40 The V O Y 
they ihould never get through. The Mountains were 
covered with Snow. The 18th, they call Anchor in a 
Bay to the Northward in 54 0 Latitude, called the Great 
Bay : In the Middle of it are Three fniali Elands, the 
leaft of which lies to the Eaftward •, the Ground in that 
Bay is very good, and of a fine Sand. In thefe Places 
there grow a great Quantity of Trees, (Pimento) re 
fembling Bay-trees, only they are a little higher, and the 
Bark is much bitterer, having as ftrong a Tafte as Pepper. 
Here they faw abundance of Muffels, feme of them were 
a Span long, and, when they were boiled, the Flefh of 
Three of them weigh’d a Pound. The Wind being con- 
trary, the Ships lay at Anchor till the 23d of Auguft, with- 
out taking the Sails off the Yards, that the Ships might 
Be ready to fet Sail. In the mean while they fuffered 
much by the cold Weather ; they loft above 100 Men, 
and, amongft others, Captain Bockholt , who was fuc- 
Ceeded by Baltazar de Cordes : Befides, the Storms were 
fo frequent and violent, that the Ships could not lie at 
Anchor, and the Seamen were forced to be continually at 
work to keep them right : They were like wife obliged to 
go afhore in the Rain, Snow, and Hail, to get in fome 
frefh Water, Wood, Muffels, and fuch other Provifions 
as they could find, which fatigued them extremely. 
The Scarcity of Victuals was fo great, and the Climate fo 
fharp, that they were almoft ftarved with Hunger and 
Cold, the rough Climate rendering their Appetites fo keen, 
that they were almoft infatiable, and eat Roots and other 
Things raw, without flaying to have them dreffed. The 
greateft Part of the Seamen wanted Watch-coats, and 
other Cloathing, to fupport the Fatigue of the Watch, 
and the daily Work •, for they had made no Provifion of 
them, thinking to go into an hot Country, where they 
ihould have no need of them. Toredrefs this Grievance, 
the General diftributed to every one Pieces of Cloth ; and 
ail the Captains were ordered to be prefent, with a Cane 
in their Hands, when their Seamen eat their Meals, becaufe 
many of them would fell their Share of Victuals at a great 
Rate, and, upon that Score, chofe rather to be without 
it, and fill their Stomachs with raw Muffels, and green 
Herbs, which occafioned Dropfies, and reduced them at 
laft to a languifhing and dying Condition. But the Officers 
were fo careful, and fo exa£l, in diftributing the Proportion 
of Victuals, that the 2 2d of April Two Seamen of the 
Yacht were condemned to Death for having ftoln fome Oil 
in the Hold of the fame Yacht ; however, there was but 
one of them hanged, and the other was whipt. 
13. May 7. the Vice-admiral was detached with Two 
Sloops into an Ifland over-againft the Green Bay, to catch 
fome Sea-dogs. He found Seven Canoes, or fmall Boats, 
with Savages on board, that were Ten or Eleven Foot high, 
as well as he could obferve, of a reddiftt Colour, and with 
long Hair. As foon as thefe Natives faw the Sloops, they 
ran aflhore, and threw fo many Stones at the Dutch , that 
they durft not come near the Shore ; when they faw that 
the Dutch durft not approach, they got into their Boats, 
and rowed with great Outcries towards the Sloops. The 
Vice-admiral let them advance within a Mufquet-fhot, and 
then commanded his Men to make a general Difcharge ; 
they killed Four or Five of them, which fo frighted the 
reft, that they run afhore again •, then they pull’d up, with 
their Hands, fome Trees, which afar off appeared to be 
a Span thick ; but the Vice-admiral chofe to let them alone, 
and to return on board. The 26th of the fame Month, 
fome Seamen went afhore to look for Muffels, Roots, 
Herbs, and fuch Victuals as they could find. Being fepa- 
rated one from another, a Company of Savages fell on a 
fudden upon them, killed Three, and wounded Two. 
They tore in Pieces the firft Three, and were going to do 
the like to the wounded Two, if Captain de Cordes had npt 
come to their Relief. Thefe Savages were all naked, ex- 
, cept one, who had a Sea-dog Skin about his Shoulders. 
