A.D. 



1563-81, 



This Touffon 

 is an extra- 

 ordinary 

 storme at Sea. 

 [II. i. 240.] 



The Toufon 

 commeth but 

 every 10. or 

 12, yeeres. 



THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



before the fleete depart for Portugal!, in which ships I 

 was fully determined to goe to Lisbon, and so to ' 

 Venice. When I had thus resolved my selfe, I went a 

 boord of the shippe of Bengala, at which time it was 

 the yeere of Touffon : concerning which Touffon ye 

 are to understand, that in the East Indies often times, 

 there are not stormes as in other countreys ; but every 

 10. or 12. yeeres there are such tempests and stormes, 

 that it is a thing incredible, but to those that have 

 seene it, neither do they know certainly what yeere 

 they wil come. 



Unfortunate are they that are at sea in that yere and 

 time of the Touffon, because few there are that escape 

 that danger. In this yere it was our chance to be at 

 sea with the like storme, but it happened well unto us, 

 for that our ship was newly over-plancked, and had not 

 any thing in her save victuall and balasts. Silver and 

 golde, which from Pegu they cary to Bengala, and no 

 other kinde of Marchandise. This Touffon or cruel 

 storme endured three dayes and three nights : in which 

 time it caried away our sailes, yards, and rudder ; and 

 because the shippe laboured in the Sea, wee cut our 

 mast over boord : which when we had done she laboured 

 a great deale more then before, in such wise, that she 

 was almost full with water that came over the highest 

 part of her and so went downe : and for the space of 

 three dayes and three nights sixtie men did nothing but 

 hale water out of her in this wise, twentie men in one 

 place, and twentie men in another place, and twentie in 

 a thirde place : and for all this storme, the shippe was 

 so good, that shee tooke not one jot of water below 

 through her sides, but all ran downe through the 

 hatches, so that those sixtie men did nothing but cast 

 the Sea into the Sea. And thus driving too and fro as 

 the winde and Sea would, we were in a darke night 

 about foure of the clocke cast on a sholde : yet when 

 it was day, we could neither see land on one side nor 

 other, and knew not where we were. And as it pleased 



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