May.
THE first of May in the morning many of the Salvages
came aboord our ships in their Canowes, and did traffique
with us; we also the same day landed and entered their
Towne from whence we returned the same day aboord
without any resistance of the Salvages; or any offence
done to them.
The 2 of May our Admirall and our Pinnesse departed
from Dominica
leaving the John our Vice-admirall playing
off and on about Dominica
, hoping to take some Spaniard
outwardes bound to the Indies; the same night we had
sight of three smal Ilands called Los Santos, leaving
Guadalupe
and them on our starboord.
The 3 we had sight of
S. Christophers Iland, bearing
Northeast and by East off us.
On the 4 we sayled by the Virgines, which are many
broken Ilands, lying at the East ende of
S. Johns Iland:
and the same day towards evening we landed upon one
of them called Blanca, where we killed an incredible
number of foules: here we stayed but three houres, &
from thence stood into the shore Northwest, and having
brought this
Iland Southeast off us, we put towards night
thorow an opening or swatch, called The passage, lying
betwene the Virgines, and the East end of S. John: here
the Pinnesse left us and sayled on the South side of S.
John.
The 5 and 6 the Admirall sayled along the Northside of S. John, so neere the shore that the Spaniards
discerned us to be men of warre; and therefore made
fires along the coast as we sailed by, for so their custome
is, when they see any men of warre on their coasts.
The 7 we landed on the Northwest end of S. John,
where we watered in a good river called Yaguana, and
the same night following we tooke a Frigate of tenne
Tunne comming from Gwathanelo laden with hides and
ginger. In this place Pedro a Mollato, who knewe all
our state, ranne from us to the Spaniards.
On the 9 we departed from Yaguana.
The 13 we landed on an Iland called Mona
, whereon
were 10 or 12 houses inhabited of the Spaniards; these
we burned & took from them a Pinnesse, which they had
drawen a ground and sunke, and carried all her sayles,
mastes, and rudders into the woods, because we should
not take him away; we also chased the Spaniards over
all the Iland; but they hid them in caves, hollow rockes,
and bushes, so that we could not find them.
On the 14 we departed from Mona
, and the next day
after wee came to an Iland called Saona, about 5 leagues
distant from Mona
, lying on the Southside of Hispaniola
neere the East end: betweene these two Ilands we lay
off and on 4 or 5 dayes, hoping to take some of the
Domingo fleete doubling this Island, as a neerer way to
Spaine then by
Cape Tyburon, or by
Cape S. Anthony.
On Thursday being the 19 our Viceadmirall, from
whom we departed at Dominica
, came to us at
Saona,
with whom we left a Spanish Frigate, and appointed him
to lie off and on other five daies betweene Saona and
Mona
to the ende aforesaid; then we departed from them
at
Saona for
Cape Tyburon. Here I was enformed that
our men of the Viceadmirall, at their departure from
Dominica
brought away two young Salvages, which were
the chiefe Casiques sonnes of that Countrey and part of
Dominica
, but they shortly after ran away from them at
Santa Cruz Iland, where the Viceadmirall landed to take
in ballast.
On the 2 the Admirall came to the
Cape Tyburon,
where we found the John Evangelist our Pinnesse staying
for us: here we tooke in two Spaniards almost starved on
the shore, who made a fire to our ships as we passed by.
Those places for an 100 miles in length are nothing els
but a desolate and meere wildernesse, without any habitation of people, and full of wilde Bulles and Bores, and
great Serpents.
The 22 our Pinnesse came also to an anker in Aligato
Bay at
cape Tyburon. Here we understood of
M. Lane,
Captaine of the Pinnesse; how he was set upon with one
of the kings Gallies belonging to Santo Domingo, which
was manned with 400 men, who after he had fought with
him 3 or 4 houres, gave over the fight & forsooke him,
without any great hurt done on eyther part.
The 26 the John our Vizadmirall came to us to cape
Tyburon, and the Frigat which we left with him at
Saona. This was the appointed place where we should
attend for the meeting with the Santo Domingo Fleete.
On Whitsunday Even at
Cape Tyburon one of our
boyes ranne away from us, and at ten dayes end returned
to our ships almost starved for want of food. In sundry
places about this part of
Cape Tyburon we found the
bones and carkases of divers men, who had perished (as
wee thought) by famine in those woods, being either
stragled from their company, or landed there by some
men of warre.
