Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 16.djvu/119

 some of purpose to guard the labourers. All the forenoone they laboured in quietnesse, and when it was ten of the clocke, the heat being extreme, they came to a rocke neere the woods side (for al this countrey is nothing but thick woods) and there they boyled Cazauiroots, and dined: after dinner some slept, some washed themselues in the sea, all being stripped to their shirts, and no man keeping watch, no match lighted, not a piece charged. Suddenly, as they were thus sleeping and sporting, hauing gotten themselues into a corner out of sight of the ship, there came a multitude of Indians and Portugales vpon them, and slew them sleeping: onely two escaped, one very sore hurt, the other not touched, by whom we vnderstsod by this miserable massacre: with all speed we manned our boat, and landed to succour our men; but we found them slaine, and laied naked on a ranke one by another, with their faces vpward, and a crosse set by them: and withall we saw two very great pinnesses come from the riuer of Ianero very ful of men; whom we mistrusted came from thence to take vs: because there came from Ienero souldiers to Santos, when the Generall had taken the towne and was strong in it.

Of 76 persons which departed in our ship out of England, we were now left but 57, hauing lost 13 in this place, with their chiefe furniture, as muskets, caliuers, powder, and shot. Our caske was all in decay, so that we could not take in more water than was in our ship, for want of caske, and that which we had was maruellous ill conditioned: and being there mored by trees for want of cables and ankers, we still expected the cutting of our morings, to be beaten from our decks with our owne furniture, and to be assayled by them of Ianero: what distresse we were now driuen into, I am not able to expresse. To depart with 8 tunnes of water in such bad caske was to sterue at sea, and in staying our case was ruinous. These were hard choises: but being thus perplexed, we made choice rather to fall into the hands of the Lord, then into the hands of men: for his exceeding mercies we had tasted, and of the others cruelty we were not ignorant. So concluding to depart, the 6 of February we were off in the chanell, with our ordinance and small shot in a readines, for any assalt that should come, and hauing a small gale of winde, we recouered the sea in most deepe distresse. Then bemoning our estate one to another, and recounting oure all our extremities, nothing grieued vs more, then the losse of