Sept. 6. This day I had Capt. Courtney, Capt. Cooke, and Capt. Dampier aboard, who dined with us. Capt. Cooke complain’d of his Ship being crank, and that we need not have tack’d so near the Shore, since we might easily fetch the Gallapagos without Tacking. All agree to this except our Pilot, who is very positive of seeing other Islands about 100 or 110 Leagues from the Main under the Equinox. He tells us he was at them formerly when he was a Buccaneer, and has describ’d ’em in one of the Volumes he calls his Voyages, and says that those Islands we were at lay to the Westward of them; but he must be mistaken, or we had seen them in the last Runs to and from these Islands.
Sept. 8. We are run over and beyond where our Pilot affirm’d the Islands were, and no sight of them; so we all agree that the Islands he was at when a buccaneering can be no other but those we were at, and are going to now; the nearest part of them lies 165 Leagues to the Westward of the Main Land.
Sept. 10. The 8th we made one of the Gallapagos Islands, and in the Morning hoisted out our Pinnace; Capt. Dover and Mr. Glendall went in her for the Shore. The Dutchess’s Pinnace return’d very soon laden with Turtle.
Arrival among the Gallapagos Islands.
Sept. 11. Yesterday we came to an Anchor in about 30 Fathom Water, about 2 Miles off Shore, being rocky at bottom. In letting go the Anchor the Buoy Rope was immediately cut off, and our Ship drove; so that we thought our Cable was also cut, but after driving about half a Mile the Ship rode very well. In the Evening our Boats that left us after we came to an Anchor, return’d laden with excellent good Turtle: We sent our Yawl and some Men ashore to turn those Creatures in the Night, but to no purpose, because we afterwards found they only came ashore in the Day. I sent away our Pinnace, and Lieut. Frye to sound out a better anchoring Place, while we hove up the Anchor, and came to sail. Our Boat return’d, and by 10 a Clock we had our Ship again to an Anchor within less than a Mile off the Shore, right against a white sandy Bay. The outermost great Rock being near the Middle of the Island, bore N. by E. distant 6 Miles; the little Rock appearing like a Sail bore W. by S. about 4 Miles. Here we rode very smooth in good sandy Ground; the Wind amongst these Islands generally blows from the S. E. to the S. by W. I went ashore in the Pinnace, and carried Men to walk round the Sandy Bay to get Turtle. The Island is high like the rest, but some low Land on this side down to the Sea; it’s very rocky, dry and barren, with out Water, like those we have already seen.
Sept. 12. This Morning I sent to the Dutchess, who was at an Anchor a good distance from us, to know how they were stock’d with Turtle. At 10 the Boat return’d with an Account they had about 150 Land and Sea Turtle, but not generally so large as ours: We had no Land Turtle as yet, but about 150 Sea Turtle; the Marquiss had the worst Luck.
Sept. 13. The Dutchess’s People having inform’d us where they got their Land Turtle, I sent our Pinnace, which at Night return’d with 37, and some Salt they found in a Pond; and the Yawl brought 20 Sea Turtle, so that we are very full of them. Some of the largest of the Land Turtle are about 100 Pound Weight, and those of the Sea upwards of 400: The Land Turtle lay Eggs on our Deck; our Men brought some from the Shore about the bigness of a Goose’s Egg, white, with a large thick Shell exactly round. These Creatures are the ugliest in Nature, the Shell not unlike the Top of an old Hackney Coach, as black as Jet, and so is the outside Skin, but shrivel’d and very rough; the Legs and Neck are long, and about the bigness of a Man’s Wrist, and they have Club Feet as big as one’s Fist, shaped much like those of an Elephant, with 5 thick Nails on the Fore Feet, and but 4 behind; the Head little, and Visage small, like a Snake, and look very old and black; when at first surpriz’d, they shrink their Neck, Head and Legs under their Shell. Two of our Men, with Lieut. Stratton, and the Trumpeter of the Dutchess, affirm, they saw vast large ones of this sort about 4 Foot high; they mounted 2 Men on the Back of one of them, who with its usual slow Pace carried them, and never minded the Weight: They suppos’d this could not weigh less than 700 Pound. I don’t affect giving Relations of strange Creatures so frequently done by others already in print; but where an uncommon Creature falls in my way, I shall not omit it. The Spaniards tell us they know of none elsewhere in these Seas. This Morning we began heeling our Ship, and found that abundance of Worms had entered the Sheathing; we scrub’d, clean’d, and tallow’d as low as we could.
Sept. 14. Yesterday Afternoon we sent a Boat ashore for Wood, they brought off the Rudder and Boltsprit of a small Bark; we fancy’d it might be Mr. Hattley’s that we lost amongst these Islands when here before, but on view perceiv’d it to be much older. We also found 2 Jars, and a Place where Fire had been made on the Shore, but nothing to give us farther Hopes of poor Mr. Hattley. Our Pinnace came aboard and brought about 18 Bushells of Salt, and 18 Land Turtle more; the Men commend them for excellent Food, especially the Land Turtle, which makes very good Broth, but the Flesh never boils tender: for my own part, I could eat neither sort yet. Having got as much Turtle on board, as we could eat while good, we agreed to make the best of our Way to the Coast of Mexico, and this Morning our Consort and the Marquiss were under Sail by 8 a Clock, but we lying farther in were becalm’d, and could not follow them. We caught a good quantity of Fish here, which we split and salted for our future Spending. About 12 a Clock, being calm, we weighed our Anchor, and with the Help of our Boats and Ships Oars got off the Shore.
Sept. 15. We had a fine Breeze, came up to the rest, and agreed to lye by with our Heads to the Eastward, till Midnight, being in sight of the Island and Rock where we lost poor Hattley, when last here. In the Morning we stood to the Westward amongst the Islands.
Departure from the Gallapagos Islands.