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1595.

day of June in the morning wee departed from thence: but before our departure, wee overthrew on the one side of the steepe hill two bases of yron, which we found there planted by the enemie, and so set forward toward our ships, and by 12 of the clocke came to the waters side, and there remayned in the fort which wee had taken before, untill the fift day at night: in which time we laded some small quantity of hides, and Salsa-perilla, which we found there at our first landing. So the fift day at night we departed from thence, to goe to a towne called Coro: but before wee departed, wee set fire in the fort, Afort and cerand all the Indians houses that were about it, and burnt tain Indians houses by the them. Then we set sayle, and standing along the coast, waters side our Spanish guide signified unto us, that there were burnt. foure sayles of ships about five leagues from thence, in [III. 582.] a place called Checherebiche, and Caio, and Maio. So the 6 day in the morning we were thwart of the place, and there our generall sent away his long boate with captaine Sommers, unto those places, where they found 3 of the ships: but the Spaniards had conveyed their sailes ashore into the woodes, so that they could not

bring them off, but set fire in them and burnt them. Three Spanish From hence we stood along the shore, sailing untill the ships burnt. ninth day of June, on which day toward the evening we imbarked our selves in our pinnesses and small caravels, to land at Coros: but we had none that knew the place certainely wherefore we ankored that night some two leagues to the Eastward of it, and in the morning I went on land, and nine more with me, to see if we could discover the towne, but we could not, wee went above a league up into the countrey, but could not see any village or towne. So returning backe, wee met our Generall, with divers others which came ashore with him, with whom we marched into the country againe, but could see nothing, & so returned. At the water side captaine Prowse died. There we remained all that day on land, by reason the wind blew so much that wee could not get aboord untill the evening. After our

1595.

A baricado woon.

comming aboord a boat which we sent into the bay, returned and brought us newes, that there rode a barke within the bay, and by all likelyhood the towne should be there. So presently our Generall went into the bay with the Derling and some of the small caravels. The tenth day in the morning, the rest of our shipping came into the bay, and our men landed the same day, about IO or II of the clocke in the night, & so marched on toward the towne: but in the way they had made baricados, and kept them very strongly. Notwithstanding the courage of our men was such, as that they feared nothing, and forced them to leave their forces, and flie. Having wonne this baricado they there remained untill the next day being the 11 of June, and then early in the morning they marched on towards the towne, where by the way, the enemie often times came to skirmish with The towne of them, but alwayes fled. In fine they wan the towne without any great losse of men, God be thanked. Having gotten the town, they found nothing in it at all; for they had intelligence from Sant Iago, how wee had used them before, which caused them to convey all their goods into the mountaines and woods: finding nothing in it, our Generall caused it to be set on fire, thinking it not good to remaine there, but to returne againe, backe to the ships: and the greatest cause was by reason of the departure of captaine Sommers: who the day before in a most furious tempest, being in the pinnesse, with some 50 men at anker, had his cables broken and lost all his ankers, and so was faine to put

Coros taken

burnt.

to save himselfe, otherwise they had bene in danger of perishing. Thus our General and his company, returned backe againe the twelfth day and imbarked themselves, and departed away with all speede to seeke captaine Sommers. The 13 toward night, hee came where captaine Sommers was, and found him riding, but not by anie ankers, but by two bases, which they had made for to stay their barke by: at which meeting the company was very glad. Then they determined to

1595.

go into a mighty great bay, to a towne called Laguna: The bay of but the bay was so deepe and should withall, that we Laguna. returned backe againe, after wee had stood in two daies & a night. So we sayled over toward the Isle of Hispaniola the sixteenth of June: and the twentieth day Hispaniola. we saw it. The 21 we ankored under Cape Tiburon. Here we watered, and stayed untill the 25 of the same. After our departure out of the bay of Laguna, a great sicknes fell among our fleete, and there died about eighty men of the same. This sicknesse was the fluxe of the bellie, which is a common disease in that countrey. We remayned about this Island untill the eight and twentieth of this moneth. Then we departed from thence, and the second of July arrived at the Island of Jamaica. Jamaica. Before our comming hither, the three ships of Hampton had forsaken us, and left our company.

