I6S The V O Y 
ufual flow Pace, carried them, and never regarded the 
Weight. They fuppofed this could not weigh lefs than 
700 lb. I do not affed giving Relations of ft range Crea- 
tures, fo frequently done by others ; but where an uncom- 
mon Creature falls in my Way, I cannot omit it. The Spa- 
niards tell us, they know of none eifewliere in thefe Seas 
but they are common in Brajil. On the 15th, we had a fine 
Breeze, came up to the reft, and agreed to lie by, with 
our Heads to the If aft ward, till Midnight, being in Sight 
of the Rock, where we loft poor Hatley , when laft here. 
On the 1 6tli at four o’clock in the Afternoon, we fent our 
Yawl for Captain Cooke and Captain Courtney , with whom 
We agreed to bear away, feeing fo many Iflands and Rocks 
to theWeftward, we did not care to incumber ourfelves 
among them in the Night. By fix, we found the Remedy 
worfe than the Difeafe, and, at Maft-head, could fee all 
low Rocks, almoft joining from Ifland to Ifland, that we 
feerhed Land-locked for three Points of the Compafs, and 
no-way open, but to the South-eaft, from whence we came; 
fo we refolved to return that Way, and made fhort Trips 
all Night, keeping continual Sounding, for fear of Sholes, 
and had from forty to fixty Fathom Water. In the Morn- 
ing, we had got far enough to Windward to return. We 
could have no Obfervation, the Sun being in our Zenith, 
tho 5 we found the Weather here much colder, than in any 
Latitude within ten Degrees of each Side the Equator. 
The Duchefs (not being fo well provided with Turtle as 
we) fent her Boat afhore on another Ifland, where they got 
her Lading of excellent Turtle, leaving a vaft Number on 
lliore that they could not bring away. We had as many 
aboard as we had Room for. At feven we all joined, and 
agreed to lie-by till two in the Morning, whence we con- 
tinued our Courfe, with an eafy Sail, till Day-break : We 
were a-breaft of the ’Thoroughfare , where we tried for Water 
the laft time. I ordered a Gun to be fired at a venture, to 
fee if it were poflible Mr. Hatley could be there alive, and 
then feeing, or hearing us, might make a Smoke on fhore, 
as a Signal ; but we had no fuch good Luck ; fo that our 
Hopes for him were all vanifhed, and, we finally concluded, 
that we could do no more for him, than we have done 
already. The 1 8th and 19th, we faw feveral more Iflands, 
one of them a large one, which we fuppofed reached near 
the Equinoctial, and abundance of fmall Iflands betwixt 
us. The 19th at Noon, we had an indifferent good Ob- 
fervation, Latitude 2 0 F North. We faw in all (fome 
that w| fearched, and others that we viewed at a Diftance 
at both times) no lefs than fifty, but none that had the leaft 
Appearance of frefh Water. Sig. Morell tells me, that a 
Spanijh Man of War, employed to cruife for Pirates, was 
once at an Ifland that lies by itfelf in Latitude i° 20' or 
90 South ; they called it St. Maria del Jquada , a pleafant 
Ifland, and good Road, full of Wood, and plenty of 
Water, and Turtle of both Sorts, with Fiffi, &c. lying 
about 140 Spanijh Leagues Weft from the Ifland of Plata ; 
but, I believe, it is at leaft thirty Leagues more, and that 
it is no other but the fame Ifland where Captain Davis, the 
Englijh Bucanneer, recruited ; and all the Light he has 
left to find it again is, that it lies to the Weftward of thefe 
Iflands he was at with the other Bucanneers, which, as I 
have before examined, can be no other than thefe Iflands 
we have been twice at. We had no Occafion to look for 
this Ifland the fecond Trip, though, I believe, it is eafy 
to find, it without farther Directions. Here are moft Sort 
of Sea-birds among thefe Iflands, and fome Land-birds, 
particularly Hawks of feveral Sorts, and Tqjtle-doves, 
both fo very tame, that we often hit them clown with 
Sticks. I faw no Sort of Beafts ; but there are Guanas in 
abundance, and Land-turtle almoft on every Ifland. 5 Tis 
ftrange how the latter got here ; becaufe they cannot come 
of themfelves, and none of that Sort are found on the 
Main. Seels haunt fome of thefe Iflands, but not fo nu- 
merous, nor their Fur fo good, as at Juan Fernandez : A 
very large one made at me three feveral times, and, had I 
not happened to have a Pike-ftaff, pointed with Iron, in 
his Eland, I might have been killed by him : I was on the 
level Sand when he came open-mouthed at me, out of the 
Water, as quick and fierce as the moft angry Dog let 
loofe : I ftruck the Point into his Breaft,' and wounded 
him all the three times he made at me ; which forced him 
6 
AGES of Book !. 
at laft to retire, with an ugly Noife, fnarling, and {hewing 
his long Teeth at me out of the Water. This amphibious 
Beaft was as big as a large Bear. 
