LETTER FROM THOMAS STEVENS a.d. 



*579- 



the He of S. Laurence, which they take willingly, because 

 they refresh themselves at Mosambique a fortnight or 

 a moneth, not without great need, and thence in a 

 moneth more land in Goa. The other is without the 

 He of S. Laurence, which they take when they set foorth 

 so late, and come so late to the point, that they have no 

 time to take the foresayd Mosambique, and then they 

 goe heavily, because in this way they take no port. 

 And by reason of the long navigation, and want of food 

 and water, they fall into sundry diseases, their gummes 

 waxe great, and swell, and they are faine to cut them 

 away, their legges swell, and all the body becommeth 

 sore, and so benummed, that they can not stirre hand 

 nor foot, and so they die for weakenesse, others fall into 

 fluxes and agues, and die thereby. i\nd this way it 

 was our chance to make : yet though we had more then 

 one hundred and fifty sicke, there died not past seven 

 and twenty ; which losse they esteemed not much in 

 respect of other times. Though some of ours were 

 diseased in this sort, yet, thanks be to God, I had my 

 health all the way, contrary to the expectation of many : 

 God send me my health so well in the land, if it may 

 be to his honour and service. This way is full of privy 

 rockes and quicke-sands, so that sometimes we durst not • 

 saile by night, but by the providence of God we saw 

 nothing, nor never found bottome untill we came to 

 the coast of India. When we had passed againe the 

 line, and were come to the third degree or somewhat 

 more, we saw crabs swimming on the water that were 

 red as though they had bene sodden : but this was no 

 signe of land. After, about the eleventh degree, the 

 space of many dayes, more then ten thousand fishes 

 by estimation followed round, about our ship, whereof 

 we caught so many, that for fifteene dayes we did eate 

 nothing els, and they served our turne very well : for 

 at this time we had neither meat nor almost any thing 

 els to eate, our navigation growing so long that it drew 

 neere to seven moneths, where as commonly they goe it 



383 



