the General consented heereupon our Master called the Pilot to see if he had any skil in the Plat and so to let him depart and all the rest But when thus treacherously they offered vs the first abuse we could doe no lesse then we did being in our owne defence and for the safegard of our liues Yet did some fiue or sixe of these villaines recouer a Pangaia by their excellent swiftnesse in swimming and escaped to the shore they swimming to windward faster then our Pinnis could rowe In this skirmish were hurt but thrée of our Company namely Master Glascocke with two wounds whereof one was a deepe wound in his backe Master Tindals was aimed at his breast he hauing nothing in his hand to defend himselfe yet by the assistance of the Almighty he turned himselfe about and receiued the stabbe in his arme and our Masters was in his belly as is formerly said which God be thanked they all recouered and were well cured The 19. day of Ianuary wée espied many Ilands which the Portugals call by the name of Almaisant being to the number of nine Ilands al vnpeopled as the Portugals write and affirme The 20. day we sent our Pinnis in the morning to one of those Ilands to séeke fresh water but could finde none yet they found there great store of Land Turtles and brought some sixe aboard then wee sailed â—o an other Iland which seemed more likely for fresh water then the first where we cast Ancor The 21. day about ten of the Clock in the forenoone Riding there at twelue or thirtéene fathome water and a reasonable good harbour we staied there vntill the first day of February and then waighed Ancor and departed Here we refreshed our selues very well with fresh water Coquonuts fish Palmitoes and Doues great plenty The first day of February we set saile and sailed with a faire winde vntill the 19. day that wée passed the Equinoctiall line and on the fiftéenth day in the morning betime we came within ken of land which was the coast of Melueidey vpon the maine The 16. day we came to an Ancor about nine of the Clocke in the morning at 12. fathome water and some two leagues from the shore and presently wee sent our Pinnis to the shore to séeke some refreshing but they could by no meanes get on shore nor would the people of the Countrey being fearefull come within parly which at their returne they certified our Master of and so in the afternoone we set saile againe and departed Now about this time it pleased God by the confession of William Acton one of our ship boies to reueale a foule and detestable sinne committed amongst vs which being approued against him by a Iury hée was condemned to die and was executed for the same on the third day of March being Friday in the morning The 21. day betimes in the morning we espied an Iland standing in the height of 12. Degrées and 17. minutes being barren and vnpeopled ouer against which Iland some thrée leagues distant stood foure hillocks or rocks for this Iland we bore vp a whole day and a night and finding it to be barren and vnpeopled by sending our skiffe on shore wée passed by it and the same day wée espied thrée Ilands more about sunne setting standing in the height of 12. Degrées and 29. minutes to which Ilands we came the 29. day of March 1609. two of which Ilands were within a league one of another and the third we found to be Sacatora and standeth in 12. Degrées and 24. minutes where we Ancored in a fine Bay the 30. day in the morning about ten of the Clocke At sight of vs the Ilanders made a fire and wée sent our skiffe an shore but the people fled with great feare and trembling hauing as it séemed beene formerly iniured by some that had passed 〈…〉 our men looking about found no likelie-hood of any reléefe there and so came aboard and certified the Generall thereof so that about fiue of the clock in the afternoone wée waighed ancor and sailed along to find out the chiefe harbor The 31. day we stood of into the main Sea wher we met with a Guzarat ship laden with Cotton woolls Callicoes and Pentathoes béeing bound for Adden whether wée kept her company in regard they told vs it was a Towne of great trading but wée found it quite contrary for it was onely a Towne of garison and many Souldiers in it and at the very entring into the Towne is a Castle cut out of the maine and incompassed round with the Sea wherein are thirty two péeces of Ordinance and fiftie péeces in the towne The 10. day of Aprill wee arriued there and the Guzarat ship went into the Towne and told the Gouernour there was an English Ship come to trade there Who presently sent his Admirall to vs and our Generall vnaduisedly went on shore where hée and his fellowes were receiued with 4. great Horses and were caried before the Gouernour in as great pomp and state as the Towne could yéeld But the Gouernor finding him to be a plaine and simple man put him in a house with a Chowse or kéeper with many Ianyzaries or Souldiers to gard him and so kept him prisoner sixe wéekes my selfe being prisoner with him And then the Gouernor caused him to send aboard for Iron Tinne and Cloath to the value of 2500. Dollars with promise to buy the same which when he had on shore hée claimed and made stay thereof for the Custome of the ship onely and when hee saw hee had gotten