and these his wordes were not true, but we were (as it
were) in ye middle of manie Islands, and manie uninhabited
rocks, and there were also some Portugals
that affirmed that they knew the land. I say, being
amongst these rockes, and from the land which is
over against Tenassary, with great scarsitie of victualles,
and that by the saying of the pylate and two Portugalles,
holding them firme that we were in front of the aforesaide
harbour, we determined to goe thither with our boat
and fetch victualles, and that the shippe shoulde stay'
for us in a place assigned ; we were twenty and eight
persons in the boat that went for victualles, and on a
day about twelve of the clocke we went from the Ship,
assuring ourselves to be in the harbour before night
in the afore saide port; wee rowed all that day, and
a great part of the next night, and all the next day
without finding harbour, or any signe of good landing,
and this came to passe through the evil counsel of the
two Portugalles. that were with us.
“ For we had overshot the harbour and left it behind
us, in such wise that we had loste the lande, enhabited
with the ship, and we twentie eight men had no manner
of victuall with us in the boate, but it was the Lordes
will that one of the Mariners had brought a little Ryce
with him in thef boat to barter away for some other
thing, and it was not so much but three or fowre men
would have eaten it at a meal : I tooke the government
of this Ryce promising. by the helpe of God that
Ryce should be nourishment for us untill it plesed God
to send us to some place that was enhabited, and when
I slept I put the ryce into my bosome because they
shoulde not rob it from me : We were nine dayes
rowing alongst the coast, without finding anything but
Countries uninhabited, and deserts Hand, where if we
had found but grasse it woulde have seemed Sugar unto
us, but wee coulde not finde any, yet wee founde a fewe
leaves of a tree,
and they were so
hard that we could
not chew them ;
we had water and
wood sufficient, and
as we rowepl, we
could goe but by
flowing water, for
when it was ebbing
water, we made fast
our boat to the
bancke of one of
these Hands, and
in these nine dayes
that we rowed, wee
found a cave or
nest of Tortugals
egges, wherein was
a hundred an d
fortie fowre egges,
the which was .„a
great helpe unto
us: these egges are m e e g u i a r c h i p e l a g o : a d e n i z e n o f t h e . i s l a n d s