29. On the firft of Odloher we made the Main-land of 
Mexico , which Captain Dampier no fooner faw, than he 
declared, it was in the Neighbourhood of that Place that 
he attacked the Lefler Manilla Ship in the St. George. 
Our Men began to grow ill again, and two of them dropt 
down on the Deck, occafioned by a kind of fcorbutic Apo-v 
plexy ; 'but, upon Bleeding, they came, foon to themfelves. 
The next Day we made Cape Corientes , which we knew 
by our Charts. Captain Dampier , indeed, had been here ; 
but it was a long time ago, and, therefore, he feemed to 
know but little of the Matter ; yet, when he came to 
land in Places, he recolleCted them very readily. Our 
Bufinefs now was, to look for the Iflands called T res 
Marias, to procure fome Refreihments *, and found this a. 
Work of Difficulty, being very uncertain as to their Si- 
tuation. On the 4th in the Afternoon, Cape Corientes 
bore Eaft North-e aft about ten Leagues : The next Morn- 
ing, being very clear Weather, we difcovered two Iflands 
at the Diftance of fourteen Leagues, one bearing North by 
Weft, the other North by Eaft. At Noon we had an 
Obfervation, and found ourfelves in the Latitude of 2 o'* 
45' North. The Sight of thefe Iflands was very fatif- 
fadory ; for, though our Men had their Fill of Land and 
Sea-turtle, which kept them from the Scurvy, yet 1 found 
them weak, it being but a faint Sort of Food, except they 
had enough Bread or Flour with it ; whereas they had 
but a Pound and a Quarter of Bread or Flour for five 
Men a Day ; which was done to prolong our Stock of 
Bread againft we came to live wholly on our fait Pro- 
vifions, and ffiould be then forced to allow more. On the 
6th, we fent Lieutenant Fry, in the Pinnace, on ftiore, on 
the Eaftermoft Ifland, to try whether there was any good 
Road or Conveniency for us to recruit there. At nine they 
returned, and told me, the Ifland had foul Ground near 
half a Mile from the Shore, bad Anchorage, worfe Land- 
ing, and no frefti Water, but Wood enough. A melan- 
choly Fate to us, our Water growing .fhort. We haled on 
a Wind for the middle Ifland, which Captain Dampier, X 
believe, can remember he was at, when he belonged to 
Captain Swan, and found Water. Having little Wind, 
we fent our Boat towards the Ifland, to view it, before we 
could get up thither with the Ship. The Duchefs’ s People, 
and our Pinnace, had been afhore at feveral Places on the 
South-eaft Side of the Ifland, and found better Water at 
every Place. On the 8th, thofe that had been on the 
Ifland reported, they faw no Sign of any Peoples being 
lately there, but found a human Skull above-ground ; 
which we fuppofed to be one of the two Indian Captains 
Dampier tells us were left here by Captain Swan about 23 
Years ago ; for Victuals being fcarce with thefe Bucanneers, 
they would not carry the poor Indians any farther ; but, 
after they had ferved their Turns, left them to make a 
miferable End on a defolate Ifland. We kept a Light out 
all Night, and a Fire in the Ifland, that, if the Marquis 
and Bark, who had left Company, faw it, and had a Gale, 
they might come into Anchor-ground : But, having no 
Sight of them at Day-break, I went on board our Confort, 
and propofed my going out to look after them ; but they 
made light of it, and thought it needlefs, believing they 
would be in after us without any Affiftance. The Recruit 
of Cattle, Hogs, and Plantains, at Fecames, held to the 
Gallapagos ; and we fed on the Turtle ever fince, except- 
ing thofe two laft Days. This accidental Stock of freffi 
Food was fome Refreffiment to our Men, and prolonged 
our Stock of European Provifions. On the 9 th, 1 fent 
Lieutenant Glendall to view the other Side of the Ifland ; 
and he told me, on his Return, that it was much better 
than this, had feveral fandy Bays, in which he faw the 
Trad of many Turtle. Upon this Intelligence, I fent 
back the Boat thither in the Evening, and next Morning 
they came aboard with a full Load of Turtle, and left an- 
other behind them ready turned ; and, which was of much 
greater Confequence, they found pretty good Water ; 
whereas what we had hitherto drank was phyfical, and 
purged exceffively. As we wooded, watered, and fur- 
niftied ourfelves with freffi. Provifions here, and as thefe 
are 
