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Eli2, Naval Expeditions , &c of the English,

Book U<

1591. Captain Barker, in Search of Booty ;Bat venturing to go farther than theAdmiral had given them Orders, andstaying on Shoar two Days and twoNights, to partake of the good Farehi Mel che 7 ^ound; the Portuguese had thekilled by tie Courage to fall upon them, when theyPortuguese, were all drunk, with eighty of theirown Men, and with the Assistance ofthree Hundred Indians, killed everyMan of them, and seized their Boat.

The Admiral was now reduced tothe utmost Distress, left with one Shipalone, the best of his Company killed,and without a Boat: But, in this unhap-py Situation, Fortune supplied him withThe Poe an old Boat from the Portuguese : Andbuck joins soon aster the Roebuck, which had beenhim again, separated an the Storm came into thefame Bay, and joyn’d him, tho’ in aflattered and helpless Condition. Theywere both very unfit for any Enter-prise. However, the Admiral was re-solved upon some Attempt, as well tobe revenged on the Portuguese, for theMassacre of his Men, as to recover hisother Losses.

Several At- His stst Design was upon the Towntempts un- of St. Vmcent ; But this failed for

Jitccefsjul. Want of smaller Ships to go over theShoals. He was then perfwaded by aPortuguese Pilot to attempt the Town ofSpirito Sanflo ; But this failed, like-wise, for Want of a Depth of Water,to go over the Bar, contrary to the As-surances of the Pilot. Here the Ad-miral, seing three Ships at Anchor, notfar from the Town, proposed the At-tacking of them immediately with theirBoats, before they could remove into aPlace of more Security, and take outthe most valuable of their Cargoes ;But his base Crew, who seemed to beintent upon nothing more than theirown Ruin, would have ij/put off’ tillthe next Morning; And then, after thePortuguese had secured the Ships in aPlace where they might have defendedthem against an Army, nothing woulddo but they, would attempt them. TheAdmiral was obliged, contrary to hisbetter Knowledge, to comply, and twocrazy Boats crowded with Musketeers,as full as they could hold, under theCommand of Captain Morgan, weresent upon this hazardous Enterprize.They did what Men could do, and hadscaled the Walls of one Sconce, anddrove the Enemy out of another ; Butthe brave Captain, with two thirds ofhis Men, being killed, the Rest wereforced to retreat, and but eight returned

to the Ships, that were not desperatelywounded, having some five, some sixArrows, sticking in their Bodies.

They had now hardly Men enoughleft to fail their Ships, but none forfighting. However, in this poor Plight,the Admiral, almost heart-broken, setSail for St. SebaJUan s; And in this Pas-sage, (or according to the Admiral’sown Account, in Purchas, in the Bayof St. Sebastian’s it was, that the Roe-buck treacherously deserted him ; Andtho’ they had the Surgeon, with theirMedicines, and the best Part of theProvisions on Board, left him loadedwith all her sick and wounded Men. Sothat the Sick were forced to dy for Wantof Help, and the healthy were no lessexposed forWant of Provisions, if Provi-dence did not supply them.

He arrived at St. Sebastian' s, whenthey were come to their last Cask ofWater, where they refreshed, and newbuilt their Boats. Here, as they had yetsome Provisions left, and they had theSummer before them, tho’ their Sailsand Tackling were in a very sorry Con-dition, and notwithstanding the Admi-ral had suffered all the Indignities fromhis Men, that they could possibly offerhim, he again proposed sailing for theStreight of Magellan ; But all his Argu-ments could not prevail with them, theywould hear of nothing but returninghomewards, than which Death wouldhave been more eligible to him. Whe-ther he ever came on Shoar, or endedhis wearisom Life at Sea, is uncertain;All we know is, that, eight Degrees tothe Northward of the Line, he wrote aparticular Account of his disastrous Voy-age, and sent it with his last Will andTestament to England, to Sir TristramGeorges, his Executor; But by whatmeans I no where find.

159

1.

The Admitsdeserted tf

the R° e 'buck.

Arrives sSt. SebaE 1 '

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A,Hf s

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Will P'wards .

We have a Copy of this Account inPurchas, which, by many Expressionsin it, seems to have been written whenhe was at the Point of Death, or, atleast, when he had no Hopes left of liv-ing, In one Place he fays; " But I am" n°w grown so weak and faint, that I" am scarce able to hold the Pen in myHand; Wherefore I must leave you" to enquire of the Rest of our most un-happy Proceedings.” And he con-cludes, after having taken a solemnLeave of his Executor, and otherFriends, in the Words of a Man, goingto resign his last Breath, by repeating;Bear with this Scribbling, for, I pro-

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