Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 15.djvu/287

 ship that he would giue mee passage home with him, to certifie the owners what had passed in all the voyage, as also of the vnrulinesse of the company. And this day we tooke our leaues the one of the other; the Edward for England: and we bare in for Gonnauy, where afterwards we found the Frenchmans boat.

The last of Nouember 1593 Monsieur de la Barbotiere departed from a port called Laguna in Hispaniola.

The 17 of December next insuing it was his fortune to haue his ship cast away vpon the Northwest part of the isle of Bermuda about midnight; the pilots making themselues at noone to be to the Southward of the island twelue leagues, certified the captaine that they were out of all danger. So they demanded of him their wine of heigth: the which they had. And being, as it should seeme, after they had their wine, carelesse of their charge which they tooke in hand, being as it were drunken, through their negligence a number of good men were cast away: and I being but a stranger among 50 and odde Frenchmen and others, it pleased God to appoint me to be one of them that were saued, I hope to his seruice and glory. We made account at the first that we were cast away hard by the shore, being hie clifs, but we found our selues seuen leagues off: but with our boat and a raft which we had made and towed at our boats sterne, we were saued some 26 of vs; among whom were no English but myselfe. Now being among so many strangers, and seeing not roome for the one halfe, I durst neither presse into the boat, nor vpon the raft, for feare lest they should haue cast me ouer boord, or els haue killed me: so I stayed in the ship which was almost full of water, vntill the captaine being entered the boat, called me vnto him being at hand, for that it stood vpon life or death; and so I presently entred, leauing the better halfe of our company to the mercy of the sea. After this we rowed all the day vntill an houre or two before night yer we could come on land, towing the raft with the boat.

When we came on shore, being all the day without drinke, euery man tooke his way to see if he could finde any: but it was long before any was found. At length one of the pilots digging among a company of weeds found fresh water to all our great comforts, being only raine water: and this was all the fresh water that we found on shore. But there are in this Island many fine bayes, wherin if a man did dig, I thinke there might