Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 15.djvu/192

 that any mothers child could escape this ineuitable danger, which euery man had proposed and digested to himselfe, of present sinking. So that some of them hauing some good and comfortable waters in the ship, fetcht them, and drunke one to the other, taking their last leaue one of the other, vntill their more ioyfull and happy meeting, in a more blessed world; when it pleased God out of his most gracious and mercifull prouidence, so to direct and guide our ship, (being left to the mercy of the sea) for her most aduantage: that Sir George Sommers (sitting vpon the poope of the ship,) where he sate three dayes and three nights together, without meales meate, and little or no sleepe, coursing the shippe to keepe her as upright as he could, (for otherwise shee must needes instantly haue foundred) most wishedly happily discryed land; whereupon he most comfortably encouraged the company to follow their pumping, and by no meanes to cease bayling out of the water with their buckets, baricos, [*botisios,?] and kettles; whereby they were so ouer wearied, and their spirits so spent with long fasting, and continuance of their labor, that for the most part they were fallen asleepe in corners, and wheresoeuer they chanced first to sit or lie: but hearing news of land, wherewith they grew to bee somewhat reuived, being carried with wil and desire beyond their strength, every man busled vp, and gathered his strength and feeble spirits together, to performe as much as their weake force would permit him: through which weake meanes, it pleased God to worke so strongly as the water was staide for that little time (which as we all much feared, was the last period of our breathing) and the ship kept from present sinking, when it pleased God to send her within halfe an English mile of that land that Sir George Sommers had not long before discryed: which were the Ilands of the Barmudas. And there neither did our ship sincke, but more fortunately in so great a misfortune fell in betweene two rockes, where shee was fast lodged and locked, for further budging: whereby we gayned, not only sufficient time, with the present help of our boate, and skiffe, safely to set, and conuey our men ashore (which were one hundred and fifty in number) but afterwards had time and leasure to saue some good part of our goodes and prouision, which the water had not spoyled, with all the tackling of the ship, and much of the yron about her, which were necessaries not a little auaileable, for the building and furnishing of a new ship and pinnis, which we made there, for the transporting and carrying