1576. The voyage of Master Andrew Barker of Bristol, Irst of all Andrew Barker having abode in one of the Canary Islands called Tenerif for a certaine time, and returning home left behind him Charles Chester (the sonne of Dominic Chester merchant of Bristol) to learn the language. Now the sayd Andrew Barker forthwith upon his arrivall in England, in November, 1574, fraighted a small ship (named the Speedwell of Bristol) to goe for the Canaries with cloth and other merchandise of a great value. He sent also one John Drue of Bastable as his Factor to make sale and dispose of the said goods, who when he arrived at Tenerif, landed the marchandize, and sent home the barke with some small quantity of wine, making account to sell the sayd wares to greater advantage in providing wines and sugar for the lading of another ship, which Andrew Barker had appointed to send thither. Also according to this his purpose the said Andrew in March following sent a ship called the Christopher of Dartmouth, captaine whereof was one Henry Roberts of Bristol: who when he had landed in Tenerif, & was in good hope to find the lading of his ship in a readines, contrary to his expectation, was suddenly cast into prison: the Spaniards alleaging that Andrew Barker was accused to the inquisition by Charles 1576. Chester, whereupon his goods were confiscat, his factor John Drue was attached, and he also (the said captaine Roberts) being as they supposed Barkers partner, was in like sort to be imprisoned. In fine all the foresaid commodities appertaining to the said Andrew and his brother M. John Barker and others to the value of 1700 pound and upwards (as it doth appeare by proofes of record in the Admiralty) were utterly lost, being confiscat to the said inquisition. Howbeit captaine Roberts by the meanes of a frier was delivered out of prison (which cost him all the marchandize he brought with him in his ship) and so returned with dead fraight to the summe of 200 pound that afterwards Andrew Barker discharged. In recompense of which injurie (for that no suite prevaileth against the inquisition of Spaine) & also to recover his losse of the Spaniards themselves, at his owne charge with the help of his friends hee furnished two barkes for the West Indies, the greater of which barkes was called the Ragged staffe, himselfe being captaine, & Philip Roche Master thereof, the other named the Beare had one William Coxe of Limehouse for her Master and captaine. And thus all our company being imbarked at Plimmoth on Whitsonday in the beginning of June, we set forward, & in our course we met with a ship of London, & afterwards with another ship, but tooke nothing from either of them. Our first arrival was at one of the Island of Cape Verde, named Del sal, vz. the Isle of salt, where we tooke certain fishes Isla del sal. called Tortoises and there we remained one night and halfe the day following. And from thence wee came to the Isle of Maio, being distant from Isla del [III. 529.] sal, 14 or 15 leagues, where we tooke in fresh water The Isle of and traffiqued with certaine Portugals inhabiting in that place, of whom we had some victuals for knives and beades and there we remained one day and one night: but our trumpetter was trecherously slaine by those Portugals, in revenge of which murther we set Two villages on fire two of their small villages. From this Island burnt. Maio. 1576. wee shaped our course over the maine Ocean toward The Isle of the West Indies, and arrived happily at the Island of Trinidad. Trinidad, and had conference with certaine Indians inhabitants thereof, who gave us very friendly and courteous entertainement: and here we set up a pinnesse which we caried forth in the Ragged staffe, and traffiqued with the foresayd Indians for victuals. And after we had spent sixe dayes in this place we The Isle of departed, and arrived next at the Isle of Margarita, Margarita. where we tooke a small Spanish ship having in her certaine pitch and 30 tuns of Canarie wines whereof we reserved 4 or 5 tunnes to our selves, dismissing them without any further damage. Thence (having The Isle of remained there a day) wee set saile to the Island of Curazao. Curazao, where we remained a day & a night, & tooke Vela. in fresh water, at what time by the inhabitants of that Island (being few of them Spaniards, & the most part Indians) 14 of our men were treacherously hurt, but none slaine. And from thence we departed for the maine land Southwards, to a certain bay, and there we abode 3 daies, but nothing of any reckoning was Cape de la there atchieved. From thence we arrived at Cape de la Vela, where grewe a contention betweene our Captaine M. Andrew Barker, and his Master Philip Roche, upon comparisons made betweene them concerning the knowledge of Navigation, and about other quarels, which quarels