The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation
Chapter 120 : Yea helpe, ye muses nine, lot no thought me withstand, Aid me this thing well to defin

Yea helpe, ye muses nine, lot no thought me withstand, Aid me this thing well to define, which here I take in hand.

Well, thus it fortuned tho, in Ginney now arriu'd, Nine men in boat to shoe we go, where we traffike espide, And parting at midday from s.h.i.+p, on good intent In hope of traffike there I say to sh.o.r.e away we went.

Our s.h.i.+ps then riding fast in sea at anker bight, We minded to dispatch in hast, cke to returne that night.

But being hard by land, there suddenly doth rise A mightie winde, wherewith it raind and thundred, in such wise, That we by sh.o.r.e did ride, where we best Port might finde, Our s.h.i.+ps we thinke from anker slide, a trice before the winde.

This night Vulcan begins on vs reueng'd to be, And thunderbolts about he flings most terrible to see, Admixt with fierie flame which cracks about our cares.

And thus gins he to play his game, as now to him appeares, He Eolus hath feed herein to be his friend, And all the whirling windes with speed among vs doth he send, Thus hard by sh.o.r.e we lay, this wet and weary night, But on next morne and all the day of s.h.i.+p we had no sight.

For Vulcan all this night from fierie forge so fast Sent thunder bolts with such great light, that when the night was pa.s.sed, The next day there remaind so great smoke all about, Much like a mist, eke therewith raine, that we were wet throughout.

And thus in smoke mindes he to part vs from our s.h.i.+p: Thus nere a one ech other see, and so haue we the slip.

Our s.h.i.+ps then backe againe, thinking we were behinde, Do saile by sh.o.r.e a day or twaine in hope there vs to finde.

And we the contrary, do row along the sh.o.r.e Forward thinking our s.h.i.+ps to be still sailing vs before.

They sailing thus two dayes or three, and could not finde vs than Do thinke in that foule night we were drowned euery man.

Our s.h.i.+p then newes doth beare when she to England wends That we nine surely drowned were, and thus doth tell our friends: While we thus being lost, aliue in miserie Do row in hope yet on this coast, our s.h.i.+ps to finde truly.

Well thus one day we spent, tho next and third likewise, But all in vaine was our intent, no man a saile espies: Three dayes be now cleane past since any of vs nine, Of any kinde of food hath tast, and thus gan we to pine, Till at the last bare need bids vs hale in with land, That we might get some root or weed our hunger to withstand: And being come to sh.o.r.e, with Negros we intreat, That for our wares which we had there they would giue vs to eat.

Then fetch they vs of roots, and such things as they had, We gaue to them our wares to boote and were thereof right glad.

To sea go we againe, in hope along the sh.o.r.e, To finde our s.h.i.+ps, yet thinking plaine that they had beene before.

And thus with saile and ore twelue dayes we went hard by The strange vncomfortable sh.o.r.e where we nothing espie, But all thicke woods and bush and mightie wildernesse, Out of the which oft times do rush strange beasts both wilde and fierse, Whereof oft times we see, at going downe of Sunne, Diuers descend in companie, and to the sea they come.

Where as vpon the sand they lie, and chew the cud: Sometime in water eke they stand and wallow in the floud.

The Elephant we see, a great vnweldie beast, With water fils his troonke right hie and blowes it on the rest.

The Hart I saw likewise delighted in the soile, The wilde Boare eke after his guise with snout in earth doth moile.

A great strange beast also, the Antelope I weene I there did see, and many mo, which erst I haue not seene.

And oftentimes we see a man a sh.o.r.e or twaine, Who strait brings out his Almadie and rowes to vs a maine.

Here let we anker fall, of wares a shew we make, We bid him choose among them all, what wares that he will take To bring to vs some fish, and fresh water therefore, Or else of meat some daintie dish, which their cookes dresse ash.o.r.e.

They bring vs by and by great roots and beries eke, Which grow vpon the high palme tree, such meat as they do like.

We drinke eke of their wine much like our whey to see: Which is the sappe as I haue seene that runnes out of a tree.

Thus do they bring ech thing which they thinke to be good, Sometime wilde hony combes they bring Which they finde in the wood, With roots and baggage eke our corps we thus sustaine From famine though it be so weake, that death was figured plaine In euery ioynt for lacke of sustenance and rest.

That still we thinke our hearts would breake with sorrowes so opprest.

We now alongst the coast haue saild so many a mile, That sure we be our s.h.i.+ps be lost, what should we do this while?

In Heathen land we be, impossible it is That we should fetch our owne countrey in such a boat as this.

