Chap. I. 
ain Woodes Rogers. 
are Places very little known, I fhall defcribe them. The 
Iflands of T res Marias lie North-weft, in a Range about 
four Leagues afunder. The largeft Ifland is the Wefter- 
moft, which appears to be high double Land, and about 
five Leagues in Length ; the Middle Ifiand about three 
Leagues the longeft Way *, and the Eaftermoft fcarce two 
Leagues : Thefe are alfo high Lands, and full of Trees. 
Near the leaft Ifland are two or three fmall* broken, white 
Blands. One of the outermoft of thefe appeared fo much 
like a Ship under Sail at a Diftance, that we gave the 
tSLial Signal for a Chace-, but foon found our Miftake. 
Thefe Blands have abundance of different Sorts of Parrots, 
Pigeons, Doves, and other Land Birds, of which we 
killed great Numbers, with excellent Hares, but much Id's 
than ours : We faw abundance of Guanas, and Tome Rac- 
coons ; the latter barked and fnarled at us like Dogs, but 
were eafily beat off with Sticks. I think the Water more 
worthy of Remark, than any thing we faw here *, becaufe 
we found but two good Springs, which ran down in large 
Streams near others, that were very bitter and difagreeable, 
which, I fuppofe, might proceed from Shrubs and Roots 
that grow in the Water, or from fome Mineral. The 
Turtle here are very good, but of a different Shape from 
any I have feen and, though vulgarly there are reckoned 
but three Sorts of Turtle, we have feen fix or feven dif- 
ferent Sorts at feveral times, and our People have eat of 
them all, except the very large Whooping or Loggerhead 
Turtle, (as they are called) found in Brajii in great Plenty, 
and fome of them above 500 lb. Weight *, we did not eat 
of that Sort, becaufe then our Provifions were plentiful. 
Thofe at the Gallapagos Iflands, both Male and Female, I 
obferved came afliore in the Day-time, and not in the 
Night, quite different from what I have feen or heard of 
the reft. All that we caught in this Ifland, was by turning 
them in the Night, and were She’s, which came afliore to 
lay their Eggs, and bury them in the dry Sand *, one of 
thefe had 800 Eggs in its Belly, 150 of which were fkinned, 
and ready for laying at once. I could not imagine, that 
Turtle were fix Weeks in hatching, as fome Authors 
write, confidering the Sun makes the Sand fo very hot 
where-ever thofe Eggs are found, and, inftead of a Shell, 
they have nothing but a very thin Film : In order therefore 
to be better informed, I ordered fome of cur Men on 
fhore to watch carefully for one, and fuffer her to lay her 
Eggs without Difturbance, and to take good notice of the 
Time and Place. Accordingly they did fo, and allured 
me, they found the Eggs addled in lefs than twelve Hours j 
and, in about twelve Hours more, they had young ones 
in them, completely fhaped, and alive : Had we ftaid a 
little longer, I might have given myfelf, and others, tho- 
rough Satisfadtion in this quick Production of Tortoifes : 
From whence I am inclinable to credit the Report of 
divers of our Sailors, who affert, that where they have 
found Eggs in the Sand, and looked for them in three 
Days time after, in the fame Place, they found nothing 
but Films : This fhews, that the young ones are hatched 
within that time. They affured me alfo, that they had 
obferved, more than once, that the young Brood run out 
of the Sand every Day, diredly for the Sea, in great 
Numbers, and quicker than the old ones. There was little 
Fifh about the Shores of this Ifland, and of the fame 
Sorts mentioned at other Places in thefe Seas ; but the 
Plenty of Turtle, at this time, fupplied that Defedt : We, 
the chief Officers, fed delicioufly here, being fcarce ever 
without Hares, Turtle-doves, Pigeons, and Parrots of 
Various Sizes and Colours : Many had white, or red Heads, 
with Tufts of Feathers on their Crowns. We found goqd 
Anchor-ground about this middle Ifland, and gradual 
Soundings, from twenty to four Fathom Water, clofe by 
the Shore. Between this and the leaft Ifland, ’tis about 
the fame Depth, where we were : Between them I found 
110 Slide, but what was viflble % as a Rock off the South- 
weft Point, and a Shole off the North-eaft Point of the 
lame, with another at a great Diftance from that Point of 
the leaft Ifland, but neither runs above half a Mile from 
the Shore. 
