AD. THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



1540. 



the ship called Saint Gabriel which carried victuals for 

 the armie I led her with mee to put in execution your 

 Lordships order. Afterward I followed my course along 

 the coast without departing from the same, to see if 

 I could find any token or any Indian which could give 

 me knowledge of him : and in sailing so neere the shore 

 I discovered other very good havens, for the ships 

 whereof Captaine Francis de Ullua was Generall for the 

 Marquesse de Valle neither sawe nor found them. And 

 These shoalds when we were come to the flats and shoalds from whence 

 are the bottome ^|^g foresaid fleete returned, it seemed aswell to me as 



mejo or the ^^ ^^ ^^^^> ^^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^ firme land before us, and 

 Bay of Call- that those shoalds were so perilous and fearefull, that it 

 fornia. was a thing to be considered whither with our skiffes 



we could enter in among them : and the Pilotes and the 

 rest of the company would have had us done as Captaine 

 Ullua did, and have returned backe againe. But because 

 your Lordship commanded mee, that I should bring you 

 the secret of that gulfe, I resolved, that although I had 

 knowen I should have lost the shippes, I would not 

 have ceased for any thing to have seene the head thereof: 

 and therefore I commanded Nicolas Zamorano Pilote 

 major, and Dominico del Castello that eche of them 

 should take a boate, and their lead in their hands, and 

 runne in among those shoalds, to see if they could find 

 out the chanell whereby the shippes might enter in : 

 to whom it seemed that the ships might saile up higher 

 (although with great travell and danger) and in this sort 

 I and he began to follow our way which they had taken, 

 and within a short while after wee found our selves fast 

 on the sands with all our three ships, in such sort that 

 one could not helpe another, neither could the boates 

 succour us, because the current was so great that it was 

 impossible for one of us to come unto another : where- 

 upon we were in such great jeopardie that the decke of the 

 Admirall was oftentimes under water, and if a great 

 surge of the sea had not come & driven our ship right 

 up, and gave her leave as it were to breath a while, 



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