The rule of the six Governors.
A.D. 1615.
Sir Thomas Smith Treasurer.
The first thing they did was casting of lots, who should rule first, which lot lighted upon Master Caldicot. This last supply somewhat abated the extremitie of their miseries, and the better in that their fortifications being finished, they had the more leasure to goe abroad with that meanes was brought to that purpose to fish. Chard as you have heard, whom all this while More had kept Prisoner, they set at libertie: now by reason of their former miseries, little or nothing could be done; yet this Governour having thus concluded his moneth, and prepared a Frigot and two and thirtie men, hee imbarked himselfe with two other of his fellow counsellers; namely, Knight and Waters for the West-Indies, to get Fruits and Plants, Goats, young Cattle, and such like. But this poore vessell, whether through ill weather, or want of Mariners, or both, in stead of the Indies fell with the Canaries, where taking a poore Portugall, the which they manned with ten of their owne people, as soone after separated from her in a storme, & the next day was taken by a French Pickaroune, so that the Frigot out of hope of her prize, makes a second time for the West-Indies, where she no sooner arrived, but foundred in the sea; but the men in their Boat recovered a desolate Ile, where after some few moneths stay, an English Pyrat tooke them in, and some of them at last got for England, and some few yeares after returned to the Somer Iles.
Captaine John Mansfield his moneth.
The Frigot thus gone, Captaine Mansfield succeeded. Then was contrived a petition, as from the generalitie, unto the triumverat Governors; wherein they supplicated, that by no meanes they should resigne the government to any should come from England, upon what tearmes soever, untill six moneths after the returne of their ship sent to the West-Indies: about this unwarrantable action, Master Lewes Hues their Preacher was so violent in suppressing it, that such discontents grew betwixt the Governors and him, and divisions among the Company, he was arraigned, condemned, and imprisoned, but not long detained before released. Then the matter fell so hotly againe to be disputed betwixt him and one Master Keath a Scotch-man, that professed schollership, that made all the people in a great combustion: much adoe there was, till at last as they sate in the Church and ready to proceed to a judicary course against Master Hues, suddenly such an extreme gust of wind and weather so ruffled in the trees and Church; some cried out a miracle; others, it was but an accident common in those Iles, but the noise was so terrible it desolved the assembly: notwithstanding, Master Hues was againe imprisoned, and as suddenly discharged; but those factions were so confused, and their relations so variable, that such unnecessary circumstances were better omitted then any more disputed.
Master Carter. Captaine Kendall. Capt. Mansfield.
This mans moneth thus ended, begins Master Carter, which was altogether spent in quietnesse, and then Captaine Miles Kendall had the rule, whose moneth was also as quietly spent as his Predecessors. Then Captaine Mansfield begins his second moneth, when the ship called the Edwin arrived with good supplies. About this time divers Boats going to sea were lost, and some men drowned; and many of the Company repaired to Master [V.182.] Hues, that there might bee a Councell according to Master Mores order of six Governours, and twelve Assistants, whereupon grew as many more such silly brawles as before, which at last concluded with as simple a reconciliation. In the interim happened to a certaine number of private persons as miserable and lamentable an accident, as ever was read or heard of, and thus it was:
A wonderful accident.
In the month of March, a time most subject of all others to such tempests; on a Friday there went seven men in a boat of two or three tunnes to fish. The morning being faire, so eager they were of their journey, some went fasting: neither carried they either meat or drinke with them, but a few Palmeta berries, but being at their fishing place some foure leagues from the shoare, such a tempest arose, they were quickly driven from the sight of land in an overgrowne Sea, despairing of all hope, onely committing themselves to Gods mercy, let the boat drive which way shee would. On Sunday the storme being somewhat abated, they hoysed saile as they thought towards the Island. In the evening it grew starke calme; so that being too weake to use their oares, they lay a drift that night. The next morning Andrew Milliard, for now all his companions were past strength either to helpe him or themselves: before a small gale of wind spred his saile againe. On Tuesday one died, whom they threw over board. On Wednesday three. And on Thursday at night the sixt. All these but the last were buried by Hilliard in the Sea, for so weake hee was growne hee could not turne him over as the rest, whereupon hee stripped him, ripping his belly with his knife, throwing his bowels into the water, hee spread his body abroad tilted open with a sticke, and so lets it lie as a cisterne to receive some lucky raine-water, and this God sent him presently after, so that in one small shoure hee recovered about foure spoonefuls of raine water to his unspeakeable refreshment; he also preserved neere halfe a pint of blood in a shooe, which he did sparingly drinke of to moist his mouth: two severall daies he fed on his flesh, to the quantity of a pound, on the eleventh day from his losing the sight of land, two flying fishes fals in his boat, whose warme jucie blood hee sucked to his great comfort. But within an houre after to his greater comfort you will not doubt, he once againe descried the land, and within foure houres after was cast upon a rocke neere to Port royall, where his boat was presently split in pieces, but himselfe, though extreamly weake, made shift to clamber up so steepe and high a rocke, as would have troubled the ablest man in the Ile to have done that by day hee did by night.
Being thus astride on a rocke, the tumbling Sea had gotten such possession in his braines, that a good while it was before his giddy head would suffer him to venture upon the forsaking it: towards the morning he craules a shore, and then to his accomplished joy descernes where hee is, and travels halfe a day without any refreshment then water, whereof wisely and temperately he stinted him selfe, otherwise certainely hee had drunke his last. In which case hee attaines a friends house: where at the first they tooke him for a ghost, but at last acknowledged and received him with joy, his story after some houres of recovery of strength to tell it, heard out with admiration: he was not long after conveyed to the towne, where he received his former health, and was living in the yeere 1622.