And the Derling wherein was captaine Jones, was sent The death of to discover some other secret matter, in which dis- captaine Jones. covery the valiant gentleman ended his life. So our whole fleete was now but our generall, with captaine Sommers, and a small pinnesse. We stayed at this Isle of Jamaica until the sixt of July, in which meane time we landed to see if we could kill any beeves, but we could not, they were so wild: here is great store of them, and great plenty of fresh-fish. We departed hence the 6 of July, and passed by the Islands, called Caimanes, and the Isle de Pinos, and the 12 of the said moneth by Cape de Corrientes where we Cape de Corwatered, and the same night, wee set saile towards the rientes. cape of S. Anthony, being the westermost part of the Isle of Cuba. The 13 day in the morning we were under this cape, and the same day we met with the honourable knight, Sir Walter Ralegh, returning from his paineful, and happie discovery of Guiana, and his surprise of the Isle of Trinidad. So with glad hearts, wee kept him and his fleete of three ships company till the twentieth day at night, what time we lost them. In all which time nothing of moment fell out, save

1595.

[III. 583.]

that we gave chase to a couple of frigats, but could not fetch them.

Afterward we plyed to recover Havana, untill the five and twentieth of July: then we set our course for the head of the Martyrs, the 27 we were in sight of them. The 28 wee entred the gulfe of Bahama: then we set The Banke of our course homeward toward Newfoundland, but we Newfoundland could not fetch it, but were on the Banke, and tooke fish there the 20 day of August. The same night we set sayle to come home, by reason the wind was contrary to goe in with Newfoundland. So the tenth day of September, we arrived in safety (God be thanked) in Milford haven in Wales, having performed so long a voyage in the space of sixe moneths, or somewhat lesse.

The voyage truely discoursed, made by sir Francis Drake, and sir John Hawkins, chiefly pretended for some speciall service on the Islands and maine of the West Indies, with sixe of the Queenes ships, and 21 other shippes and barkes, containing 2500 men and boyes, in the yeere 1595. In which voyage both the foresayd knights died by sicknesse.

Ee brake ground out of the sound of Plimmouth on Thursday the 28 of August, and that night ankored againe in Causon bay, where where we rode till Friday. Then we set sayle and stoode Southwest and about three of the clocke the next morning the Hope, wherein sir Thomas Baskervil went, strake upon the Edy stone, and shot off a piece, but after cleared herselfe wel enough.

On Munday at sixe of the clocke in the morning the landes end bare Northwest and by North, and

[graphic]

then we stoode away Southwest and by South for the coast of Spaine.

The 8 of September we tooke two small Flemish fliboats bound for Barbary; which we caried a while with us and afterward dismissed them without doing them any harme: only wee learned newes of them, and stayed them from discrying our fleete to the enemie. The 26 we saw Forteventura, being one of the Islands of the Canaries.

At

The 27 being Saturday by breake of day we had over-shot the chiefe towne of Grand Canaria to the Northeast, and then stood about for it againe, and by nine of the clocke were at anker fayre before the fort to the Eastward of the towne some league. At one of the clocke wee offred to land one thousand and foure hundreth men in the sandie bay betwixt the fort and the towne But by our detracting of the time they had made a bulwarke in the sandie bay and planted Ordinance : so that by reason thereof, and the great breach of the sea that went then on shore we were not able to land without endangering our whole forces, which our General would not doe. There were of Spaniards horsemen and footmen some 900, which played upon us out of their trenches, most of them being shot. the time of our landing there went by commandement of our Generals within musket shot of the shore, & rode there at ankor some three hours, the Salomon, the Bonaventure, the Elizabeth Constance, the Phenix, the Juell, the Little John, the Delight, the Pegasus, the Exchange, the Francis, the caravell, and the two catches: But when the Generall sir Francis Drake gave over the landing being in his barge, the ships weighed being in some danger, and stoode off againe to the great ships. Then we went to the West end of the Island and there watered: where captaine Grimston going up the hill with 6 or 7 in his company was set upon by the herdmen, who with their dogs and staves killed the captaine and three or foure of his company:

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