RENE LAUDONNIERE ad. 



1564. 

 ready to imbarke my selfe with all speede, to discover 

 as farre up our River, as I might by any meanes. 

 Nowe my Mariners, (as I understood afterwards) tooke 

 a Barke that was a passenger of the Spaniards neere 

 the Isle of Cuba, wherein they founde a certaine quan- 

 titie of golde and silver, which they seazed upon. And One of these 

 having this bootie they lay a while at Sea, untill ^^^inen 

 their victuals beganne to faile them : which was the j^^^ betrayed 

 cause, that oppressed with famine they came unto his own com- 

 Havana the principall Towne of the Isle of Cuba : tre-^ men to the 

 whereupon proceeded that mischiefe which hereafter I ^p^^^^rds^and 

 will declare more at large. When I saw my Barkes [nto%lor'ida 

 returned not at their wonted houre, and suspecting 

 that which fell out in deed, I commanded my Car- 

 penters with all diligence to make a little boat with a 

 flat bottome, to search those Rivers for some newes 

 of these Mariners. The boate dispatched within a 

 day and a night, by reason that my Carpenters found 

 planks and timber ready sawed to their hands, as com- 

 monly I caused my Sawyers to provide it, I sent men 

 to seeke some newes of my thieves : but all was in 

 vaine. Therefore I determined to cause two great A Saw-mill 

 Barkes to be built, eche of which might be thirtie five, necessary here, 

 or thirtie sixe foote long in the keele. 



And now the worke was very well forwarde which [III. 334.] 

 I set my workemen about, when ambition and avarice, 

 the mother of all mischiefe, tooke roote in the hearts 

 of foure or five souldiers which could not away with 

 the worke and paines taking : and which from hence 

 forward (namely one Fourneaux, and one La Croix, and The thirde 

 another called Steven le Geneuois, the three principall sedition. 

 authors of the sedition) beganne to practise with the 

 best of my troupe, shewing them that it was a vile 

 thing for men of honest parentage, as they were, to 

 moyle themselves thus with abject and base worke, 

 seeing they had the best occasion of the worlde 

 offered them to make themselves all riche : which was 

 to arme the two Barkes which were in building, and 



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