Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 15.djvu/191

 A

DISCOVERY

OF THE

BARMVDAS,

OTHERWISE CALLED

THE ILE OF DIVELS.

I being in ship called the seauenture, with Sir Thomas Gates, our Gouernour, Sir George Sommers, and Captaine Newport, three most worthy honoured Gentlemen, (whose valour and fortitude the world must needes take notice off, and that in most honourable designes) bound for Virginia, in the height of thirty degrees of northerly latitude, or thereabouts: we were taken with a most sharpe and cruell storme vpon the fiue and twentieth day of Iuly, Anno 1609, which did not only separate vs from the residue of our fleete, (which were eight in number) but with the violent working of the Seas, our ship became so shaken, torne, and leaked, that shee receiued so much water, as couered two tire of hogsheads aboue the ballast; that our men stoode vp to the middles with buckets, baricos, and kettles, to baile out the water, and continually pumped for three dayes and three nights together, without any intermission; and yet the water seemed rather to increase, then to diminish: in so much that all our men, being vtterly spent, tyred, and disabled for longer labour, were euen resolued, without any hope of their liues, to shut vp the hatches, and to haue committed themselues to the mercy of the sea, (which is said to be mercilesse) or rather to the mercy of their mighty God and redeemer, (whose mercies exceed all his works) seeing no helpe, nor hope, in the apprehension of mans reason,