3 °« On the xft of November we faw High-land, which 
proved the Point of California , or that Head-land which 
i e Sailors call Cape St. Lucas. It was now neceffary to 
Numb. i2» 
put in Execution the Rules we had formerly laid down for 
Cruifing; as alfo to fettle our Regulations about Plunder, 
and againft Gaming ; which was done on the eleventh. 
According to our Agreement, mine was to be the outer- 
moft Ship, the D'uchefs in the Middle, and the Marquis 
next the Land ; the neareft Ship to be fix Leagues at 
leaft, and nine at moft, from the Shore ; the Bark to ply 
to-and-fro, and carjy Advice from Ship to Ship : By this 
Agreement, we 0011 Id fpread fifteen Leagues, and fee any 
thing that might pafs us in the Day within twenty Leagues 
of the Shore ; -and, to prevent the Ships paffmg in the 
Night, we were to ply to Windward all Day, and drive all 
Night. On the 5th of November we changed our Situation, 
and the Duchefs was next the Shore, and the Marquis in 
the Middle. It gave us great Satisfadlion* to confider, 
that in this very Place, and about this very Day, Sir 
‘Thomas Candifh took the Manilla Ship. On the 16th, we 
fent the Bark to look for Water on the Main •, and next 
Morning they returned, having feen wild Indians , who 
paddled to them on Bark-logs i They were fearful of 
coming near our People at firft, but were foon prevailed 
with to accept of a Knife or two, and fome Bays ; for 
which they returned two Bladders of Water, a couple of 
live Foxes, and a Deer’s-fkin. Till now, we thought the 
Spaniards had Miflionaries among thefe People ; but they 
being quite naked, having no Sign of European Commo- 
dities, nor the leaft Word of Spanijh , we concluded they 
were quite lavage. We difpatched the Bark and Boat a 
fecond time with Trifles, in hopes to get fome Refrefh- 
ment from them. On the 18th, before Sun-fet, we could 
perceive our Bark under the Shore ; and, having little 
Wind, flie drove moft Part of the Night, to be near us 
in the Morning : We fent our Pinnace, and brought the 
Men aboard, who told us, that their new Acquaintance 
were grown very familiar, but were the pooreft Wretches 
in Nature, and had no manner of Refrefhment for us : 
They came freely aboard to eat fome of our Victuals, and, 
by Signs, invited cur Men afliore. The Indians fwam 
afhore to guide the Bark-logs that our Men were on, there 
being too much Sea to land out of our Boat. After they 
got fafe on there, the Indians led each of our Men, betwixt 
two of them, up the Bank, where there was an old naked 
Gentleman, with a Deer-fkin fpread on the Ground, on 
which they kneeled before our People, who did the like, 
and wiped the Water off their Faces without a Cloth. 
Thefe that led them from the Water-flde, took the fame 
Care of them for a Quarter of a Mile, and led them very 
flowly, through a narrow Pafs, to their Huts, where they 
found a dull Mufician, rubbing two jagged Sticks acrols 
each other, and humming to it, to divert and welcome 
their new Guefts. After thefe Ceremonies were bveR our 
People fat on the Ground with them, eat broiled Fifh, and 
were attended back in the fame manner, with the Indian 
Mufic. The Savages brought a Sample of every thing 
they had, except their Women, Children, and Arms* 
which we find are not common to Strangers. Their 
Knives* made of Sharks Teeth, and a few other of their 
Curiofities, our People brought aboard to me, which I 
preferved, to fliew what Shifts may be made. On the 
28th in the Afternoon, we heard the Marquis fire a Gun, 
which was anfwered by the Duchefs , who had the middle 
Birth. We tacked immediately* and made all poflible 
Sail, fuppofing they had feen a Stranger. The Marquis 
flood to us, towards the Shore, and we foon met her : 
By four o’Clock I was aboard them, and inquired into the 
Caufe of the Alarm ; was furprifed to hear they took us 
for the Manilla Ship, and the Gun they fired, was to 
alarm the Duchefs to give Chace* as fhe had done all the 
Day, though not regarded by us* who knew the Marquis * 
and admired they could miftake the Duke. Immediately 
each Ship returned to his Station. Soon after our main 
Tie gave way, and our main Yard Came down at once, 
but did no other Damage. Next Morning we faw the 
Bark coming off Shore, where fhe had been becalmed : 
Being longer wanting than ufual, we were afraid they were 
cut off by the Indians. We got our Bale-goods up from 
ab-aft, to fee for the Leak ; but all to no Purpofe ; we 
found feveral of the Bales that had received fome Damage, 
which we dried and repacked, and fold what was damaged* 
2 X among 