as much as hée could hee sent him aboard the 27. day of May and kept 2. of our Merchants for 2000. Dollars which he said was for ancorage but the generall voice of the company was that hee should haue none whereupon hee sent the Merchants vp into the Countrey some 8. daies iourney to a place called Siany where the Bashaw then lay The 28. day our Pinnace came to vs who told vs their Master was dead and inquiring where and how the company told vs he was knockt in the head with a Mallet hammer by one Thomas Clarke with the consent of Francis Driuer his mate Andrew Euans and Edward Hilles beeing foure murderous and bad minded men who beeing asked why and vpon what occasion they did it they could make no excuse nor alledge any cause saue onely that hee had some small quantity of Aquauitae and Rosa solis for his owne store and for the good of them or any one aboard that should stand in néede thereof and was prouident to kéepe and preserue the same till great need should be and therefore out of méere malice and chieflie by the instigation of Francis Driuer his mate they thus murdred an innocent man who thought them no harme nor suspected any such danger The 31. day of May a Iury was called and vpon iust and due proofe according to our English lawes they were conuicted and Francis Driuer
for the space of fiue daies that wee staied there and eat and dranke with vs after an vnsatiable manner and very gréedily Also we sent the Gouernor a present of two chéeses a Gammon of bakon and fiue or sixe harrels of pickle Oisters which he accepted very thankefully and returned vs in requital therof two or thrée Goats and a Shéepe or two and good store of Unions And there we tooke in fresh water Canarie wine Marmalad of Quinces at twelue pence the pound little barrels of Suckets at three shillings the barrell Oranges Limmons Ponicitrions and excellent faire white bread made with Anniséeds and is by them called Nunnes bread The eightéenth day of Aprill about seuen of the clocke in the morning we waighed Ancor and set saile hauing a faire gale of wind for some thrée houres and being then becalmed we houered too fro till the 21. day and hauing then againe a faire gale of winde we sailed vntill the 27. day about two or three of the clock in the afternoone that we ariued ancored at Mayo being about thrée hundred leagues from the Canaries and comming from thence wee were determined to take in fresh water at a place called Bonauista but hauing ancored we found the water to bee two or three miles vp in the land neither was it cleare water so that we tooke the smaller quantity But thero were other good commodities For at our first comming we were told by two Negroes that there wee might haue as many Goats as we would gratis and I well remember we had to the number of two hundred or there abouts in both our ships Also-they told vs that there were but twelu men in the Iland and that there was verie great store of Salt growing out of the ground so that if we pleased we might lade both our ships therewith it is excellent good white salt and as cleare as euer I saw any in England Ouer against the I le of Mayo some eight leagues distance is an Iland called S. Deago wee staied at Mayo from the twenty seuenth of Aprill in the afternoone vntill the fourth day of May at sixe of the clocke in the morning when we set saile and sailed vntill the twentieth day of May that we were past the Equinoctiall line about 4. or 6. of the clocke in the morning being distant froÌ„ the I le of Mayo about thrée hundred fourty eight leagâ—es or there abouts as our master Philip de Grone noted it downe in his owne Booke of the description of the whole Uoiage And thence we still sailed forwards vntill the fourth of Iuly that wee caâ—â—e to a part of Souldania with al our men in health Gods name be praised but two which were touched a little with the scuruy which â—â—one after recouered themselues on shore to their former health Also the same day we espied Land which is called Cape bona Speranse being some fifteene or sixteene leagues of Souldania and standeth in some thirty fiue Degrées or thereabouts At Souldania wee refreshed our selues excellently well so long as we were there and had and tooke in for our prouision about foure hundred head of Cattel as Oxen Stéeres Sheepe and Lambes and foules and fish of sundry sorts very plentifull and fresh water great store Also in that place is an Iland called Pengwin some fiue or sixe leagues from the maine Land where are great store of fowles called also Pengwins infinite number of Sealles And to fetch some of those Seales we went twice thither and filled our boat each time and made tranie Oile thereof for Lampes Also in this Iland we found 20. fat shéepe being left there by the Hollanders for a Pinnis which we met some two hundred leagues from Cape bona Speranse which shéepe we tooke with vs and left sixe beasts or bullocks in their steads At our â—irst comming to Souldania wee began to build or set vp our Pinnis and launched her the fifth day of September next following and in seuen or eight daies after she was rigged and ready in all points to haue gone away if any such necessity had béene Souldania is within the Kingdome of Ethiopia Now the Ethiopians