Page:An English Garner Ingatherings from Our History and Literature (Volume 1 1877).pdf/142

 they are said to enter into their bodies also to purge them if they need. The mariners in time past have eaten of them, but since they have seen them eat men, their stomachs abhor them: nevertheless they draw them up with great hooks, and kill of them as many as they can, thinking that they have made a great revenge.

There is another kind of fish [the flying-fish] as big almost as a herring, which hath wings and flieth, and they are together in great number. These have two enemies: the one in the sea, and the other in the air. In the sea, the fish which is called the Albacore [the Portuguese for Dolphin] as big as a salmon followeth them with great swiftness to take them. This poor fish not being able to swim fast, for he hath no fins but swimmeth with the moving of his tail, shutting his wings, lifteth himself above the water, and flieth not very high. The Albacore seeing that, although he have no wings, yet giveth he a great leap out of the water, and sometimes catcheth him; or else he keepeth himself under the water, going that way as fast as he flieth. And when the fish being weary of the air or thinking himself out of danger, returneth into the water, the Albacore meeteth with him: but sometimes his other enemy, the Sea Crow catcheth him before he falleth.

With these and like sights, but always making our supplications to GOD for good weather and salvation of the ship; we came at length unto the Point, so famous and feared of all men. But we found there no tempest, only great waves. Where our pilot was a little overseen. For whereas commonly all other never come within sight of land, but seeing signs ordinary and finding bottom, go their way sure,and safe; he thinking himself to have wind at will, shot [steered] so nigh the land, that the wind turning to the south and the waves being exceeding great rolled us so near the land, that the ship stood in less than fourteen fathoms of water, no more than six miles from the Cape, which is called Las Agulias; and there we stood as utterly cast away. For under us were rocks of main stone so sharp and cutting that no anchor could hold the ship, the shore so evil that nothing could take land, and the land itself so full of tigers and people that are savage and killers of all strangers, that we had no hope of life or comfort but only in GOD and a good conscience.