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1596.

Truxillo assailed.

the sixt of March, and resolved to set upon the strong towne of Truxillo neere the mouth of the bay of the Honduras. And having sayled to Cape de Corrientes upon Cuba, to seeke a barke of mine for our better strength; but not finding her, we went for the cape of Honduras, where wee purposed to intrap the watch, and so to have sacked the towne of Truxillo. But the watch discovering us, made great fires, and the towne presently shot off a great piece, and answered with fires. Notwithstanding, the next day being the one and thirtieth of March, wee brought our ships under the fort, and landed our men: but it was a vaine pur[III. 603.] pose, for the towne is invincible by nature, and standeth upon the top of a very steepe hill joyning close to the sea, environed with woods of such exceeding thicknes, that there is no passage through the trees: there is also but one very narrow and steepe lane to goe into the towne, at the end whereof is a gate very strongly fortified: so that it is not to be approched unto, unlesse it be upon the sudden, and with surprize of the watch: wherefore with the losse of some few men wee retired from this enterprize.

Puerto de Cavallos taken.

They passe

above 30. leags up Rio dolce.

From hence we passed up farther into the gulfe the second of April, with intention to invade the towne of Puerto de Cavallos, where wee arrived the seventh of April, and tooke the same, finding it well fortified, but nothing answering our expectation for wealth. Whereupon Sir Anthony Sherley and I being hitherto frustrate of our hopes, resolved here to enter up to the bottome of Rio dolce, and to passe overland unto the South sea. Wherefore wee set forward, and entred above thirty leagues up the sayd Rio dolce, thinking to have passed overland with two companies of men, and to have caried a pinnesse in sixe quarters to be set together with skrewes, and therein to have embarked our selves in the South sea, and there for a time to have tried our fortune; and to have returned overland to the bay of Honduras. But this our diligence tooke

no effect, because of the huge highnes of the mountaines, and the length of the way, being more then was given out at the first. Then with much griefe we returned out to Truxillo, where I departed from Sir Anthony Sherley.

cido.

1597.

even 1597.

After my departure from this worthy knight, I set my course for Cape de Cotoche which lieth on the East part Cabo de of Yucatan from whence I ranged al the North coast Cotoche. of the said promontory of Yucatan, untill I came unto Cape Desconoscido, where I put 56 of my men into a Cabo desconosPeriago, or long Indian Canoa; and leaving my ship sixe leagues from the towne of Campeche at three of the clocke in the morning* I landed hard by the monasterie *On Easter of San Francisco, and tooke the sayd towne of Cam- The towne of peche, with the captaine and Alcalde, finding therein five Campeche hundreth Spaniards, and in two townes close adjoyning taken. to the same eight thousand Indians. The multitude of the Spaniards which fled upon my first assault by ten of the clocke in the morning assembling together renued their strength, and set furiously upon me and my small company. In which assault I lost some sixe of my men, and my selfe was shot under the left brest with a bullet, which bullet lieth still in the chine of my backe. Being thus put unto our shifts wee devised on the sudden a newe stratagem: for having divers of the townesmen A new prisoners, we tied them arme in arme together, and stratagem. placed them in stead of a baricado to defend us from the fury of the enemies shot. And so with ensigne displayed, taking with us our sixe dead men, wee retired with more safetie to the haven, where we tooke a frigat which rode ready fraught with the kings tribute in silver and other good commodities,* which were *To the value presently to bee transported to S. Juan de Ullua, and of 5000 brought the same and our Periago or Canoa to my ship, which lay in two fadome water sixe leagues from the town, being not able to come any neerer for the sholds upon that coast. Over against the place where our ship Sebo an Indian rode, stoode a towne of 300 or 400 Indians called Sebo, towne taken.

pound.

I 597.

which we likewise tooke, where wee found Champechewood good to dye withall, with waxe, and hony. This done we left this coast, and turned up to Cape de Cotoche againe, and ankored every day at noone, because of the brizes, and in turning up I lost my barke called the Adventure, which was taken by 2 frigats of warre, which were manned out from Campeche: wherein Captaine Hen and thirteen of my men were taken, and afterward executed, as since we understand by some Spanish prisoners that were taken in those parts. After we had stayed five weekes on this coast, wee shaped our course for Havana, where finding nothing, we disemboqued, and came along by the Isle of Bermuda, and crossed over to The banke neere Cape Race in 22 fadomes and from thence sayling for England, we fel with Sillie about the first of July, and within two dayes after arrived at Plimmouth, where we found the Right honorable the Erle of Essex setting forth with a great fleet for the Isles of the Azores.

