Devises in sudden accidents.
One day, our boates being loaden with pengwins, and comming aboord, a sudden storme tooke them, which together with the fury of the tyde, put them in such great danger, that although they threw all their loading into the sea, yet were they forced to goe before the wind and sea, to save their lives. Which we seeing, and considering that our welfare depended upon their safetie, being impossible to weigh our anchor, fastned an emptie barrell well pitched to the end of our cable, in stead of a boy, and letting it slip, set sayle to succour our boates, which in short space wee recovered, and after returned to the place where we ryd before.
The storme ceasing, we used our diligence by all meanes to seeke our cable and anchor; but the tyde being forcible, and the weeds (as in many parts of the Straites), so long, that riding in foureteene fathome water, many times they streamed three and foure fathomes upon the ryme of the water; these did so inrole our cable, that we could never set eye of our boy; and to sweepe for him was but lost labour, because of the weeds, which put us out of hope to recover it.[153]
And so our forcible businesse being ended, leaving instructions for the Fancie our pynace, according to appointment, where to find us, we inroled them in many folds of paper, put them into a barrell of an old musket, and stopped it in such manner as no wett could enter; then placing it an end upon one of the highest hills, and the most frequented of all the iland, wee imbarked our selves, and set sayle with the wind at north-west, which could serve us but to the end of that reach, some dozen leagues long, and some three or foure leagues broad. It lyeth next of any thing, till you come to Cape Agreda, south-west; from this Cape to Cape Froward, the coast lyeth west south-west.
The second peopling of the Spaniards.
Some foure leagues betwixt them, was the second peopling of the Spaniards: and this Cape lyeth in fiftie five degrees and better.
Thwart Cape Froward, the wind larged with us, and we continued our course towards the iland of Elizabeth; which lyeth from Cape Froward some foureteene leagues west and by south. This reach is foure or five leagues broad, and in it are many channells or openings into the sea; for all the land on the souther part of the Straites are ilands and broken land; and from the beginning of this reach to the end of the Straites, high mountaynous land on both sides, in most parts covered with snow all the yeare long.
Betwixt the iland Elizabeth and the mayne, is the narrowest passage of all the Straites; it may be some two musket shott from side to side.[154] From this straite to Elizabeth bay. Elizabeth bay is some foure leagues, and the course lyeth north-west and by west.
This bay is all sandie and cleane ground on the easter part; but before you come at it, there lyeth a poynt of the shore a good byrth off, which is dangerous. And in this reach, as in many parts of the Straites, runneth a quick and forcible tyde. In the bay it higheth eight or nine foote water. The norther part of the bay hath foule ground, and rockes under water: and therefore it is not wholesome borrowing of the mayne. One of master Thomas Candish his pynaces, as I have beene enformed, came a-ground upon one of them, and he was in hazard to have left her there.
The river of Ieronimo.