We now gan to perceiue that wee had ouerpast The Melegate coast so much, that we were come at last Vnto the coast of Myne, for Niegros came aboord With weights to poise their golde so fine, yea speaking euery word In Portugesse right well demanding traffike there?

If we had any wares to sell, and where our s.h.i.+ps then were?

We answered them againe, we had two s.h.i.+ps at sea, The which would come trafike with them we thought within a day.

The cause why we thus said, was hope to be well vsde: But seeing this, as men dismaid away we went and musde Whither our s.h.i.+ps were gone, what way were best for vs: Shall we here perish now saith one?

no, let vs not do thus: We see all hope is past our s.h.i.+ps to finde againe, And here our liues do shorten fast in miserie and paine: For why the raging heat of Sunne, being so extreme, Consumes our flesh away in sweat, as dayly it is seene.

The Ternados againe so often in a weeke, With great lightnings, thunder and raine with such abundance eke, Doe so beat vs by night, that we sleepe not at all, Whereby our strength is vaded quite.

no man an ore can hale.

How hard liue we, alas?

three whole dayes oft be past, Ere we poore men (a heauie case) of any thing doe tast.

These twentie dayes ye see, we haue sit still ech one, Which we doe of necessitie, for place to walke is none.

Our legs now vs deceiue, swolne euery ioint withall, With this disease, which, by your leaue, the Scuruie men doe call.

We cannot long endure in this case as we be, To leaue our boat I am right sure, compeld we must agree.

Three wayes for vs there is, and this is my request, That we may of these three deuise, to choose thereof the best.

The Castle of the Mine is not farre hence, we know, To morrow morne we there may be, if thither you will goe.

There Portingals do lie, are christened men they be: If we dare trust their curtesie, the worst is hanging glee.

Our miserie may make them pitie vs the more, Nine such yong men great pains would take for life to hale an ore.

Their Gallies may perhaps lacke such yong men as we, And thus it may fall in our laps, all Galeyslaues to be, During our life, and this, we shall be sure to haue, Although we row, such meate as is the allowance of a slaue.

But here we rowe and sterue, our misery is so sore: The slaue with meat inough they serue, that he may teare his ore.

If this you will not like.

the next way is to goe: Vnto the Negros, and to seeke what friends.h.i.+p they will shew.

But what fauour would ye of these men looke to haue: Who beastly sauage people be, farre worse then any slaue?

If Cannibals they be in kind, we doe not know, But if they be, then welcome we, to pot straightway we goe.

They naked goe likewise, for shame we cannot so: We cannot liue after their guise, thus naked for to go.

By rootes and leaues they liue, as beasts doe in the wood: Among these heathen who can thriue, with this so wilde a food?

The piercing heate againe, that, scorcheth with such strength, Piercing our naked flesh, with paine, will vs consume at length.

The third and last is this, (if those two you refuse) To die in miserable wise, here in the boate you chuse.

And this iudge by the way, more trust is to be giuen, Vnto the Portingals alway, sith they be christned men, Then to these brutish sort, which beastly are ye see: Who of our death will make a sport, if Canibals they be.

We all with one consent, now death despising plaine: (Sith if we die as innocent, the more it is our gaine) Our sayle we hoyse in hast, wih speed we mind to go Vnto the castell, now not past a twentie leagues vs fro.

And sayling all this day, we spied late in the night.

And we past by thus on our way, vpon the sh.o.r.e a light.

Then sayd our Boateswaine thus, by this great light a sh.o.r.e, Trafique there seemes, will you let vs anker this night therefore, And trie if we may get, this next morning by day, Some kind of food for vs to eate, and then to goe our way?

We anker there that night, the next morning to sh.o.r.e: And in the place, where we the light did see the night before: A watch house now there stood, vpon a rocke without: Hard by a great blacke crosse of wood, which putteth vs in doubt, What place that this should be, and looking to the sh.o.r.e, A Castell there we gan espie, this made vs doubt the more.

Wherein we saw did stand a Portingall or twaine; Who held a white flag in his hand, and waued vs amaine.

Our flesh as fraile now shakes, whereby we gan retire, And he at vs a shot then makes, a Negro giuing fire.

A piece discharged thus, the hissing pellet lights, I thinke within a yard of vs, but none of vs it hits.

We wisht then we had there a good s.h.i.+p, eke or twaine, But helpelesse now, we rowe a sh.o.r.e to know th'end of our paine.

The neerer that we went to them vnto the sh.o.r.e, To yeld our selues, as first we ment they still did shoot the more.

Now Canons loud gan rore, and Culuerins now crackt, The Castell eke it thundred sore, as though the wals were sackt.