afterward were an occasion of further mischiefe. Hence we sailed to the bay of Tulu (which is about 18 leagues Southwestward from Carthagena) where wee tooke a Frigat and certaine treasure therein to the value of 500 pound, namely barres of gold, and lingots of silver, and some quantity of corriento or coyne in rials of plate, and certaine greene stones called Emerauds, whereof one very great, being set in gold, was found tied secretly about the thigh of a frier. Here having stayed three dayes, and now being pursued by Spanish men of warre, wee departed with the sayd treasure, and left the Frigat behind us, all Tulu. none of dios. 1576. which treasure at that instant was committed to the keeping of our captaine Andrew Barker. From thence we passed to Nombre de dios, and so foorth to the Nombre de mouth of the river of Chagre 18 leagues distant from Nombre de dios towards the Northwest. There wee landed 10 of our men, who travelled up into the woods three or foure daies to seeke the Simerons, Simerons (which are certaine valiant Negros fled from their cruel rebels to the Spaniards. masters the Spaniards, and are become mortall enemies, ready to joyne with the English and French against them) but in their search they could find them. And though our men returned all free from peril of the enemie, yet the most part of the sayd ten persons presently fell sicke, and divers other of our company so that within 14 dayes 8 or 9 of our men died of a disease called there the Calentura, which is a hote and vehement fever. And passing betweene Chagre and Veragua, we tooke a Frigat, and some Veragua. quantity of golde wee found therein. In this Frigat were 23 Spaniards whom wee set on shore, and two Flemings, them wee brought into England with us: wee had therein also foure cast pieces of Ordinance, 3 harquebuzes on crocke, 16 Spanish calivers, and a booke of Navigation and in this Frigat some of our company came homeward into England. Thus passing forward in our course, we came to Veragua, where captaine Barker, & Philip Roche his Master, fought upon the foresayd quarel, in which combat the captaine was hurt a little in the cheeke. Here we sanke our Admirall the Ragged staffe, because of her great leakage, and imbarked part of our company in the Spanish Frigat, which immediately before we had surprised. From hence (by the direction of certain Indians) we sayled into the gulfe of the Honduras: The bay of there we tooke a barke wherin were rials of plate, to the value of 100 pound, Maiz or Indian wheat, hennes, beefe and other small things. In this barke also were certaine Spaniards, whereof one was the Scrivano or Honduras. 1576. The Isle of S. Francisco. A conspiracie against the Captaine. secretary of Carthagena, who (being a man of some note) was put to his ransome, which was payd in gold: the rest were dismissed freely. And after passing by divers Islands, we arrived at an Island called S. Francisco, being in the mouth of the great bay, called the Honduras. And within two dayes next after our arrival there, William Coxe and divers others (which for certaine causes shalbe namelesse) came aboord the ship wherein the captaine then was, and disposessed him as well of the sayd ship, as of the treasure in the same, and forthwith put our captaine with violence on shore, where he and one Germane Weiborne fought together, and were both wounded. After this our captaine desirous to come on boord, was resisted by the persons aforesayd, who answered him that he should not come on boord till they were ready to depart. Our men had appointed ten persons of their company for the keeping of this Island of S. Francisco: but about breake of the day, on a certaine morning, sixtie Spaniards arriving secretly in the Island, surprised our people on the sudden, what time there were thirtie of our men on shore in which surprise they slew our captaine, M. Andrew Barker with eight others, namely, one Barker and 8 Wilde of Bristol, and Michael our Chirurgian, Richard other slaine by of Bristol, Thomas Sampoole, Thomas Thomas Freeman, the Spaniards. Thomas Nightingale, Robert Jackson, Walter Newton; and the captaines boy and one other were hurt. Now after that William Coxe, and the rest (which were aboord the barke) perceived that the captaine, & some others were slain, he received them that were living into the ship, having before that time refused some of them. After this misfortune they went to an Island distant from thence a league, where Coxe devided a chaine of gold (which was found in the captaines chest after his death) amongst the company. After this Coxe went in a pinesse (which wee tooke at the Isle of Sant Francisco) with certaine others of our men in a skyffe, to the towne of Truxillio, in the bay of Honduras, [III. 530.] M. Andrew The towne of Truxillo sacked by the English. |