Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 16.djvu/264

 this prouision and diuers other necessaries for his people hee tooke his voyage for the Streights, and comming to the height of foure and forty degrees, hee met on the sudden with such a furious storme, that he was forced to throw his fraight ouerboord, and also to returne to the riuer of Ienero. Where staying a whole yeere for succour from the king, there came not so much as a letter from him. For the king was sore displeased at Pedro Sarmiento, because hee made him beleeue that the narrowest place of the Streights was but a mile ouer: and that it might bee fortified so that a boat could not passe: whereas Diego de Ribera, and others certified the king, that it was aboue a league broade, and that if a ship came with winde and current, all the Ordinance in the world could not hurte it. Wherefore the king thought that Pedro Sarmiento had deceiued him, in making him to lose so many men, and so much charges to no effect.

And the gouernour of Baya seeing that the king wrote not vnto him, would giue no more succour: so that Sarmiento was constrained to make a voyage for Spaine in the same shippe, wherein hee last sayled toward the Streights: and it is sayd that hee was taken in the way by Englishmen, and carried into England. This Sarmiento hath caried the name to be the best Nauigator in all Spaine, and that hee hath sayled the furthest of all others. After all this the captaine of the riuer of Ienero sent a smal ship with victuals for the Streightes, which was put backe also in fortie degrees. And this is all the discouery of the Streights of Magellan, made as well by Spaniards as other nations vnto this present yeere 1586.

It is foure yeeres since these poore and miserable Spaniards were left in the Streights, from which time there hath no succour gone vnto them, so God he knoweth whether they be dead or aliue.

Thus according to my promise I haue declared vnto you to the vttermost of my knowledge, all things concerning the Indias, as farre as the very Streights of Magellan; thinking to haue proceeded along the coast, as at the first; but that the doings of captaine Drake and other captaines which attempted to passe the sayd Straights haue caused mee to bee the longer in this my pretended worke. Howbeit now let vs proceede on forward from the Streights to the coast of Chili: the distance betweene which two places no man hath trauelled by land, in regard of the