Volume X Part 16 (2/2)
They wished to have procured some beef and goats at this island, but were not permitted to land, because one Captain Bond of Bristol had not long before, under the same pretence, carried away some of the princ.i.p.al inhabitants. This island is small, and its sh.o.r.es are beset with shoals, yet it has a considerable trade in salt and cattle. In May, June, July, and August, a species of sea-tortoises lay their eggs here, but are not nearly so good as those of the West Indies. The inhabitants cultivate some potatoes, plantains, and corn, but live very poorly, like all the others in the Cape de Verd islands.
After continuing here five or six days, they resolved to go to the island of St Jago, in hopes of meeting some s.h.i.+p in the road, intending to cut her cable and run away with her. They accordingly stood for the east part of that island, where they saw from the top-mast head, over a point of land, a s.h.i.+p at anchor in the road, which seemed fit for their purpose: but, by the time they had got near her, her company clapped a spring upon her cable, struck her ports, and run out her lower tier of guns, on which Cooke bore away as fast as he could. This was a narrow escape, as they afterwards learnt that this s.h.i.+p was a Dutch East Indiaman of 50 guns and 400 men.
This is by far the best of the Cape de Verd islands, four or five leagues west from Mayo; and, though mountainous, is the best peopled, having a very good harbour on its east side, much frequented by s.h.i.+ps bound from Europe for the East Indies and the coast of Guinea, as also by Portuguese s.h.i.+ps bound to Brazil, which come here to provide themselves with beef, pork, goats, fowls, eggs, plantains, and cocoa-nuts, in exchange for s.h.i.+rts, drawers, handkerchiefs, hats, waistcoats, breeches, and all sorts of linen, which are in great request among the natives, who are much addicted to theft. There is here a fort on the top of a hill, which commands the harbour. This island has two towns of some size, and produces the same sort of wine with St Nicholas.
There are two other islands, Fogo and Brava, both small, and to the west of St Jago. Fogo is remarkable, as being an entire burning mountain, from the top of which issues a fire which may be seen a great way off at sea in the night. This island has a few inhabitants, who live on the sea-coast at the foot of the mountain, and subsist on goats, fowls, plantains, and cocoa-nuts. The other islands of this group are St Antonio, St Lucia, St Vincent, and Bona Vista.
They sailed thence for the coast of Guinea, and, being near Cape Sierra Leona, they fell in with a new-built s.h.i.+p of forty guns, well furnished with water, all kinds of provisions, and brandy, which they boarded and carried away.[148]
[Footnote 148: They appear to have named this s.h.i.+p the Revenge, and to have destroyed their original vessel.--E.]
From thence they went to Sherbro river, also on the coast of Guinea, where they trimmed all their empty casks and filled them with water, not intending to stop any where again for water till their arrival at Juan Fernandez in the South Sea. There was at this time an English factory in the Sherbro river, having a considerable trade in _Cam-wood_, which is used in dying red; but the adventurers do not appear to have had any intercourse with their countrymen at this place. They were well received, however, by the negro inhabitants of a considerable village on the sea-sh.o.r.e, near the mouth of this river, who entertained Cowley and his companions with palm-wine, in a large hut in the middle of the town, all the rest of the habitations being small low huts. These negroes also brought off considerable supplies to the s.h.i.+p, of rice, fowls, honey, and sugar canes, which they sold to the buccaneers for goods found in the vessel they had seized at Sierra Leona.
Going from thence in the month of December, along the coast of Guinea, to the lat.i.tude of 12 S. they crossed the Atlantic to the opposite coast of Brazil, where they came to soundings on a sandy bottom at eighty fathoms deep. Sailing down the coast of Brazil, when in lat. 4 S. they observed the sea to be as red as blood, occasioned by a prodigious shoal of red shrimps, which lay upon the water in great patches for many leagues together. They likewise saw vast numbers of seals, and a great many whales. Holding on their course to lat. 47 S.
they discovered an island not known before, which Cowley named _Pepy's Island_,[149] in honour of Samuel Pepys, secretary to the Duke of York when Lord High Admiral of England, a great patron of seamen. This island has a very good harbour, in which 1000 s.h.i.+ps might ride at anchor, and is a very commodious place for procuring both wood and water. It abounded in sea-fowl, and the sh.o.r.e, being either rocks or sand, promised fair for fish.
[Footnote 149: An island in the southern Atlantic, in lat. 46 34' S.
called _Isle Grande_, is supposed to be the discovery of Cowley.
According to Dalrymple, it is in long. 46 40' W. while the map published along with Cook's Voyages places it in long. 35 40' W. from Greenwich.--E.]
In January 1684 they bore away for the Straits of Magellan, and on the 28th of that month fell in with the _Sebaldine_ or Falkland islands, in lat. 51 25' S. Then steering S.W. by W. to the lat. of 53 S. they made the Terra del Fuego. Finding great ripplings near the Straits of Le Maire, they resolved to go round the east end of States Land, as had been done by Captain Sharp in 1681, who first discovered it to be an island, naming it _Albemarle_ island. A prodigious storm came on upon the 14th February, which lasted between a fortnight and three weeks, and drove them into lat. 63 30' S. This storm was attended by such torrents of rain, that they saved twenty-three barrels of water, besides dressing their victuals all that time in rain water.[150] The weather also was so excessively cold, that they could bear to drink three quarts of burnt brandy a man in twenty-four hours, without being intoxicated.
