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1593.

our company, Edmund Barker our lieutenant, and one John West, and Richard Lucland one of the mutinous crew. The which I told the Frenchman of; & he could not deny, but that there was such a thing pretended. Then I was put into the French pinnesse to seeke their boat and in the meane time they would go to see if they could overtake our shippe. And the next day we should meet againe at Cape S. Nicolas: so the next morning we met together all three of us, but heard no newes of his boat. So he having Spanyards and Negros aboord of us, requested to have them. Our captaine desired him to send his boat aboord our shippe, and he should have them with all his heart. So with much adoe he sent his boat and had them. Then he demanded of them, if his boat were not aboord the ship. They answered no. So that then Monsieur de la Barbotiere was satisfied: and then we were great friends againe, to all our joyes.

The 12 of August 1593 our captaine was sent aboord our ship: but before his departure he requested the captaine of the French ship that he would give mee passage home with him, to certifie the owners what had passed in all the voyage, as also of the unrulinesse of the company. And this day we tooke our leaves the one of the other; the Edward for England: and we bare in for Gonnavy, where afterwards we found the Frenchmans boat.

The last of November 1593 Monsieur de la Barbotiere departed from a port called Laguna in Hispaniola. The 17 of December next insuing it was his fortune to have They wracked his ship cast away upon the Northwest part of the isle of upon Bermuda Bermuda about midnight; the pilots making themselves the 17 of Deat noone to be to the Southward of the island twelve leagues, certified the captaine that they were out of all danger. So they demanded of him their wine of heigth: the which they had. And being, as it should seeme, after they had their wine, carelesse of their charge which they tooke in hand, being as it were drunken, through

cember 1593.

1594.

their negligence a number of good men were cast away: and I being but a stranger among 50 and odde Frenchmen & others, it pleased God to appoint me to be one of them that were saved, I hope to his service & glory. We made account at the first that we were cast away hard by the shore, being hie clifs, but we found our selves seven leagues off: but with our boat and a raft which we had made & towed at our boats sterne, we were saved some 26 of us; among whom were no more English but my selfe. Now being among so many strangers, & seeing not roome for the one halfe, I durst neither presse into the boat, nor upon the raft, for feare lest they should have cast me over boord, or els have killed me: so I stayed in the ship which was almost full of water, untill the captaine being entred the boat, called me unto him being at hand, for that it stood upon life or death: and so I presently entred, leaving the better halfe of our company to the mercy of the sea. After this we rowed all the day [III. 574-] until an houre or two before night yer we could come on land, towing the raft with the boat. When we came The descripon shore, being all the day without drinke, every man tion of the isle of Bermuda. tooke his way to see if he could finde any: but it was long before any was found. At length one of the pilots digging among a company of weeds found fresh water to all our great comforts, being only raine water: and this was all the fresh water that we found on shore. But there are in this Island many fine bayes, wherin if a man did dig, I thinke there might be found store of fresh water. This Island is divided all into broken Islands and the greatest part I was upon, which might be some 4 or 5 miles long, and two miles & a halfe over; being all woods, as Cedar & other timber, but Cedar is the chiefest. Now it pleased God before our The saving of ship did split, that we saved our carpenters tooles, or carpenters els I thinke we had bene there to this day: and having preservation. recovered the aforesaid tooles, we went roundly about the A bark cutting downe of trees, & in the end built a small strangely built barke of some 18 tun, for the most part with tronnels and furnished.

the

tooles was their

1594.

muda.