An excellent ruttier for the Islands of the West
Indies, and for Tierra firma, and Nueva
Espanna.

F a man depart from the barre of S. Lucar in Summer time, hee must steere Southwest until hee hath sight of Punta de Naga, which is in the Isle of Tenerif. The markes to know it be these. An high point sloping to the sea, & at the Easter point it hath two down falles like particions, and they shew to be separated from the maine of the Island & stand in 28 degrees & a halfe. And if thou wilt have sight of the Grand Canaria, and findest thy selfe with Punta de Naga, thou shalt then steere Southwest and by South, and so thou shalt have sight of Canaria which standeth in 28 degrees. [III. 604.] And thou must come to ankor on the Southeast side

7

of the Island. But I advise thee, if it be in winter time, that thou keepe another course, and that as followeth.

The course that a man must keepe departing in winter for the Indies from Sant Lucar.

Eparting from Sant Lucar in winter thou shalt goe West and by South keeping along the coast, because if thou goe farre from the coast, thou shalt meete with the wind off the sea untill thou be as high shot as Cape Cantin, which is a low flat cape with the sea. Cape Cantin. And thou shalt see a great wood before thou come at A great wood this cape, called Casa del Cavallero. And from thence before you thou shalt steere thy olde course, that is Southwest and come at Cape by South for the Isles of Alegranza, and Lancerota; and when thou art North and South with Alegranza, thou shalt steere thence Southwest, and so thou shalt see the Canaria, which is a round high land, and standeth in twentie eight degrees.

What thou must doe if a contrary wind take
thee fiftie leagues off the shore.

When

Cantin.

Hen thou art fifty leagues shot on thy way into the sea Southwest off, and there thou chance to meete with a contrary winde off the sea, and if it force. thee to put roome, then thou shalt steere Northeast and by East, and shalt hall with sight of Cabos del Plata, which shew when thou art a seaboord so farre as thou mayest descrie them, to be like two points of white sand: and if it be cleere thou shalt see within the land certain high hilles lying Northwest and by West called las Sierras de Zahara, and being three leagues from land thou shalt have thirtie fadomes water, and sand: And from thence to the bay of Cadiz thou shalt goe along The bay of Northwest by the coast: and if thou be in thirtie or forty fadomes, thou shalt have oaze; but if thou bee in lesse then thirtie fadomes, thou shalt have other sounding; which if it chance, then thou art against S.

Cadiz.

San Pedro.

San Sebastian.

Los Puercos.

Pedro. And if it bee by day thou shalt see the Ermitage of Sant Sebastian, which seemeth to be a shippe under sayle. And thou shalt goe into the bay taking heede of the Puercos, give them a good birth off. And if thou chance to bee benighted when thou fallest with the bay, and wouldest goe into the bay, thou shalt carie thy lead in thy hand, and be sounding: and finding thy selfe in rockie ground, thou shalt steere North because of shunning the Puercos: and yet give them not The Diamant. too great a birth because of The Diamant, and so thou mayest goe in, sounding when thou thinkest good. And being benighted and then not East and West with the bay, and if thou doest not goe into it, then make the largest boord thou canst keeping off till day.

The Canaries.

If thou be at the Canaries and wouldest sayle to Nueva Espanna, thou shalt sayle foure and twenty houres South because of the calmes of Fierro. And from thence thou shalt goe Westsouthwest, untill thou finde thy selfe in twenty degrees. And then thou must goe West and The Isle De- by South, which is the course for the Isle Deseada. And from Deseada thou shalt goe West and by North, because of the variation of the compasse. And falling with Deseada, thou shalt finde it to rise low with the sea: and it standeth in 15 degrees. And the eastermost part is the sharpest, and smaller then the West point.

seada in the West Indies

standeth in 15 degrees of latitude.

Markes to

know Domi

nica by.

Guadalupe.

Monserate.

And if thou art going for Tierra firma, thou shalt goe West and by South untill thou come to Dominica, and there on the Northwest side is a river, where thou mayest water. The marks to know it bee a certaine high land full of hilles. And seeing it when thou art farre off to the seaward, it maketh in the middest a partition; so that a man would thinke it devided the Island in two parts. And this Island standeth in 14 degrees and a halfe.

I advise thee that if thou wouldest goe for Nueva Espanna, and so doest passe betweene Guadalupe and Monserate to the Westward, that being thus open off the entrance betwixt them thou shalt go Westnorthwest,

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