[Footnote 150: It was discovered by the great navigator Captain Cook, who at one time penetrated to lat. 71 10' S. that the solid ice found at sea in high southern lat.i.tudes affords perfectly fresh water, when the first meltings are thrown away.--E.]
When the storm abated, they steered N.E. being then considerably to the west of Cape Horn, and got again into warm weather. In lat. 40 S. they fell in with an English s.h.i.+p, the Nicholas of London, of 26 guns, commanded by Captain John Eaton, with whom they joined company. They sailed together to the island of Juan Fernandez, where they arrived on the 23d March, and anch.o.r.ed in a bay at the south end of the island in twenty-five fathoms. Captain Watling, who succeeded Captain Sharp, was there in 1680, and named it _Queen Catharine's_ island. At his departure, he accidentally left a Moskito Indian, who still remained, having a gun, a knife, a small flask of powder, and some shot. In this desolate condition, he found it equally hard to provide for his subsistence, and to conceal himself from the Spaniards, who had notice of his being left there, and came several times to take him. He had chosen a pleasant valley for his residence, about half a mile from the coast, where he had erected a very convenient hut, well lined with seal-skins, and had a bed of the same, raised about two feet above the ground. By the help of a flint, he had converted his knife into a saw, with which he had cut the barrel of his gun to pieces, which he fas.h.i.+oned into harpoons, lances, fis.h.i.+ng-hooks, and a long knife, by heating them in a fire. All this cost him much labour, but enabled him to live in sufficient comfort. On seeing the s.h.i.+ps at sea, he guessed them to be English, and immediately dressed two goats, and a large quant.i.ty of cabbage, to entertain them on landing. He was also much pleased, when they landed on the island, to see two of his old acquaintances, Captains Cooke and Dampier, who had belonged to the s.h.i.+p by which he was left on the island.
The island of Juan Fernandez is in lat. 34 15' S. [33 42'] about 420 English miles from the coast of Chili. The whole island is a pleasant mixture of hills and vallies, the sides of the hills partly covered with wood, and partly savannas, or places naturally clear of wood, bearing fine gra.s.s. Among the woods are what are called cabbage-trees, but not so large as in other parts of the world. The goats which feed on the west end of the island are much fatter and better than those at the east end, though the latter has better and greater plenty of gra.s.s, with abundance of excellent water in the vallies, while the west end is a dry plain, the gra.s.s scanty and parched, and has hardly any wood or fresh water. Though fertile, this island has no inhabitants, who might live here in plenty, as the plain is able to maintain a great number of cattle, and the sea affords vast quant.i.ties of seals, sea-lions, snappers, and rock-fish. The sea-lions are not much unlike seals, but much larger, being twelve or fourteen feet long, and as thick as a large ox. They have no hair, and are of a dun colour, with large eyes, their teeth being three inches long. One of these animals will yield a considerable quant.i.ty of oil, which is sweet and answers well for frying. They feed on fish, yet their flesh is tolerably good. The snapper is a fish having a large head, mouth, and gills, the back red, the belly ash-coloured, and its general appearance resembling a roach, but much larger, its scales being as broad as a s.h.i.+lling. The rock-fish, called _baccalao_ by the Spaniards, because resembling the cod, is rounder than the former, and of a dark-brown colour, with small scales, and is very good food, being found in vast abundance on the coasts of Peru and Chili. This island has only two bays fit for anchorage, with a rivulet of fresh water in each, and both at the east end, and so conveniently situated that they might easily be fortified, and defended by a slender force against a powerful army, being inaccessible from the west, by reason of the high mountains. Five Englishmen, left by Captain Davies, secured themselves here against a great number of Spaniards.
After remaining fourteen days at this island, they left it on the 8th April, 1684, steering N.N.E. till off the bay of Arica, whence they sailed to Cape Blanco, in hopes of meeting the Spanish Plate fleet from Panama; but if they had gone into the bay of Arica, they must have taken a Spanish s.h.i.+p which lay there, having 300 tons of silver on board. In lat. 10 S. on the 3d May, they were forced to capture a s.h.i.+p laden with timber, much against their inclination, lest they should be known through her means to be on the coast. They then sailed to the southern island of _Lobos_, in lat. 70 S. about forty-three English miles from the coast of Peru, where they landed their sick for refreshment, heeled their s.h.i.+ps, and sc.r.a.ped their bottoms, to render them fitter for action.
This island is named _Lobos del Mar_, to distinguish it from another which is nearer the continent, and called therefore _Lobos de la Tierra.