very few nailes. As for tackling we made a voyage aboord the ship before she split, and cut downe her shrowds, and so we tackled our barke, and rigged her. In stead of pitch we made lime, and mixed it with the oile of tortoises; and assoone as the carpenters had calked, I and another, with ech of us a small sticke in our hands, did plaister the morter into the seames, and being in April, when it was warm and faire weather, we could no sooner lay it on, but it was dry, and as hard as a stone. In this moneth of April 1594, the weather being very hot, we were afrayd our water should faile us; and therfore made the more haste away : and at our departure we were constrained to make two great chests, and calked them, and stowed them on ech side of our maine mast, and so put in our provision of raine-water, and 13 live tortoises for our food, for our voyage which we intended to Newfoundland. In Hogs in Ber- the South part of this Island of Bermuda there are hogs, but they are so leane that you can not eat them, by reason the Island is so barren: but it yeeldeth great store of fowle, fish and tortoises. And to the Eastward of the Island are very good harbours, so that a shippe of 200 tun may ride there land-locked, without any danger, with water enough. Also in this Island is as good fishing for pearles as is any in the West Indies, but that the place is subject to foule weather, as thundering, lightning and raine: but in April and part of May we had very faire and hot weather. The II of May it pleased God to set us cleere of the Island, to the no little joy of us all, after we had lived in the same almost the space of 5 moneths. And the 20 of May we fell with the land nere to Cape Briton, where we ran into a fresh water river, whereof there be many, and tooke in wood, water, and ballast. And here the people of the countrey came unto us, being clothed all in furs, with the furred side unto their skins, & brought with them furres of sundry sorts to sell, besides great store of wild ducks: so some of our company having saved some small beads, bought

Good harbors in ye East part of Bermuda. An excellent fishing for pearles in Bermuda.

The people nere Cape Briton use

traffike of rich furres.

!

some of their ducks. Here we stayed not above foure
houres, and so departed. This should seeme to be a very
good countrey. And we saw very fine champion ground,
and woods. From this place we ranne for the banke of
Newfoundland, whereas we met with divers, but none
would take in a man of us, untill it pleased God that
wee met with a barke of Falmouth, which received us all
for a little time; and with her we tooke a French ship,
wherein I left capitan de la Barbotier my deere friend,
and all his company, and stayed my selfe aboord the
English barke and having passage in the same, in
the moneth of August I arrived at Falmouth 1594.

A voyage of the honourable Gentleman M. Robert
Duddeley, now knight, to the isle of Trinidad,
and the coast of Paria: with his returne home
by the Isles of Granata, Santa Cruz, Sant Juan
de puerto rico, Mona, Zacheo, the shoalds
called Abreojos, and the isle of Bermuda.
which voyage he and his company tooke and
sunke nine Spanish ships, wherof one was an
armada of 600 tunnes. Written at the request
of M. Richard Hakluyt.

In

Aving ever since I could conceive of any thing bene delighted with the discoveries of navigation, I fostered in my selfe that disposition till I was of more yeres and better ability to undertake such a matter. To this purpose I called to me the advise of sufficient seamen, and principally undertooke a voyage for the South seas; but by reason that many before had miscaried in the same enterprise, I could not be suffered to hazard more of her Majesties subjects upon so uncerteine a ground as my desire: which made me by constraint (great charges already by me defrayed) to prepare another

1594.

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1594.

[III. 575.]

course for the West Indies, without hope there to doe any thing woorth note: and so common is it indeed to many, as it is not woorth the registring. Neverthelesse, I have yeelded to your former importunity, and sent you this my journal to supply a vacant roome amongst your more important discourses.

Nowe being provided for this last enterprize, rather to see some practise and experience, then any wonders or profite, I weighed ancker from Southampton road the sixth of November 1594. But the winde falling scant, it was the 17. day of the same moneth before I could put into the Sea. Upon this day my selfe in the Beare a shippe of 200. tunnes my Admirall, and Captaine Munck in the Beares whelpe vice-admirall, with two small pinnesses called the Frisking and the Earewig passed through the Needles, and within two dayes after bare in with Plimmouth. My busines at this porttowne dispatched, I set saile; whither againe by contrary winds to my great misfortune, I was inforced to returne backe. I might call it misfortune; for by this meanes I utterly (for all the voyage) lost my vice-admirall; which was the cause likewise of loosing mine owne pinnesse, which three were the principall stay of my voyage. at this last leaving of England in a storme I lost mine owne pinnesse, as is before said. Notwithstanding all these crosses all alone I went wandering on my voyage, sailing along the coast of Spaine within view of Cape Finister, and Cape S. Vincent, the North & South capes of Spaine. In which space having many chases, I could meet with none but my countreymen or countreys friends. Leaving these Spanish shores I directed my course the 14. of December towards the isles of the Canaries. Here I lingered 12 dayes for two reasons: The one, in hope to meete my vice-admiral : The other, to get some vessel to remove my pestered men into, who being 140. almost in a ship of 200. tunnes, there grew many sicke. The first hope was frustrated, because my vice-admiral was returned into

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