Some shot doth light hard by, some ouer vs againe: But though the shot so thicke doth flie, yet rowe we in a maine, That now so neere we be vnto the castell wall, That none of them at vs we see, can make a shot at all.

We ment a land to goe, their curtesie to trie: But from the wall great stones they throw, and therewith by and by, The Negros marching downe, in battell ray do come, With dart and target from the towne, and follow all a dromme.

A bowe in hand some hent, with poisn'd arrow prest, To strike therewith they be full bent, a pined English brest.

But stones come downe so fast on vs on euery side, We thinke our boats bottom would brast if long we thus abide.

And arrowes flie so thicke, hissing at euery eare, Which both in clothes and flesh do sticke, that we, as men past feare, Cry now, Launch, launch in hast, hale of the boate amaine: Foure men in banke let them sit fast and rowe to sea againe.

The other fiue like men, do manfully in hand, Take vp each kind of weapon then, these wolues here to withstand.

A harquebush takes one, another bends his bowe, Among the slaues then downe fals one and other hurt I trowe.

At those Portingals then shoot we, vpon the Fort which stand, In long fine white s.h.i.+rts as we see, and lintstocks in their hand.

And of these s.h.i.+rts so white we painted some full red, Striking their open corps in sight, with dint of arrow head.

For we sawe they had there no Gallies vs to take, Where threatnings them could vs not feare or make vs once to shake.

Then Canons loud gan rore, and pellets flie about, And each man haleth his ore and mooued not a foote.

Yea, though the poulder sent the pellets thicke away, Yet spite of them cleane through we went at last, and got the sea, And pieces charging fast, they shot after vs so, That wonder was it how we past the furie of our foe, The pinned anne felt not as now, the heauie ore: With foure such ores was neuer boat I thinke, row'd so before.

To seaward scaping so, three Negroes we see there, Came rowing after vs to know, what countrey men we were?

We answered Englishmen, and that thither we came, With wares to trafique there with them, if they had meant the same.

They Portuguse doe speake right naturall iwis: And of our s.h.i.+p to know they seeke, how big and where she is.

We answered them again we had two s.h.i.+ps at sea, Right well appointed full of men, that streight would take their way Along the coast for gold, they tarry but for vs, Which came with wares there to haue sold but that they vs'd vs thus.

Then gan they vs to pray, if we lackt any thing, To anker there all that whole day, and they to vs would bring All things that we doe want, they sory say they be: But we their words yet trusting scant, refuse their curtesie.

We aske them of this hold what place that it should be, Then they againe thus straight vs told that Portingals there lie.

And how that point they sayd, which there hard by we see, Was one of Cape three points that lay the Westernmost of three.

Withouten further speech, we hoise our saile to sea: Minding a friendlier place to seech, and thus we part our way.

We mind truly to prooue the Portingals no more: But now t'a.s.say rather what loue Negroes will shew a sh.o.r.e.

We then with saile and ore, went backe againe in hast: A thirtie leagues I thinke, and more from thence where we were chast.

And here we anker fall, aboord the Negros come: We gaue gay things vnto them all, and thus their hearts we wonne.

At last aboord comes one, that was the kings chiefe sonne: To whom by signes I made great mone, how that I was vndone, Had lost our s.h.i.+ps, and eke were almost staru'd for meate, And knew not where our s.h.i.+ps to seeke, or any thing to eate.

I offred him our wares, and bid him take them all: but he perceiuing now the teares, which from our eyes did fall, Had great pitie on vs, and sayd he would haue nought, But streight by signes he will'd vs then, that we should take no thought.

As one whom G.o.d has sent, and kept for vs in store, To know in hast away he went, the Kings pleasure on sh.o.r.e.

And came foorthwith againe, yea, bade vs come a land: Whereof G.o.d knowes we were ful faine, when this we vnderstand.

Each man bankes to his ore, to hale the boate a land: Where as we see vpon the sh.o.r.e, fiue hundred Negros stand.

Our men rowing in a maine, the billow went so hie, That straight a waue ouerwhelms vs cleane and there in sea we lie.

The Negros by and by, came swimming vs to saue: And brought vs all to land quickly, not one durst play the knaue.

The Kings sonne after this, a stout and valiant man, In whom I thinke Nature iwis, hath wrought all that she can, He then I say commaunds them straight to saue our boate, To worke forthwith goe many hands, and bring the same a floate.

Some swimme to saue an ore, some diue for things be lost: I thinke there helpe to hale a sh.o.r.e fiue hundred men almost.

Our boate thus halde vp drie, all things streight way were brought The which we mist or could espie, no man that durst keepe ought.

Then vs they led away, knowing we wanted meate.