Lobos del Mar_ is properly a double island, each a mile in circuit, separated by a small channel which will not admit s.h.i.+ps of burden. A little way from sh.o.r.e, on the north side, there are several scattered rocks in the sea, and at the west end of the eastermost isle is a small sandy creek, in which s.h.i.+ps are secure from the winds, all the rest of the sh.o.r.e being rocky cliffs. The whole of both islands is rocky and sandy, having neither wood, water, nor land animals; but it has many fowls, such as b.o.o.bies, and above all penguins, about the size of a duck, and with similar feet; but their bills are pointed, their wings are mere stumps, which serve them as fins when in the water, and their bodies are covered with down instead of feathers. As they feed on fish, they are but indifferent eating, but their eggs are very good. Penguins are found all over the South Sea, and at the Cape of Good Hope. The road for s.h.i.+ps is between the before-mentioned rock and the eastmost island.
They were now very eager to make some capture, as their provisions, especially water, were very scanty, so that the subsistence of their prisoners, as well as themselves, gave them much anxiety. By information of their prisoners, they were also convinced that their being in these seas was known to the Spaniards, who consequently would keep all their richest s.h.i.+ps in port. After much consultation, therefore, it was resolved to make an attempt on Truxillo, in lat. 8 4' S. a populous city about six miles from the port of _Guanehagno_, though the landing-place was of difficult access, as at that place there was a strong probability of making a considerable booty. They sailed therefore with this design on the 18th May, their whole number of men fit for duty being one hundred and eight. Soon after weighing anchor, three s.h.i.+ps were descried under sail, which they chased and captured, being laden with flour from Guanehagno to Panama. In one of them was found a letter from the viceroy of Peru to the president of Panama, intimating that there were enemies on the coast, and that he had sent these three s.h.i.+ps to supply their wants. It was also learnt from the prisoners, that the Spaniards were erecting a fort near their harbour of Guanehagno, in consequence of which the design on Traxillo was abandoned. Besides a large loading of flour, the three captured s.h.i.+ps had a good quant.i.ty of fruits and sweetmeats, which made them agreeable prizes to the English, who were now very short of provisions; but they had landed no less than 800,000 dollars, on hearing that there were enemies in these seas.
It was now resolved to carry their prizes to some secure place, where the best part of the provisions they had now procured might be laid up in safety, for which purpose they steered for the _Gallapagos_ or _Enchanted Islands_,[151] which they got sight of on the 31st May, and anch.o.r.ed at night on the east side of one of the easternmost of these islands, a mile from sh.o.r.e, in sixteen fathoms, on clear white hard sand. To this Cowley gave the name of _King Charles's Island_. He likewise named more of them, as the Duke of Norfolk's Island immediately under the line, Dessington's, Eares, Bindley's, Earl of Abington's, King James's, Duke of Albemarles, and others. They afterwards anch.o.r.ed in a very good bay being named York Bay. Here they found abundance of excellent provisions, particularly guanoes and sea and land tortoises, some of the latter weighing two hundred pounds, which is much beyond their usual weight. There were also great numbers of birds, especially turtle-doves, with plenty of wood and excellent water; but none of either of these was in any of the other islands.[152]
[Footnote 151: These islands, so named by the Spaniards from being the resort of tortoises, are on both sides of the line, from about the Lat.
of 2 N. to 1 50' S,. and from about 88 40' to 95 20' both W. from Greenwich.--E.]
[Footnote 152: Cowley mentions having found here a [illegible] thing of its nature of quant.i.ty.--E.]
These Gallapagos are a considerable number of large islands, situated under and on both sides of the line, and dest.i.tute of inhabitants. The Spaniards, who first discovered them, describe them as extending from the equator N.W. as high as 5 N. The adventurers in this voyage saw fourteen or fifteen, some of which were seven or eight leagues in length, and three or four leagues broad, pretty high yet flat. Four or five of the most easterly were barren and rocky, without either trees, herbs, or gra.s.s, except very near the sh.o.r.e. They produced also a sort of shrub, called d.i.l.d.o-tree, about the bigness of a man's leg, and ten or twelve feet high, without either fruit or leaves, but covered with p.r.i.c.kles from top to bottom. The only water in these barren isles, was in ponds and holes in the rocks. Some of the isles are low and more fertile, producing some of the trees that are known in Europe. A few of the westermost isles are larger than the rest, being nine or ten leagues long, and six or seven broad, producing many trees, especially Mammee figs, and they have also some pretty large fresh-water streams, and many rivulets. The air is continually refreshed, by the sea-breeze by day and the land-winds at night, so that they are not troubled with such excessive heats, neither are they so unwholesome as most places so near the equator. During the rainy season, in November, December, and January, they are infested with violent tempests of thunder and lightning; but before and after these months have only refres.h.i.+ng showers, and in their summer, which is in May, June, July, and August, they are without any rains.
They anch.o.r.ed near several of these islands, and frequently found sea tortoises basking in the sun at noon. On a former occasion, Captain Davies came to anchor on the west side of these islands, where he and his men subsisted on land-tortoises for three months, and saved from them sixty jars of oil. He also found several good channels on that side, with anchorage between the isles, and several rivulets of fresh water, with plenty of trees for fuel. The sea also round these islands is well stored with good fish of a large size, and abounds in sharks.
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