Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 16.djvu/185

 calked without boord, and the master and others tooke vp all the merchandize in the sterne sheets to the keele, and there put downe a boats loding of stone: and seeing the merchandize well conditioned, stowed the same againe. In the mean time, my selfe and others in our boats scraped off the wormes, and washed the rudder, and part of one side of our ship.

After dinner, the master, pilot, and I went ashore, and obserued the Sunne at noone, which being past, with our net we drew plenty of diuers sorts of fishes, and went from that bay to the watering place: from thence, aboord the generall, which had taken physicke, and gaue them and the Francis fish for their companies, and so went aboord, where our company had rom aged aforemast: so that this afternoone we tooke in two boats more lading of stones afore mast.

The sixit day in the morning, before sixe of the clocke, we saw a saile which went towards the Southwards, the admirall not hauing knowledge thereof I went aboord, and certified him: who appointed me to goe and bring her in, and to take captaine Parker and some of the gallions men into the Francis, and the admirals skiffe with vs; so we gaue her chase, and tooke her sixe leagues to the leewards of the place we rode in. Then not being able to fetch the rode againe, we ankered in the sea. I intending to come away in the pinnesse, and leaue the Francis, and the prize together, being ready to depart, the winde blew at South a stout gale, and raine;; so that about sixe of the clocke, we ankered in the rode, where our ships rid.

After we had taken them, and that captaine Parker and I were aboord, we had much talke with them before they came to the ships; and being ankered there, the chiefe men were caried abord the general, which was a gentleman, named Don Francisco de Torre Vedra, nephew to the gouernour of the riuer of Plate, named Don Iohn de Torre Vedra.

We found an Englishman, named Richard Carter borne in Limehouse, who had bene out of England foure and twenty years, and hath bene nere twelue yeres dwelling in the riuer of Plate, at a towne named Ascension, three hundred leagues vp in the riuer, whither they were now determined to go and inhabit, hauing two women, and two yong children, seuen friers, the rest boyes, and sailers, to the number of one and twenty persons.