174 The V O Y 
a Fifh. ori the. Point of it, which was taken off by another, 
that watched by him in a Bark-log. The Reader may be- 
lieve of this what he pleafes ; but I give it the more Credit, 
becaufe I nsyfelf threw feme nifty Knives over-board, on pur- 
pofe to try the Divers, who feldonl miffed catching a Knife 
before it could fink above three or four Fathom ; which I 
topic to be an extraordinary Proof of their Agility. Inftead 
of Bread, they ufed a little black Seed, which they ground 
with Stones, and eat by Handfuls. Some of our Men thick- 
ened their Broth with it, and faid, it tailed fo'mewhat like 
Coffee. They have fame Roots, that eat like Yams; a 
fort of Seeds, that grow in Cods, and tafte like green Peafe ; 
a Berry, which refembles thole of Ivy, and, being dried at 
the Fire, eats like parched Peafe. They have another, like 
a large Currant, with a white tartifh Pulp, a Stone, and a 
Kernel. This fort of Fruit they feem to value much. They 
have alfo a Fruit, which grows on the Prickle-pear-tree, 
taftes like Goofberries, and makes good Sauce. They have 
many other Seeds and Plants unknown to us ; but I was not 
in a Condition to view and defcribe them. They feem to 
have an hunting Seafon, by the Skins of Deer we faw among 
them. They paid much Refpebt to one Man, whofe Head 
was adorned with Feathers, made up in the Form of a Clip. 
In other Refpe&s, they feemed to have all things in com- 
mon ; for, when they exchanged Filh with us for old 
Knives, of which we had plenty, they gave the Knives to 
any that flood next ; and, after they had enough, we could 
get no Filh from them. They appeared to be very idle, 
and , feemed only to look after a prefent Subfiftence. They 
obferved our Men very attentively, while they cut Wood, 
and filled W ater ; but did not lend us an Fland at either, 
or indeed in any thing that required hard Labour. Their 
Arms are Bows and Arrows, with which they can fhoot 
Birds Hying. Their Bows are about feven Feet long, and 
©f a tough Wood, unknown to us, with Strings of Srlk- 
grafs ; their Arrows about four Feet and an half, made of 
Cane, and, pointed with Filh-bones, that they fhape for the 
Purpofe. Moft of their Knives, and other cutting Inftru- 
ments,- are made of Sharks Teeth. I faw two- or three large 
Pearls in their Necklaces and Bracelets ; and the Spaniards 
told me, they had Quantities of them from the inner Part 
of the Gulph of California , where they have Miffronaries- 
planted among them. Our Men told me, they faw heavy 
Ihining Stones afhore, which looked as if they came from 
fome Mine ; but they did not inform me of this, till we were 
at Sea ; otherwife I would have brought fome of them, to 
have tried what Metal could have been extrabled out of 
them. The Spaniards likewife informed me,, that the Coun- 
try in general within, on the Main-land of Mexico , is plea- 
fant, and abounds with Cattle and Provifions of all forts. 
The Natives grew very familiar with us, and came fre- 
quently aboard, to view our Ships ; which they mightily 
admired. We faw no Boats or Canoes among them, or 
any Craft, but Bark-logs, which they fleered with Paddles 
at each End. We gave one o! the Natives a Shirt ; but he 
foon tore it in Pieces, and gave it to the reft of his Com- 
pany, to put the Seeds in, which they ufed for Bread. We 
faw no Utenfils for Cookery amongft them ; nor do I fup- 
pofe they have any, for they bury their Fifh in an Heap of 
Sand, and make a Fire over it, till they think it fit for eat- 
ing. There were in this Bay all the Fifh ufual in thefe Seas. 
The frefli Water here is good ; and they have abundance of 
Samphire. They make a Fire in the Middle of their Huts, 
which are very low and ftnoky. We faw no extraordinary 
Birds here. I was told by our People, that had been afro re, 
that they obtain Fire, by rubbing two dry Sticks one againft 
the other, as cuftomary amongft the wild Indians. °The 
Entrance into the Harbour may be known by four high 
Rocks, which look like the Needles of the Me of Wight , 
as you come from the Weft ward ; the two Weftermoft in 
form of Sugar-loaves ; the innermoft has an Arch, like a 
Bridge, through which the Sea makes its Way. Here you 
ride Land-lockt from Eaft by North back to the South-eaft 
byEaft: Yet it is but an ordinary Road, if the Wind 
fhould come ftrong out of the Sea ; which it never did 
while we lay there. I think it may not be amifs to add to 
thefe Faffs, which cannot be difputed, fome Conjeftures, 
that carry in them great Probability, and, if ever they 
fiiould be demonftrated to be Certainties, would be attended 
ACE A of - Book I. 
