1 7 4 AP P E N D I X .
also in the harbour where the ship lay. These rocks are less dangerous
to shipping, by reason they have weeds lying about them."
From all the preceding description, it appears that they were at
the south part of the island named Madre de Dios in the Spanish
atlas; which island is south of the channel, or arm of the sea, named
the Gulf de la S"'* Trinidada; and that Sharij's English Gulf is the
Brazo de la Con^epcion of Sarmiento.
Ringrose ha-s drawn a sketch of the Duke of York's Islands, and
one of the English Gulf; but which are not worth copying, as they
have neither compass, meridian line, scale, nor soundings. He has
given other plans in the same defective manner, on which account
they can be of little use. It is necessary, however, to remark a difference
in the plan which has been printed of the English Gulf, firom
the plan in the manuscript. In the printed copy, the shore of the
gulf is drawn in one continued line, admitting no thoroughfare;
whereas, in the manuscript plan, there are clear oiwnings, leaving a
prospect of channels through.
Towards the end of October, the weather settled fair. Hitherto
they had seen no inhabitants; but on the 27th, a party went from
the ship in a boat on an excursion in search of provisions, and unhappily
caught sight of a small boat belonging to the natives of the
land. The ship's boat rowed in pursuit, and the natives, a man, a
woman, and a boy, finding their boat would be overtaken, all leaped
overboard and swam towards the shore. This viUanous crew of buccaneers
had the barbarity to shoot at them m the water, and they
shot the man dead; the woman made her escape to land ; the boy, a
stout lad about eighteen years of age, was taken, and with the Indian
boat, was carried to the ship.
The poor lad thus made prisoner had only a small covering of seal
skin. " He was squint-eyed, and his hair was cut short. The doree,
or boat, in which he and the other Indians were, was built sharp at
each end and flat bottomed : in the middle they had a fire burning
for dressing victuals, or other use. They had a net to catch penguins,
a club like our bandies, and wooden darts. This young Indian
appeared by his actions to be very innocent and foolish. He could
open large muscles with his fingers, which our buccaneers could
scarcely manage with their knives. He was very wild, and would eat
raw flesh."
By the beginning of November the rudder was repaired and hung.
Ringrose says, " we could perceive, now the stormy weather was
A P P E N D I X .
blown over, much small fry of fish about the ship, whereof before we
saw none. The weather began to be warm, or rather hot; and the
birds, as thrushes and blackbirds, to smg as sweetly as those m
^ " o n " t t 5th of November, they sailed out of the English Gulf,
taking with them their young Indian prisoner, to whom they gave
the name of Orson. As they departed, the natives on some of he
lands to the eastward made great fires. At six in the evening the
ship was without the mouth of the gulf: the wind blew fresh from
the N.W. , and they stood out S.W. by W. , to keep clear of breakers
which lie four leagues without the entrance of the gulf to the S. and
S S.E. Many reefs and rocks were seen hereabouts, on account ot
which they kept close to the wind till they were a good distance clear
of the land. Their navigation from here to the Atlantic was, more
than could have been imagined, like the journey of traveUers by night
in a strange country without a guide. The weather was stormy, and
they would not venture to steer in for the Strait of Magalhaens.
which they had purposed to do, for the benefit of the pro^'iaon which
the shores of the strait afford, of fresh water, fish, vegetables, and
wood. They ran to the S. to go round to the Tierra del Fuego, bavi
n - the wind from the N.W. , which was the most favourable for this
navigation ; but they firequently lay to, because the weather was thick.
On the 12th, they had not passed the Tierra del Fuego. The latitude,
according to observation that day, was 55° 25', and the course
they steered was S.S.E.
On the 14th, Ringrose says, " the latitude was observed 57° 50 b.,
and on this day we could perceive land, from which at noon we were
due W. " They steered S. by E., and expected that at daylight the
next morning they should be'dose in with the laud; but the weather
became cloudy, with much fall of snow, and nothing more of it was
seen. No longitude or meridian distance is noticed, and it must
remain donbtful whether what they took for land was floating ice ;
or their obsen'ation for the latitude erroneous, and that they saw the
Isles of Diego Ramirez ?
Three days afterwards, in latitude 58° 30- S., they feU in -wrth ice
islands, one of which they reckoned to be two leagues in circumference.
A strong current set here southward. They held on their
course eastward so far, that when at last they did saU northward
they saw neither the Tierra del Fuego nor Staten Island. (End of
November 1681.)
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