Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 16.djvu/103

 was gone thither to remedy it. Whereupon our Captaine called the Generals men vnto him, with the rest, and asked their opinion what was to bee done. Euery one sayde, that they thought that the Generall was gone for Port Desire. Then the Master being the Generals man, and carefull of his masters seruice, as also of good iudgement in Sea-matters, tolde the company howe dangerous it was to goe for Port Desire, if wee shoulde there misse the Generall: for (saide hee) wee haue no boate to lande our selues, nor any cables nor anckers that I dare trust in so quicke streames as are there: yet in all likelyhood concluding that the Generall was gone thither, wee stayed our course for Port Desire, and by chance mette with the Blacke pinnesse, which had likewise lost the Fleete, being in very miserable case: so wee both concluded to seeke the Generall at Port Desire.

The sixe and twentieth day of May we came to Port Desire, where not finding our General, as we hoped, being most slenderly victualled, without sailes, boate, ores, nailes, cordage, and all other necessaries for our reliefe, wee were strooken into a deadly sorrow.

But referring all to the prouidence and fatherly protection of the Almightie, wee entered the harbour, and by Gods fauour found a place of quiet roade, which before wee knewe not.

Hauing mored our shippe with the pinnesses boate, wee landed vpon the South shore, where wee found a standing poole of fresh water, which by estimation might holde some tenne tunnes, whereby wee were greatly comforted. From this poole wee fet more then fortie tunnes of water, and yet wee left the poole as full as wee found it. And because at our first being in this harbour wee were at this place and found no water, we perswaded our selues that God had sent it for our reliefe.

Also there were such extraordinary low ebbes as we had neuer seene, whereby wee got muskles in great plentie. Likewise God sent about our shippes great abundance of smelts, so that with hookes made of pinnes euery man caught as many as hee coulde eate: by which meanes wee preserued our ships victuals, and spent not any during the time of our abode here.

Our Captaine and Master falling into the consideration of our estate and dispatch to goe to the Generall, found our wants so great, as that in a moneth wee coulde not fitte our shippe to set