are by nature very brutish or beastly people especially in their feeding For I haue séene them eate the guts garbedge yea euen the very panch where the dung â—ilth lieth Also when we haue cast off those Seale fishes into the riuer neere adioining where they haue lyen the space of fourtéen daies and that they haue béene putriâ—ied and stuncke so vehâ—mently that it could almost haue stifled one of vs to come by them these people haue taken them vp and â—aten them when they haue â—warmed with cranling maggots Also in this Countrey are sundry sorts of wilde beasts which my selfe and others of our Company going on shore of purpose haue seene and perceiued some of them to â—e very fierce and cruell so that afterwards when we found their dens we durst not enter them nor come very neere them lest they should be in them The Ethiopians brought downe to the shore side to sell Estridgs egges and some empty shels with a small hole in one end with Estridges feathers and Porpentines quils and for all their Traffique and Commodities they chiefly desire Iron estéeming it more then either gold or siluer For with our old iron we bought all our Cattell and any thing else that we had of them In this Countrey wee remained from the fouretéenth day of Iuly vntil the twentieth day of September then next following The 20. day of September earely in the morning we waighed ancor and that night we lost the good ship called the Vnion and our Pinnis called by the name of the Good hope the night being very darke and windy now the euening before we lost them the Vnion about fiue of the Clocke put out her Ensigne but to what intent we knew not nor could imagine but all that night we lay at hull The next day being the 21. day hauing a faire and strong gale of winde and afterwards sundry contrary windes and many calmes yet at length wee attained to the height of S. Laurence on the 27. day of October standing in the height of 26. degrees from whence we sailed with many crosse and contrary winds and calmes Yet at length on the 22. day of Nouember in the morning wee descried two or thrée small Ilands and in the afternoone we espied an Iland called Gomora a very high Land and on the 24. day we sent our boat to the shore side and there came to the shore side fiue or sixe men of that Countrey and sold vs Plantains and nothing else at that time The next day we sent our boat againe but a little before they came to the shore they espied a Cannooe and two men in it a fishing we went betweene them and the shore but would not violently take them then we shewed them a knife oâ— two and they came both into our
Boat and we brought them aboard our Ship and vsed them very kindly and gaue one of them a Turbant to put on his head and to the other a little glasse of a quarter of a pinte full of Aquauitae and sent them ashore From the 22. day that wee espied the Iland Gomora and came amongst the Ilands wee could haue no stéedy gale of wind to carry vs forward vntill the 25. day that with the wind and aid of our Pinnis which towed our ship betweene the two Ilands adioining to the shore we came to an ancor that night betwéene foure and fiue of the Clocke in some 17. or 20. fathome water The â—6 day wee sent our boat to the shore with a present to the King by master Iordan who went himselfe alone with the present leauing onely a pledge or two in the boate till his returne The present was a paire of Kniues a Shash or Turbant and a looking glasse with a combe in it to the value of some 15. shillings in all which the King receiued somewhat scornefully not scarse looking on it or at the least thinking it to be but of small value and gaue it to one of his Noble men and told master Iordan our Factor that if our Generall would come on shore hee should haue any thing that they had and with this answer he departed and at his comming from the King the King bowed himselfe towards him in very courteous manner and after his departure as it may seeme hee better perused the present For in the afternoone he sent our Generall in requitall a very fat yongue Bulâ—locke which wee receiued and gratified the messengers with a couple of peny kniues wherewith they thought themselues verie royally contented The 27. day our Generall went on shore and some 12. with him and carried with him a small banquet as a box of Marmaled a barrell of Suckets and Wine which they did eat before the King but he would neither eat nor drinke but his Nobles did both eat and drinke And after the banket hauing some conference with the King by his Interpreter concerning our wants by whom wee vnderstood that they had some dealings with the Portugals of which language he could speake a little which was sufficient to satisfie vs with what they had The 28. day the King had determined to come aboard our ship but his Interpretor told vs that his Councel and the common people would not suffer him so to doe Also that day towards night I went a shore where our people were cutting downe woode and came aboard againe with the boat The 29. day I went ashore againe with our Master master Tindall master Iordan and our whole noise of Trumpeters and at the shore side were very kindly entertained by the Interpretor who brought vs to the King being then by his