AD. THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



1568. 



Ullua, where most of his men were by the Spaniards 

 slaine and drowned, and all his ships sunke and burned, 

 saving the Minion, and the Judith, which was a small 

 barke of fiftie tunne, wherein was then Captaine master 

 Francis Drake aforesayd : the same night the said barke 

 lost us, we being in great necessitie, and inforced to 

 remoove with the Minion two bow-shoote from the 

 Spanish fleete, where we ankered all that night : and the 

 next morning wee weyed anker, and recovered an Island 

 a mile from the Spaniards, where a storme tooke us with 

 a North winde, in which we were greatly distressed, 

 having but two cables and two ankers left ; for in the 

 conflict before we had lost three cables and two ankers. 

 The morrow after, the storme being ceased and the 

 weather faire, we weied, and set sayle, being many men 

 in number, and but small store of victuals to suffice us 

 for any long time : by meanes whereof we were in de- 

 spaire and feare that we should perish through famine, 

 so that some were in minde to yeelde themselves to 

 the mercy of the Spaniards, other some to the Savages 

 or Infidels, and wandring thus certaine daies in these 

 unknowen seas, hunger constrained us to eate hides, 

 cats and dogs, mice, rats, parrats and munkies : to be 

 short, our hunger was so great, that wee thought it 

 savourie and sweete whatsoever wee could get to eate. 

 And on the eight of October wee came to land againe, 

 in the bottome of the bay of Mexico, where we hoped 

 to have found some inhabitants, that wee might have had 

 some reliefe of victuals, and a place where to repaire our 

 ship, which was so greatly bruised, that we were scarse 

 able with our weary armes to keepe foorth the water : 

 being thus oppressed with famine on the one side and 

 danger of drowning on the other, not knowing where 

 to find reliefe, wee began to be in wonderfull despaire, 

 and we were of many mindes, amongst whom there were 

 a great many that did desire our Generall to set them 

 on land, making their choise rather to submit themselves 

 to the mercie of the Savages or Infidels, then longer to 



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