They had wooden Javelins, which they threw with great 
Strength ana Dexterity ; the Point was like a Cramp-iron, 
tied to the Arrow with Sea-dogs Guts, and would run fo 
far into the Flefli, that it was almoft impoffible to get it 
■out. While the Fleet was in that Ifland, the General 
•ordered the Sloop to be put upon the Stocks to be altered 
5 b This alludes to the Belgic Lion, which they propofed ft 
AGES of Beck I. 
into a Pinnace : She was named the PojUlion , and the 
Second Pilot of the Admiral was Mailer of her. Captain. 
de Weert r having no more Provifions for Broth, and being 
obliged to give Bifcuk to make fome, landed July ly. to 
catch Sea-dogs 3 while he was afhore, fo great a Storm 
arofe from the N 01th- weft, that he was obliged to ftay 
Two Days and Two Nights without being able to come 
on board his Ship again, and could catch nothing. 
14. Auguft 2. the General ordered all the Officers and 
Seamen to Land ; and, though the Snow was pretty thick 
upon the Shore, he would have the Minifter to fay Prayers, 
and make a Sermon, to thank God Almighty, that he had 
preferved them in fo dangerous a Voyage, and to beg his 
Affiftance for the Time to come. The great Sufferings 
they had endured in that Bay, then called the Green Bay, 
and the Lofs of 120 Men who died there, made them 
name it the Bay of de Cordes , becaufe de Cordes was their 
Admiral, when they were affiifted with thefe Accidents : 
And, in effect, they went through the greateft Hardlhips 
in the World ; for, befides Hunger and Cold, they were 
expofed to the Injuries of the Air, Winds, Rain, Snow, 
and Hail, till the 23d of Auguft ; Then they fet Sail with 
a North-eaft Wind; but the next Day the Weather was 
fo calm, that they were obliged to put into a great Bay 
lying Southward. To perpetuate the Memory of fo dan- 
gerous and extraordinary a Voyage into a Streight, into 
which no other Nation had yet ventured to fail with fo great 
and fo many Ships, the General eredled an Order of Knight- 
hood, and made the Six chief Officers Knights of it. 
They obliged themfelves by an Oath, never to do or con- 
fent to any thing againft their Honour and Reputation, 
whatever Dangers or Extremities they Ihould be expofed 
to, not excepting Deaih itfelf ; or to do any thing pre- 
judicial to the Intereft of their own Country, or to the 
Voyage they had already begun. They alfo folemnly pro- 
mifed, they would freely expofe their Lives againft all 
the Enemies of their Nation, and to ufe all their Endea- 
vours to profper the Dutch Arms, and conquer the Spanijh 
Dominions, from whence the King of Spain got fo much 
Gold and Silver to make War againft them in the Low 
Countries , and opprefs them. This Ceremony was per- 
formed afhore upon the Eafterly Coaft of the Streight, as 
well as the Place and the Occafion would permit it, and 
the Order was named the Order of the Lion fet free : 
They aifo erefted a Table upon a high Pillar, on which 
the Names of the Knights were written, and the Bay was 
called The Bay of Knights fa . 
15. The 28th, they failed out of that Bay, and put 
into another little one a League off. There they were be- 
calmed again. Then the Admiral commanded de Weert 
to go afhore with his Sloop, to remove the Table that was 
fet up in the Bay of Knights , and tranfport it to a more 
convenient Place. But as he thought to double the Point 
of the Bay, he faw above Eighty Savages fitting upon the 
Ground, who had near them Eight or Nine Canoes, or 
little Boats ; as Icon as they faw the Sloop, they made a 
difmal Noife, and Signs to invite the Seamen afhore. But 
the Captain, who had but a fmall Complement of Men, 
returned on board the Ship. The Savages, feeing him go 
to his Ship, ran as faft as they could acrofs the Woods 
along the Shore, hallowing flill, and making Signs to the 
Dutch to come afhore. The General, being informed of this 
Adventure, fent immediately Three Sloops, well armed, 
to the Shore, but they found nobody : Yet they faw the 
Marks of the Inhabitants ; for they had taken out of the 
Ground the Corpfe of the Dutchmen who had been buried 
there, and had barbaroufiy disfigured them : And the 
Table, which Captain de Weert went to remove, was broken 
by the fame Savages. 
16. September 3. early' in the Night, the Ships got out 
of the Streight of Magellan , and failed into the South Sea 
with a fair Wind. The 5th and 6th, they failed flill with 
a North-eaft Wind to the Weft North- weft, and kept all 
Six together, reckoning the Poftilion one, till the 7th of 
the fame Month, at which time they had fine Weather : 
But it did not laft long ; for the Sea, which, in thofe 
Parts, is often ftormy, began to fwell and rife fo high, that 
the Vice-admiral was forced to lie by, and hale his SloQp 
old be henceforward fet at Liberty from the Spani/k Yoke. 
€>H 
