, balsamon, and liquid amber.

[Its wants.]

They have want of all maner of cloth, lynnen, and wollen, of iron, and edge-tools, of copper, and principally in some places, of wax, of wine, of oyle, and meale (for the country beareth no corne), and of all maner of haberdashery-wares, for the Indians.

[The bestiall thereof.]

The beasts that naturally breed in this country are, tygers, lyons, hoggs, dogges, deere, monkeyes, mycos, and conies (like unto ratts, but bigger, and of a tawney colour), armadilloes, alagartoes, and store of venemous wormes and serpents, as scorpions, adders, which they call vinoras; and of them, one kind, which the divine Providence hath created with a bell upon his head, that wheresoever he goeth, the sound of it might be heard, and so the serpent shunned; for his stinging is without remedie. This they call the vynora with the bell; of them there are many, and great stores of snakes, them of that greatnesse, as to write the truth, might seeme fabulous.

[The discommodities.]

Another worm there is in this country, which killed many of the first inhabitants, before God was pleased to discover a remedie for it, unto a religious person; it is like a magot, but more slender, and longer, and of a greene colour, with a red head; this worme creepeth in at the hinder parts, where is the evacuation of our superfluities, and there, as it were, gleweth himselfe to the gutt, there feedeth of the bloud and humors, and becommeth so great, that stopping the naturall passage, he forceth the principall wheele of the clocke of our bodie to stand still, and with it the accompt of the houres of life to take end, with most cruell torment and paine, which is such, that he who hath beene throughly punished with the collique can quickly decipher or demonstrate. The antidote for this pernicious worme is garlique; and this was discovered by a physitian to a religious person.

SECTION XXX.

Betwixt twenty-six and twenty-seven degrees neere the [Santa Catalina.] coast lyeth an iland; the Portingalls call it Santa Catalina, which is a reasonable harbour, and hath good refreshing of wood, water, and fruit. It is desolate, and serveth for those who trade from Brasill to the river of Plate, or from the river to Brasill, as an inne, or bayting place.[142]

[Variation of the compasse.]

In our navigation towards the Straites, by our observation wee found, that our compasse varyed a poynt and better to the eastwards. And for that divers have written curiously and largely of the variation thereof, I referre them that desire the understanding of it, to the _Discourse_ of Master William Aborrawh, and others; for it is a secret, whose causes well understood are of greatest moment in all navigations.[143]

In the height of the river of Plate, we being some fiftie leagues off the coast, a storme took us southerly, which endured fortie-eight houres.[144] In the first day, about the going downe of the sunne, Robert Tharlton, master of the _Fancie_, bare up before the wind, without giving us any token or signe that shee was in distresse. We seeing her to continue her course, bare up after her, and the night comming on, we carried our light; but shee never answered us; for they kept their course directly for England, which [The overthrow of the voyage.] was the overthrow of the voyage, as well for that we had no pynace to goe before us, to discover any danger, to seeke out roades and anchoring, to helpe our watering and refreshing; as also for the victuals, necessaries, and men which they carryed away with them: which though they were not many, yet with their helpe in our fight, we had taken the Vice-Admirall, the first time shee bourded with us, as shall be hereafter manifested. For once we cleered her decke, and had we beene able to have spared but a dozen men, doubtlesse we had done with her what we would; for shee had no close fights.[145]

[The cause.]

Moreover, if shee had beene with me, I had not beene discovered upon the coast of Perew. But I was worthy to be deceived, that trusted my ship in the hands of an hypocrite, and a man which had left his generall before in the [Infidelitie.] like occasion, and in the selfe-same place; for being with Master Thomas Candish, master of a small ship in the voyage wherein he dyed, this captaine being aboord the Admirall, in the night time forsooke his fleet, his generall and captaine, and returned home.

This bad custome is too much used amongst sea-men, and worthy to be severely punished; for doubtlesse the not punishing of those offenders hath beene the prime cause of many lamentable events, losses, and overthrowes, to the dishonour of our nation, and frustrating of many good and honourable enterprises.

[Discipline of the Spanish.]

In this poynt of dicipline, the Spaniards doe farre surpasse us; for whosoever forsaketh his fleete, or commander, is not onely severely punished, but deprived also of all charge or government for ever after. This in our countrie is many times neglected; for that there is none to follow the cause, the principalls being either dead with griefe, or drowned in the gulfe of povertie, and so not able to wade through with the burthen of that suite, which in Spaine is prosecuted by the kings atturney, or fiscall; or at least, a judge appoynted for determining that cause purposely.

[The only cause of their prosperities.]

