Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 16.djvu/102

 them, that he purposed not to stay in the Streights, but to depart vpon some other voyage, or else to returne againe for Brasil. But his resolution was to goe for the Cape of Buena Esperança. The company answered, that if it pleased him, they did desire to stay Gods fauour for a winde, and to indure all hardnesse whatsoever, rather then to giue ouer the voyage, considering they had bene here but a smal time, and because they were within fourtie leagues of the South sea, it grieued them now to returne; notwithstanding what hee purposed that they would performe. So hee concluded to goe for the Cape of Buena Esperança, and to giue ouer this voyage. Then our Captaine, after master Candish was come abord The Desire from talking with the company, tolde him, that if it pleased him to consider the great extremitie of his estate, the slendernesse of his prouisions, with the weakenesse of his men, it was no course for him to proceed in that newe enterprize: for if the rest of your shippes (said hee) bee furnished answerable to this, it is impossible to performe your determination: for wee haue no more sailes then mates, no victuals, no ground-tackling, no cordage more then is ouer our head, and among seuentie and fiue persons, there is but the Master alone that can order the shippe, and but foureteene saylers. The rest are gentlemen, seruingmen and artificers. Therefore it will be a desperate case to take so hard an enterprize in hand. These perswasions did our Captaine not onely vse to master Candish, but also to master Cocke. In fine vpon a petition deliuered in writing by the chiefe of the whole company, the Generall determined to depart out of The Streights of Magellan, and to returne againe for Santos in Brasil.

So the 15. of May wee set saile, the Generall then being in the Galeon. The eighteenth wee were free of the Streights, but at Cape Froward it was our hard hap to haue our boat sunke at our sterne in the night, and to be split and sore spoiled, and to loose all our ores.

The twentieth of May being thwart of Port Desire, in the night the Generall altered his course, as wee suppose, by which occasion wee lost him: for in the euening he stood close by a winde to seaward, hauing the winde at Northnortheast, and wee standing the same way, the winde not altering, could not the next day see him: so that we then perswaded our selues, that hee was gone for Port Desire to relieue himselfe, or that hee had sustained some mischance at Sea, and