Pallace side who at our approch bowed himselfe vnto vs very courteouslie He hath for his gard when he walketh abroad sixe or eight men with kniues of a foot long and as broad as hatchets and very sharpe which goe next to his person and more goe before him and many behinde him to keepe and defend him from what iniurie or wrong soeuer may come or happen These people seeme to bee ciuill kinde and true hearted to strangers for in going too and fro a shore and aboard one of our men carelesly left his sword behinde him at night when he came aboard which being found by one of the people of Gomora he brought it to the King who perceiuing it to bee some of ours demanded how hee came by it who answered hee found it and the King againe told him that if he proued the contrary it should cost his best blood the next day at our comming on shore the Kings Interpretor brought vs the sword and told vs the Kings pleasure therein Also they séeme to haue a very ciuill gouernment amongst them for at their meeting in the morning they will shake hands each with other and speake one to another which to vs séemed to bee their kinde and friendly salutations one to another They are verie modest streight big limmed and very comely in gesture both men and women Their Religion Mahometicall and goe almost naked onely their priuities are couered with linnen cloth and Turbants on their heads The women haue a linnen cloth that couereth their breasts before and reacheth to the middle and from the middle to the knee and somewhat lower they are couered round about with linnen next to their skin and sedges tied round about them like a rowle at their waste and hung down which doth become them very well They goe all barefoot except the King who hath a paire of soles on his féet and for his apparell when I saw him he had a white wrought networke Cap a Scarlet wastcote loose about him and open before with sleeues and a linnen cloth about his middle and another which hanged downe from his shoulders to his féet Also at our being there at the Town they brought vs Coquo nuts to sell as bigge as a mans head and round and some bigger and some lesser with water in them according to the proportion or bignesse of the shell and as much meat in one shell as would suffice for a wans dinner Also they brought vs Goats Hens Chickens Limons Rice Milke Fish and such like which wee bought for Commodities as two hens for a penny knife Limmons and Coquonuts for old Iron as nailes broken pickes and such like But for fresh water there is small store and that they haue is gotten out of the sands viz. First they make a hole in the sands and when the water commeth into the hole they lade it out into their Coquo shels and so drinke it They brought vs of that water but none of our company would drinke thereof it looked so thicke and muddy In this Iland of Gomora wee staied from the 25. day of Nouember vntill the 29. of the same and then we waighed Ancor and departed The tenth day of December about two or three of the Clocke in the morning and the Moone shining we espied on a sudden a low land with high trees growing by the shore side we being not a league from the shore so that if we had not espied the trees we should haue thought the land to haue béene but the shadow of the Moone and so might haue run our selues on shore and cast our selues away with ship and goods but it was Gods good prouidence thus to defend vs from so great and imminent danger whose name be blessed and praised now and euermore This was the Iland of Pemba which we tooke to be Zinzabar vntill by one of the people of the Countrie we found it to be Pemba At the sight of this low Iland after we plainely perceiued it wee presently tackt about and set from the shore till day and then we tackt about againe to the shore side and neering alongst the shore side for a harbour to ancor
in wee sent our Pinnis in the meane time to the shore with the Gang onlie and master Elmore to seeke for a conuenient watering place wee kéeping our course till our Pinnis came to the shore side Then two or three of the people of the Iland demanded in the Portugall language what we were and one of our men made answer that we were Englishmen Then they demanded againe what we had to doe there in regard the King of Portugall was King of that Iland wee replied that wee knew not so much neither came we thither for any euill intent whatsoeuer but only to water and would giue them satisfaction for any other thing that we should haue of them Then it drew towards night and our men came aboard and acquainted the whole Company with this their parly on shore The 11. day our boat went ashore to the same place but found it void of people and returned and presently we came to an ancor about fiue or sixe of the Clocke in the afternoone néere vnto two or three broken Ilands there adioyning néere to the maine Iland of Pemba This place of our then ancoring standeth in the height of fiue Degrées and 20. minutes The 12. day our Pinnis went on shore to the same place with master Iordan one of our Merchants At whose comming on shore after some conference with some that could speake Portugall but not with those as it seemed with whom we spake the day before for these told master Iordan the