Yea, I cannot attribute the good successe the Spaniard hath had in his voyages and peoplings, to any extraordinary vertue more in him then in any other man, were not discipline, patience, and justice far superior. For in valour, experience, and travell, he surpasseth us not; in shipping, preparation, and plentie of vitualls, hee commeth not neere us; in paying and rewarding our people, no nation did goe beyond us: but God, who is a just and bountifull rewarder, regarding obedience farre above sacrifice, doubtlesse, in recompence of their indurance, resolution, and subjection to commandment, bestoweth upon them the blessing due unto it. And this, not for that the Spaniard is of a more tractable disposition, or more docible nature than wee, but that justice halteth with us, and so the old proverbe is verified, _Pittie marreth the whole cittie_.

Thus come we to be deprived of the sweet fruit, which the rod of dicipline bringeth with it, represented unto us in auncient verses, which as a relique of experience I have heard in my youth recorded by a wise man, and a great captaine, thus:

The rod by power divine, and earthly regall law, Makes good men live in peace, and bad to stand in awe: For with a severe stroke the bad corrected be, Which makes the good to joy such justice for to see; The rod of dicipline breeds feare in every part, Reward by due desert doth joy and glad the heart.

[The cunning of runnawayes.]

These absentings and escapes are made most times onely to pilfer and steale, as well by taking of some prise when they are alone, and without commaund, to hinder or order their bad proceedings, as to appropriate that which is in their intrusted ship; casting the fault, if they be called to account, upon some poore and unknowne mariners, whom they suffer with a little pillage to absent themselves, the cunninglier to colour their greatest disorders, and robberies.

[And ignoble captaines.]

For doubtlesse, if he would, hee might have come unto us with great facilitie; because within sixteene houres the storme ceased, and the winde came fayre, which brought us to the Straites, and dured many days after with us at north-east. This was good for them, though naught for us: if he had perished any mast or yard, sprung any leake, wanted victuals, or instruments for finding us, or had had any other impediment of importance, hee might have had some colour to cloake his lewdnes:[146] but his masts and yards being sound, his shippe staunch and loaden with victuales for two yeares at the least, and having order from place to place, where to finde us, his intention is easily seene to bee bad, and his fault such, as worthily deserved to bee made [Verified at their returne.] exemplary unto others. Which he manifested at his returne, by his manner of proceeding, making a spoyle of the prise hee tooke in the way homewards, as also of that which was in the ship, putting it into a port fit for his purpose, where he might have time and commodity to doe what hee would.

Wee made account that they had beene swallowed up of the sea, for we never suspected that anything could make them forsake us; so, we much lamented them. The storme ceasing, and being out of all hope, we set sayle and went [Birds like swans.] on our course. During this storme, certaine great fowles, as big as swannes, soared about us, and the winde calming, setled themselves in the sea, and fed upon the sweepings of our ship; which I perceiving, and desirous to see of them, because they seemed farre [Caught with line and hooke.] greater then in truth they were, I caused a hooke and lyne to be brought me; and with a peece of a pilchard I bayted the hook, and a foot from it, tyed a peece of corke, that it might not sinke deepe, and threw it into the sea, which, our ship driving with the sea, in a little time was a good space from us, and one of the fowles being hungry, presently seized upon it, and the hooke in his upper beake. It is like to a faulcons bill, but that the poynt is more crooked, in that maner, as by no meanes he could cleare himselfe, except that the lyne brake, or the hooke righted: plucking him towards the ship, with the waving of his wings he eased the waight of his body; and being brought to the sterne of our ship, two of our company went downe by the ladder of the poope, and seized on his necke and wings; but such were the blowes he gave them with his pinnions, as both left their hand-fast, being beaten blacke and blewe; we cast a snare about his necke, and so tryced him into the ship.

[Prove good refreshment.]

By the same manner of fishing, we caught so many of them, as refreshed and recreated all my people for that day. Their bodies were great, but of little flesh and tender; in taste answerable to the food whereon they feed.[147]

They were of two colours, some white, some gray; they had three joynts in each wing; and from the poynt of one wing to the poynt of the other, both stretched out, was above two fathomes.

The wind continued good with us, till we came to forty-nine degrees and thirty minutes, where it tooke us westerly, being, as we made our accompt, some fiftie leagues from the shore. Betwixt forty-nine and forty-eight degrees, is Port Saint Julian, a good harbour, and in which a man may grave his ship, though shee draw fifteene or sixteene foote water: but care is to be had of the people called Pentagones. They [Care of the Pentagones.] are treacherous, and of great stature, so the most give them the name of gyants.[148]

The second of February, about nine of the clocke in the morning, we discryed land, which bare south-west of us, which wee looked not for so timely; and comming neerer and neerer unto it, by the lying, wee could not conjecture what land it should be; for we were next of anything in forty-eight degrees, and no platt nor sea-card which we had made mention of any land which lay in that manner, neere about that height; in fine, wee brought our lar-bord tacke aboord, and stood to the north-east-wardes all that day and night, and the winde continuing westerly and a fayre gale, wee continued our course alongst the coast the day and night following. In which time wee made accompt we discoverd well neere threescore leagues of the coast. It is bold, and made small shew of dangers.

