Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 15.djvu/284

 certeine intelligence which wee had receiued: but the company, which were in all but 33 men and boyes, being in a mutiny, and euery day ready to go together by the eares (the captaine being sicke and like for to die) would not stay, but would needs go home.

The 8 of December 1592 we set saile homeward, but some 15 dayes before we had sight of the cape of Good hope, we were forced to share our bread, by reason we had certeine flies in our ship, which deuoured most part of our bread before we were aware; so that when we came to sharing, we had but 31 pound of bread a man to cary vs into England, with a small quantity of rice a day.

The last of March 1593 we doubled the cape of Bona Sperança.

In April next ensuing we came to anker at the island of S. Helena, whereas we found an English man a tailer, which had bene there 14 moneths before we came thither: so we sending our boat on shore with some ten men, they found this English man in the chapell; who by reason of the heat of the climat was inforced to keepe himselfe out of the Sun. Our company hearing one sing in the chapell, supposing it had bene some Portugall, thrust open the doore, and went in vnto him:

but the poore man seeing so many come in vpon him on the sudden, and thinking them to be Portugals, was first in such a feare, not hauing seene any man in 14 moneths before, and afterwards knowing them to be Englishmen, and some of them of his acquaintance, in such ioy, that what betweene excessiue sudden fear and ioy, he became distracted of his wits, to our great sorrowes. Here we found of his drying some 40 goats. The party had made him for want of apparell two sutes of goates skinnes with the hairy side outwards, like vnto the Sauages of Canada. Here we stayed all this moneth. This man liued vntill we came to the West Indies, and then he died.

In the moneth of Iune we arriued at the island of Trinidad in the West Indies, hoping there to finde refreshing; but we could not get any, by reason that the Spanyards had taken it. Here we were imbayed betweene the island and the maine; and for want of victuals the company would haue forsaken the ship: whereupon the captaine was inforced to sweare euery man not to forsake the ship vntill we should see further occasion. Out of