with very important, and to us, that inhabit this Northern 
Part of the World, advantageous Confluences. There 
have been many Opinions ftarted about the Peopling of 
America ; but that which, to me, appears the moft pro- 
bable, is, that its Inhabitants came hither from Tarlary , by 
that Northern Continent, which is fuppofed to join this 
Country to fome Part of Afta : I fay, tome this appears 
the moft probable, and my Reafon for it is this ; becaufe 
the Spaniards , who come hither annually from Manilla 
or Luconia , one of the Philippine Iflands in the Eaft Indies , 
are forced to keep in an high Latitude, for the Benefit of 
the Wefterly Winds ; and have often founded, finding 
Ground in Latitude 42 0 North, in feveral Places of tho 
Ocean betwixt the Eaft Indies and America , which makes 
me conclude there muft be more Land, tho’ none of them, 
as I have heard of, ever faw any Continent, till they fell in 
with California in about 38° or 39 0 North Latitude. I have 
often admired, that no confiderable Difcoveries have yet 
been made in South Latitude from America to the Eaft 
Indies. I never heard the South Ocean has been run over 
by above three or four Navigators, who varied very little 
in their Runs from their Courfe, and, by confequence, could 
not difcover much. I give this Hint, to encourage our 
South Sea Company, or others, to go upon fome Difco- 
very that Way, where, for aught we know, they may rind 
a better Country than any yet difcovered, there being a vaft 
Surface of the Sea from the Equinox. to the North Pole, of 
at leaft 2000 Leagues in Longitude, that has hitherto been 
little regarded, tho’ it be agreeable to Reafon, that there 
muft be a Body of Land about the South Pole, to counter- 
poife thofe vaft Countries about the North Pole. This I 
fuppofe to be the Reafon, why our antient Geographers 
mentioned a Terra Auftralis incognita , tho’ very little of it 
has been feen by any-body. The Land near the South Pole 
in the South Sea, from California to Japan , is wholly un- 
known, altho 5 the old Maps defcribe the S freights of Ani- 
®n , and a large Continent, which is but imaginary ; for 
the Dutch themfelves, who now trade to Japan , fay, they 
do not yet know, whether it be an Ifland, or joins to the 
Continent. I have now done with California , of which the 
Spaniards would know very little, but for thefe annual Vef- 
fels, that fail from Manilla to Acapulco. As I have men- 
tioned thefe Ships, I fhall take Occufion to obferve, that, 
generally fpeaking, thofe that come from Manilla , are much 
richer than our Prize ; for ihe waited a long time for the 
Chinefe Junks to bring Silk ; which not arriving, Ihe came 
away with a Cargo mixed with abundance of coarfe Goods. 
Several of the Prifoners allured me, that it was a common 
thing for a Manilla Ship to be worth 10,000,000 Pieces of 
Eight ; fo that, had it not been for this Accident, we had 
taken an extraordinary Prize indeed. After my Return 
into Europe , I met, in Holland , with a Sailor, who had 
been on board the large Ship, when we engaged her ; and 
he let us into the Secret, that there was no taking her ; for 
the Gunner kept conftantly in the Powder-room, declaring, 
that he had taken the Sacrament to blow the Ship up, if 
we boarded her ; which made the Men, as may be fup- 
pofed, exceedingly refolute in her Defence. I was the more 
ready to credit what this Man told me, becaufe he gave as 
regular and circumftantial an Account of the Engagement, 
as I could have done from my Journal. 
36. January ■ 10.. we weighed from Port Seguro , but 
were becalmed under the Shore till the 1 2th in the After- 
noon, when there fprung a Breeze, which ran us out of 
Sight of the Land. We took our Departure from Cape St.. 
Lucas , which bore North by Eaft, at twelve o’clock, 
Diftance fifteen Leagues: We were forced to go with little 
or no Refrefhment, having but three or four Fowls, and a 
very flender Stock of Liquor : Several of our Men were in 
a weak Condition, befides myfelf, Mr. Vanbrugh , and the 
reft that were wounded. We were forced to allow but one 
Pound and an half of Flour, and one fin all Piece of Meat, 
to five Men in a Mefs, with three Pints of Water a Man, 
for twenty-four Hours, for Drink, and drafting their 
Vidluals. We ftruck dov/n ten of our Guns into the Hold, 
to eafe our Ship. On the 16th, the Batchelor made a 
Signal, to give us fome Bread, they having found a good 
Quantity of Bread and Sweet-meats on board her, but little 
of Flefh-kind. We had one thoufand Weight of Bread for 
6 our 
