Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 16.djvu/207

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Spanish, and told our Captaine, that certaine French men vsed to come thither, and laded some oxe hides, and goats hides, but other commoditie there was none. We departed thence the 27 day, and the last day of the moneth being calme we went abord our General, and there consented to goe for Sierra Leona, to wood and water. From thence till the 10. of October wee were much becalmed with extreme hot weather, much lightning, and great store of raine. This 10. day we sounded, finding a great current as we supposed by the ripling water, which after wee found to be an ordinary tide, the flood setting to the Northwest, and the ebb Southeast, and here we had but 18. fathome water, and no lande to bee seene; it was on the Southermost part of the showles, that lie in about 11. degrees, but halling off againe, it presently deeped vnto 50. fathome and after halling Southeast and by East, and East southeast, we sounded, but had no ground in 120. fathome.

The 21. of October wee fell with land vpon the coast of Guinea, in the height of 8. degrees, a very high land, but of no great length: it was the high land ouer Sierro Leona. Wee drewe in to the land, and found neere the shoare more water then in the offing: at the Northren end of the high land we anckered about a mile, and somewhat more from the shoare in 11. fathome. To goe into the harbour of Sierra Leona we did borow vpon the South side, hauing no ground in 10. fathome, halfe a mile from the shoare.

Vpon the Northside of this harbour is very shoale water, but on the Southside no feare, more then is to be seene.

The 25. day being Sunday wee came to an ancker in the bay of fresh water, and going ashoare with our boate, wee spake with a Portugal, who told vs that not farre off there were Negros inhabiting, and that in giuing to the king a Botija of wine, and some linnen cloth, hee would suffer vs to water and wood at our pleasure. But our Captaines thinking it not good to giue any thing for that which they might take freely, landed, and certaine of our men with them, whereupon the Portugall and the Negros ranne all away into the woods. Then wee returned againe into our boates, and presently went and landed in another place, thinking to haue fetcht a walke, and so to come to our boats againe.

But wandering through a little wood, we were suddenly and vnawares vpon a towne of the Negros, whereupon they strooke vp their drumme, giuing