Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 15.djvu/186

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made shift and followed the Minion in a small boat, the rest which the little boate was not able to receiue, were inforced to abide the mercie of the Spaniards (which I doubt was very little) so with the Minion only and the Iudith (a small barke of 50 tunne) we escaped, which barke the same night forsooke vs in our great miserie: we were now remooued with the Minion from the Spanish ships two bowshootes, and there rode all that night: the next morning we recouered an Iland a mile from the Spaniardes, where there tooke vs a North winde, and being left onely with two ankers and two cables (for in this conflict we lost three cables and two ankers) we thought alwayes vpon death which euer was present, but God preserued vs to a longer time.

The weather waxed reasonable, and the Saturday we set saile, and hauing a great number of men and little victuals our hope of life waxed lesse and lesse: some desired to yeeld to the Spaniards, some rather desired to obtaine a place where they might giue themselues to the Infidels, and some had rather abide with a little pittance the mercie of God at Sea: so thus with many sorrowful hearts we wandred in an vnknowen Sea by the space of 14 dayes, till hunger inforced vs to seek the land, for hides were thought very good meat, rats, cats, mice and dogs, none escaped that might be gotten, parrats and monkeyes that were had in great price, were thought there very profitable if they serued the turne one dinner: thus in the end the 8 day of October we came to the land in the botome of the same bay of Mexico in 23 degrees and a halfe, where we hoped to haue found inhabitants of the Spaniards, reliefe of victuals, and place for the repaire of our ship, which was so sore beaten with shot from our enemies and brused with shooting off our owne ordinance, that our wearie and weake armes were scarce able to defende and keepe out water. But all things happened to the contrary, for we found neither people, victuall, nor hauen of reliefe, but a place where hauing faire weather with some perill we might land a boat: our people being forced with hunger desired to be set on land, whereunto I consented.

And such as were willing to land I put them apart, and such as were desirous to goe homewardes, I put apart, so that they were indifferently parted a hundred of one side and a hundred of the other side: these hundred men we set a land with all dili