Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 15.djvu/453

 Guaia, saith, that hee departed out of his house in the beginning of Nouember in the yeere of our Lorde 1577. taking his course to Cabo Verde, or the greene Cape, where he anchored with his Shippe close by the Hauen of the Island of Sant Iago, one of the Islandes of Cabo Verde aforesayde, beeing the nineteenth of Ianuary in the yeere of our Lord 1578. And lying there, there came sixe ships, which seemed to be Englishmen, wheroof our Admirall boorded his ship, and by force with his men tooke him out of his ship, bringing him in the boate aboord the Admirals shippe, leauing some of his best men aboord his ship: and although the fortresse of the Island shot foure or fiue times at them, yet they hurt not the Englishmen: who hauing done, set saile from thence to the Island of Braua, taking with them the ship of the sayd Nuno da Silua: being there, they filled certaine vessels with fresh water: from thence holding their course inward to sea, having first with a boat set the men of Nuno da Siluas ship on land, onely keeping Nuno da Silua in his ship, as also his ship with the wines that were therein. And Nuno da Silua saith, the cause why they kept him on boord was, because they knew him to bee a pilot for the coast of Brasilia, that hee might bring them to such places in those countreys as had fresh water.

Being put off from the Island of Braua, they helde their course to the land of Brasilia, which they descried vpon the first of Aprill, vnder the height of thirtie degrees: and without landing or taking in fresh water, they helde on their course to Rio de la Plata, that is, The riuer of siluer, lying vnder fiue and thirtie degrees, little more or lesse: where they went on land, and prouided themselues of fresh water.

From thence they helde on their course till they came vnder nine and thirtie degrees, where they ankered: and beeing there, they left two of their sixe shippes behinde them, and sailed but foure in companie (that of Nuno da Silua being one) till they came to the Bay called Baya de las Islas, that is, The Bay of the Islands, lying vnder nine and fortie degrees, where it is sayde, that Magellan lay and wintered there with his shippe, when hee first discouered the Streight, which now holdeth his name. Into this Bay the twentieth of Iune they entred, and there ankered so close to the land, that they might send to it with a harquebuse shot: and there they sawe the land to bee inhabited with Indians,