Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 16.djvu/59

 asse, with a maine like an horse and a beard hanging downe to the very ground: they wil clime vp the cliffes which are so steepe that a man would thinke it a thing vnpossible for any liuing thing to goe there. We tooke and killed many of them for all their swiftnes: for there be thousands of them vpon the mountaines.

Here are in like maner great store swine which be very wilde and very fat, and of a marueilous bignes: they keepe altogether vpon the mountaines, and will very seldome abide any man to come neere them, except it be by meere chance when they be found asleepe, or otherwise, according to their kinde, be taken layed in the mire.

We found in the houses at our comming 3. slaues which were Negros, and one which was borne in the yland of Iaua, which tolde vs that the East Indian fleete, which were in number 5 sailes, the least whereof were in burthen 8. or 900. tunnes, all laden with spices and Calicut cloth, with store of treasure and very rich stones and pearles, were gone from the saide yland of S. Helena but 20. dayes before we came thither.

This yland hath bene found of long time by the Portugals, and hath bene altogether planted by them, for their refreshing as they come from the East Indies. And when they come they haue all things plentiful for their reliefe, by reason that they suffer none to inhabit there that might spend vp the fruit of the yland, except some very few sicke persons in their company, which they stand in doubt will not liue vntill they come home, whom they leaue there to refresh themselues, and take away the yeere following the other Fleete if they liue so long. They touch here rather in their comming home from the East Indies, then at their going thither, because they are throughly furnished with corne when they set out of Portugal, but are but meanely victualled at their comming from the Indies, where there groweth little corne.

The 20. day of Iune hauing taken in wood and water and refreshed our selues with such things as we found there, and made cleane our ship, we set saile about 8. of the clocke in the night toward England. At our setting saile wee had the winde at Southeast, and we haled away Northwest and by west. The winde is commonly off the shore at this yland of S. Helena.