Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 16.djvu/108

 a peece of our cable, and the rest gathered muskles, and tooke smeltes for the whole companie.

Three leagues from this harborough there is an Isle with foure small Isles about it, where there are great abundauce of seales, and at the time of the yeere the penguins come thither in great plentie to breede. Wee concluded with the pinnesse, that she should sometimes goe thither to fetch seales for vs; vpon which condition wee would share our victuals with her man for man; whereunto the whole companie agreed. So wee parted our poore store, and she laboured to fetch vs seales to eate, wherewith wee liued when smeltes and muskles failed: for in the nepe streames we could get no muskles. Thus in most miserable calamitie wee remained vntil the sixt of August, still keeping watch vpon the hils to looke for our Generall, and so great was our vexation and anguish of soule, as I thinke neuer flesh and blood endured more. Thus our miserie dayly increasing, time passing, and our hope of the Generall being very colde, our Captaine and Master were fully perswaded, that the Generall might perhaps goe directly for The Streights, and not come to this harborough: whereupon they thought no course more conuenient then to goe presently for The Streights, and there to stay his comming, for in that place hee could not passe, but of force wee must see him: whereunto the companie most willingly consented, as also the Captaine and master of the pinnesse; so that vpon this determinatian wee made all possible speede to depart.

The sixt of August we set saile, and went to Penguin-isle, and the next day wee salted twentie hogsheads of seales which was as much as our salt could possibly doe and so wee departed for The Streights the poorest wretches that euer were created. The seuenth of August towards nighte wee departed from Penguin-isles, shaping our course for The Streights, where wee had full confidence to meete with our Generall. The ninth wee had a sore storme, so that wee were constrained to hull, for our sailies were not to indure any force.

The 14 wee were driuen in among certaine Isles neuer before discouered by any knowen relation, lying fiftie leagues or better from the shoare East and Northerly from the Streights: in which place, vnlesse it had pleased God of his wonderfull mercie to haue ceased the winde, wee