[A description of the unknowne land.]

The land is a goodly champion country, and peopled: we saw many fires, but could not come to speake with the people; for the time of the yeare was farre spent, to shoot [A caveat for comming suddenly too neere an unknowne land.] the Straites, and the want of our pynace disabled us for finding a port or roade; not being discretion with a ship of charge, and in an unknowne coast, to come neere the shore before it was sounded; which were causes, together with the change of winde (good for us to passe the Straite), that hindered the further discovery of this land, with its secrets: this I have sorrowed for many times since, for that it had likelihood to be an excellent country. It hath great rivers of fresh waters; for the out-shoot of them colours the sea in many places, as we ran alongst it. It is not mountaynous, but much of the disposition of England, and as temperate. The things we noted principally on the coast, are these following; the westermost poynt of the land, with which we first fell, is the end of the land to the west-wardes, as we found afterwards. If a man bring this poynt south-west, it riseth in three mounts, or round hillockes: [Sidenote: Poynt Tremountaine.] bringing it more westerly, they shoot themselves all into one; and bringing it easterly, it riseth in two hillocks. This we call poynt Tremountaine. Some twelve or foureteene leagues from this poynt to the east-wardes, fayre by the shore, lyeth a low flat iland of some two [Fayre Iland.] leagues long; we named it Fayre Iland; for it was all over as greene and smooth, as any meddow in the spring of the yeare.

Some three or foure leagues easterly from this iland, is a goodly opening, as of a great river, or an arme of the sea, with a goodly low countrie adjacent. And eight or tenne leagues from this opening, some three leagues from the shore, lyeth a bigge rocke, which at the first wee had thought to be a shippe under all her sayles; but after, as we came neere, it discovered it selfe to be a rocke, which [Sidenote: Condite head.] we called _Condite-head_; for that howsoever a man commeth with it, it is like to the condite heads about the cittie of London.

All this coast, so farre as wee discovered, lyeth next of any thing east and by north, and west and by south. The land, for that it was discovered in the raigne of Queene Elizabeth, my soveraigne lady and mistres, and a maiden Queene, and at my cost and adventure, in a perpetuall memory of her chastitie, and remembrance of my endeavours, [Hawkins maiden-land.] I gave it the name of HAWKINS _maiden-land_.[149]

[Bedds of oreweed with white flowers.]

Before a man fall with this land, some twentie or thirtie leagues, he shall meete with bedds of oreweed, driving to and fro in that sea, with white flowers growing upon them, and sometimes farther off; which is a good show and signe the land is neere, whereof the westermost part lyeth some threescore leagues from the neerest land of America.

With our fayre and large wind, we shaped our course [Our comming to the Straites.] for the Straites; and the tenth of February we had sight of land, and it was the head land of the Straites to the north-wards, which agreed with our height, wherein we found our selves to be, which was in fifty two degrees and fortie minutes.

Within a few houres we had the mouth of the Straites open, which lyeth in fifty-two degrees, and fifty minutes. It riseth like the North Foreland in Kent, and is much like the land of Margates. It is not good to borrow neere the shore, but to give it a fayre birth; within a few houres we entred the mouth of the Straites, which is some six leagues broad, and lyeth in fifty-two degrees, and fifty minutes: doubling the poynt on the star-board, which is also flat, of a good birth, we opened a fayre bay, in which we might discry the hull of a ship beaten upon the beach. It was of the Spanish fleete, that went to inhabite there, in anno 1582, under the charge of Pedro Sarmiento,[150] who at his returne was taken prisoner, and brought into England.

[Pedro Sarmiento buildeth San-Philip.]

In this bay the Spaniards made their principall habitation, and called it the cittie of Saint Philip, and left it peopled; but the cold barrennes of the countrie, and the malice of the Indians, with whom they badly agreed, made speedie end of them, as also of those whom they left in the middle of the Straites, three leagues from Cape Froward to the east-wards, in another habitation.

We continued our course alongst this reach (for all the Straites is as a river altering his course, sometimes upon one poynt, sometimes upon another) which is some eight leagues long, and lyeth west north-west. From this we entred into a goodly bay, which runneth up into the land northerly many leagues; and at first entrance a man may see no other thing, but as it were a maine sea. From the end of this first reach, you must direct your course west south-west, and some fourteene or fifteene leagues lyeth one of the narrowest places of all the Straites; this leadeth unto another reach, that lyeth west and by north some six leagues.

Here, in the middle of the reach, the wind tooke us by the north-west, and so we were forced to anchor some two or three dayes. In which time, we went a shore with our boates, and found neere the middle of this reach, on the star-boord side, a reasonable good place to ground and trimme a small ship, where it higheth some nine or ten foote water. Here we saw certaine hogges, but they were so farre from us, that wee could not discerne if they were of those of the countrie, or brought by the Spaniards; these were all the beasts which we saw in all the time we were in the Straites.