SECTION XXXVI.
Danger to hearken unto reasons of returne.
By this and the like experiences, remembring and knowing that if once I consented to turne but one foote backe, I should overthrow my voyage, and loose my reputation, I resolved rather to loose my life, then to give eare to such prejudiciall counsell. And so as the weather gave leave, we entertained our selves the first dayes in necessary workes, and after in making of coale (for wood was plentifull, and no man would commence an action of wast against us), with intent, the wind continuing long contrary, to see if wee could remedie any of our broken anchors; a forge I had in my shippe, and of five anchors which we brought out of England, there remained but one that was serviceable.
In the ilands of Pengwins we lost one; in Crabbe cove, another; of a third, upon another occasion we broke an arme; and the fourth, on the rocke had the eye of his ring broken. This, one day devising with my selfe, I made to serve, without working him a new. Which when I tooke first in hand, all men thought it ridiculous; but in fine, we made it in that manner so serviceable, as till our ship came to Callaw, which is the port of Lyma, shee scarce used any other anchor; and when I came from Lyma to Panama, which was three yeares after, I saw it serve the admirall in which I came, (a ship of above five hundreth tunnes), without other art or addition, then what my owne invention contrived.
The mending of an unserviceable anchor.
And for that in the like necessitie or occasion, others may profit themselves of the industrie, I will recount the manner of the forging our eye without fire or iron. It was in this sort.
From the eye of the shanke, about the head of the crosse, we gave two turnes with a new strong halser, betwixt three and foure inches, giving a reasonable allowance for that, which should be the eye, and served in stead of the ring; then we fastned the two ends of the halser, so as in that part it was as strong as in any other, and with our capsten stretched the two byghtes, that every part might bear proportionably; then armed we all the halser round about with six yarne synnets, and likewise the shanke of the anchor, and the head with a smooth matt made of the same synnet: this done, with an inch rope, wee woolled the two byghtes to the shanke, from the crosse to the eye, and that also which was to serve for the ring, and fitted the stocke accordingly. This done, those who before derided the invention, were of opinion, that it would serve for a need; onely they put one diffcultie, that with the fall or pitch of the anchor in hard ground, with his waight he would cut the halser in sunder on the head; for prevention whereof, we placed a panch, as the mariners terme it, upon the head of the anchor, with whose softnesse this danger was prevented, and the anchor past for serviceable.[166]
Entertainement of time to avoyd idlenesse,
Some of our idle time we spent in gathering the barke and fruite of a certaine tree, which we found in all places of the straites, where we found trees. This tree carrieth his fruite in clusters like a hawthorne, but that it is greene, each berry of the bignesse of a pepper corne, and every of them containing within foure or five graynes, twise as bigge as a musterd-seed, which broken, are white within, as the good pepper, and bite much like it, but hotter. The barke of this tree hath the savour of all kinde of spices together, most comfortable to the stomache, and held to be better then any spice whatsoever. And for that a learned country-man of ours, Doctor Turner, hath written of it, by the in gathering of Winters barke. name of Winters barke, what I have said may suffice. The leafe of this tree is of a whitish greene, and is not unlike to the aspen leafe.[167]
Other whiles we entertained our selves in gathering of pearles out of mussels, whereof there are aboundance in all places, from Cape Froward to the end of the straites.
Of pearles.
The pearles are but of a bad colour, and small; but it may be that in the great mussels, in deeper water, the pearles are bigger, and of greater value; of the small seed pearle, there was great quantitie, and the mussels were a great refreshing unto us; for they were exceeding good, and in great plentie. And here let me crave pardon if I erre, seeing I disclaime from being a naturalist, by delivering my opinion touching the breeding of these pearles, which I thinke to be of a farre different nature and qualitie to those found in the East and West Indies, which are found in oysters; growing in the shell, under the ruff of the oyster, some say of the dewe, which I hold to be some old philosophers conceit, for that it cannot bee made probable how the dew should come into the oyster; and if this were true, then questionlesse, wee should have them in our oysters as in those of the East and West Indies; but those oysters were, by the Creator, made to bring foorth this rare fruite, all their shels being, to looke to, pearle itselfe. And the other pearles found in our oysters and mussels, in divers partes, are ingendred out of the fatnesse of the fish, in the very substance of the fish; so that in some mussels have beene found twenty, and thirty, in severall partes of the fish, and these not perfect in colour, nor clearenes, as those found in the pearle-oysters, which are ever perfect in colour and clearenes, like the sunne in his rising, and therefore called orientall; and not, as is supposed, because out of the East, for they are as well found in the West, and no way inferior to those of the East Indies.
Other fish, besides seales and crabbes, like shrimpes, and one whale, with two or three porpusses, wee saw not in all the straites. Heere we made also a survay of our victuals; and opening certaine barrels of oaten meale, wee found a great part of some of them, as also of our pipes and fatts[168] of bread, eaten and consumed by the ratts; doubtlesse, a fift part of my company did not eate so much as these devoured, as wee found dayly in comming to spend any of our provisions.
Prevention of ratts.
When I came to the sea, it was not suspected that I had a ratt in my shippe; but with the bread in caske, which we transported out of the Hawke, and the going to and againe of our boates unto our prise, though wee had divers catts and used other preventions, in a small time they multiplyed in such a maner as is incredible. It is one of the generall calamities of all long voyages, and would bee carefully prevented as much as may bee. For besides that which they consume of the best victuals, they eate the sayles; and neither packe nor chest is free from their The calamities they bring to a ship. surprises. I have knowne them to make a hole in a pipe of water, and saying the pumpe, have put all in feare, doubting least some leake had beene sprung upon the ship.
Moreover, I have heard credible persons report, that shippes have beene put in danger by them to be sunke, by a hole made in the bulge.[169] All which is easily remedied at the first, but if once they be somewhat increased, with difficulty they are to be destroyed. And although I propounded a reward for every ratt which was taken, and sought meanes by poyson and other inventions to consume them; yet their increase being so ordinary and many, wee were not able to cleare our selves from them.