King was a Mallaibar and after some other conference master Iordan told them that although our ship were an English ship yet he was a Portugall Merchant and the goods in the ship were Portugals goods Then they told vs wee should not want for any thing they had and hereupon they sent a Moore into our boat to make search for a conuenient watering â—lace who after some small search brought vs to a little hole at the bottome of a hill being hemmed in with the hill on the one side and a dich on the other side there we filled our Barréecoes and being ready to goe aboard wee desired the Moore to goe aboard with vs who willâ—â—gly agreed thereto and we vsed him very kindly till the next morning that we went to water againe and carried him on shore with vs by whose report of his kinde vsage aboard there came downe with him another that could speake a little Portugalâ— who as hee said was one of the Kings Gentlemen him wee also brought aboard and vsed him very kindly and set him a shore the next day Who promised at his departure to bring vs Hennes Coquâ—nuts and Orenges which he did accordingly and then our Master with master Reuet and my selfe went a shore with some others of the Company where wee dined and after dinner came two Cauelliers and a Moore being one of their flaues to the watering place where our men were filling of the Caske and asked whether there were any of the chiefe of our ship or Company there to whoÌ„ Edward Churchman one of our Company made answer said there was our Master and one of the Merchants whom if it pleased them he would bring to parlee with them and at their méeting they saluted each other after the Portugall maner And after some Conference demanding what wee were we told them we were Englishmen and they replied that we were very welcome and all that they had or the Iland could afford was at our command and disposing to whom we gaue harty thanks But those sugred words of theirs was only in outward shew to cloake their treacherous practises as afterward we found it true Then we demanded what they were and it was answered that one of them was the Kings brother who instantly shewed vs a siluer ring whereon was ingrauen the number of villages and houses or cottages in the Iland and said he was Ruler and Gouernor of all those places Then we asked them if there were any Portugals in the Iland they said no for they had banished them all because they would haue reliefe there perforce and would make slaues of the people of the Iland which being not able to indure they made continuall warres with them at their comming thither In the meane time our Pinnis came on shore which had béene at an other place of the Iland for Cattell according to appointment but were deferred of till they might get fitter opportunity for their intended treacherie Then our men told vs that they had heard of that side of the Iland where they were for Cattell that 15. saile of Hollanders had lately taken Mosembâ—ge and put all the Portugals to the sword which newes they had heard from Zinzibar to be true whereat these Cauelliers séemed outwardly to reioice which was also another subtill traine to bring vs within compasse of their intended treachery And when night drew on we intreated them to goe aboard with vs which then they refused to doe but promised to come aboard the next day being the seuenteenth day of December which the Kings brother as he named himselfe did with two others but before they came aboard they craued pledges which they had viz. Thomas Caue Gabriel Brooke and Laurence Pigot our Surgeon The other thrée being then aboard we vsed them verie kindly vntill they went on shore on the eightéenth day in the morning And our General gaue the chiefe of them two Goats a paper Cartridge of Gunpowder and some other small trifles to the other two and so went on shore and master Reuet master Iordan M. Glascot my selfe went with them for our pledges at our comming on shore and fearing no treacherie we went sixe or eight vnaduisedly vp to the houses for our pledges whom we found garded with fifty or sixty men armed with seuerall weapon as Bowes and Arrowes Swords and Bucklers Darts and Cuâ—ltleaxes yet at our comming thither wee receiued our pledges and without longer stay departed to the Sea side accompanied with the Kings brother and immediatly most of those Moores came also after vs and sixe or eight of them came to our Pinnis side and viewed her and so departed againe to the rest of their fellowes And we instantly entered our boat and intreated the Kings brother to go aboard with vs which he willingly did we entertained him with all kindnes that we could vntill towards night that he was to depart when our Master offered him a knife with some other odde trifles which he scornfully refused and presently went ashoare in our boat Upon this we mistrusted some trechery intended against vs and therefore thought to bee better armed at our next comming ashoare The 19. day our Long-boat went a shore in the morning verie early to fill our Caske with water and hauing filled the same within a litle they espied our sailes out being let downe to dry but they imagined we were going away where vpon the companion to the Kings brother came to our boatswaine and asked him