DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION ad. 



1578. 

 they made upon the coast great fires for a sacrifice 

 (as we learned) to the devils, about which they use 

 conjurations, making heapes of sande and other cere- 

 monies, that when any ship shall goe about to stay upon 

 their coast, not onely sands may be gathered together 

 in shoalds in every place, but also that stormes and 

 tempests may arise, to the casting away of ships and 

 men, whereof (as it is reported) there have bene divers 

 experiments. 



The seventh day in a mightie great storme both of 

 lightning, rayne and thunder, wee lost the Canter which we 

 called the Christopher : but the eleventh day after, by our 

 Generals great care in dispersing his ships, we found 

 her againe, and the place where we met, our Generall 

 called the Cape of Joy, where every ship tooke in some T'he Cape of 

 water. Heere we found a good temperature and sweete -^^ 

 ayre, a very faire and pleasant countrey with an exceeding 

 fruitfull soyle, where were great store of large and mightie 

 Deere, but we came not to the sight of any people : but 

 traveiling further into the countrey, we perceived the 

 footing of people in the clay-ground, shewing that they 

 were men of great stature. Being returned to our ships, 

 we wayed anchor, and ranne somewhat further, and har- 

 boured our selves betweene a rocke and the maine, where 

 by meanes of the rocke that brake the force of the sea, we 

 rid very safe, and upon this rocke we killed for our 

 provision certaine sea-wolves, commonly called with us 

 Scales. 



From hence we went our course to 36. degrees, and Their entrance 

 entred the great river of Plate, and ranne into 54. and ^k^. ^'^^^^^^ ^^^'^^ 

 fadomes and a halfe of fresh water, where wee filled our 

 water by the ships side : but our Generall finding here 

 no good harborough, as he thought he should, bare out 

 againe to sea the 27. of April, and in bearing out we 

 lost sight of our Flieboate wherein master Doughtie 

 was, but we sayling along, found a fayre and reasonable 

 good Bay wherein were many, and the same profitable Abundance of 

 Islands, one whereof had so many Scales, as would at the Scales. 



107 



