346 The V O Y 
conceived to be the Token of a Wreck ; and I conjecture,, 
that fo many Pieces of Cannon were buried thereabouts, 
and that thefe Bricks were placed as a Mark, to find them 
by. They difcoVered Pec-kef s Well, as defcribed by Sir 
John Narbrcugh, and furnifhed themfelves with Water. 
Here there arofe new Difputes among the People • for 
thofe who were able to affift in working the Veffel, would 
needs put the Marines to half their fibre Allowance, that 
is to fay, when they received a Pound of Flour, they in- 
filled, that twenty of their Number fhould receive but 
half a Pound. On the 26th of Decembe r they failed cut 
of Port Ldefire Harbour, fleering Eaft North-eaft. On the 
28th they divided all their Flour, which amounted to 
three Pounds and an half a Man. On the 10th of January 
they made a kind of Review of their Company, which was 
now reduced to forty-three, and of thefe only fifteen were 
able to ftand ; and that very Evening, juft as they faw the 
Shore, they loft one of their Number, Serjeant Ringal . 
All their Provifions confided in a frnall Quantity of (link- 
ing Sele, and eighty Gallons of Water. 
The next Day they put into a Bay in the Latitude of 
38° 40' South, which they thought fit to call Shoal-water 
May, the Weather being tolerably fair. As they had now 
nothing on board the Veffel to eat, and but one Cask of 
Water, fo that there was a Neceffity of getting on fhore, 
though the Surf ran fo high that it was impoffible to get 
the Veffel near it, it was at laft agreed, that fuch of the 
People as could fwim, fhould attempt it, for their own 
Sakes, as well as the common Benefit ; and accordingly 
fourteen of them leaped into the Water, and all, except a 
Marine, got fafe on fhore. They threw over to them 
four Quarter-casks, with two Fire-locks tied on each Side, 
with a frnall Quantity of Ammunition. When the People 
landed, they difeovered a large flat Beach, without fo much 
as a Buffi, growing on it. There were, however, thoufands 
of Horfes and Dogs running in Droves, and abundance of 
Sele and Parrots on the Rocks. They foon fhot a good 
Number of the former ; and, finding one of their Quarter- 
casks leaky, they broke it to Pieces, in order to make a 
Fire, by which they dreffed their Supper. As for the 
poor People in the Boat, they were near enough to fee 
the Quarters of Sele which their Companions had provided 
for them ; but the Sea ran fo very high, that it was impof- 
fible for them to reach it. At laft, they propofed getting 
one of their People fo fwim on fhore, having no more 
than two in the Boat who were able to fwim •, but the one 
would not run the Hazard, and the other was fo weak, 
that, rather than fuffer him to attempt it, they tore an old 
Sele-skin off the Hatches, where it had been nailed for 
fome time, and, having burned away the Hair, chewed the 
half-broiled Leather, in order to affwage, in fome meafure, 
the Violence of their Hunger. The next Morning, the 
People on fhore fhot a Horfe, and a wild Dog ; the 
former was branded on his Left Buttock, which fhewed 
plainly, that they were turned loofe here by the Inhabitants 
to feed, and were taken up again, as occaficn required. 
At nine in the Morning they veered in the Boat nearShore, 
and made a Stage to hale up the Seal. The People on 
fhore fent them, with much Difficulty, three Casks of 
Water-, upon which they lent on fhore an empty Quarter- 
cask, and two Breakers : Soon after feven of the People 
came on board with the Sele and Horfe ; and the Wind 
blew fo hard foon after, that they were obliged to put to 
Sea, and leave eight of their People on fhore. 
On the 14th, the Sea was fo high, that it broke the 
Rudder-head •, by which they were fo endangered, that it 
was found abfolutely requifite to get out to Sea, without 
flaying any longer for the People on fhore, though they 
were ftill in Sight. To juflify their Conduft in this refpebt, 
as well as to afeertain the Motives which induced them to, 
ad in this manner, they drew up the following Paper: 
s Thefe are to certify the Right Honourable the Lords 
4 Commiffioners for executing the Office of Lord High 
4 Admiral of Great Britain , &c. That we, whofe Names 
4 are under-mentioned, having nothing left on board the 
Veffel but one Quarter-calk of Water, were obliged to put 
s in to the firft Place we could for Subfiftence, which was 
c in Frejh-water Bay, where we came came to an Anchor 
s as near as 1 we could, without endangering the Veffel, hav- 
i 
AGES of Book 1. 
ing no^Boat on board, and a large Surf on the Shore: 
4 Therefore Mr. King the Boatfwain, Mr. Cummins the 
‘ Carpenter, and Lieutenant Ewers, with eleven of the 
People, jumped overboard, in order to fwim a fhore, with 
‘ three Calks for Water ; in which Attempt James Green - 
6 ham was drowned in the Surf off the Shore. The Sea- 
breeze, coming on, prevented the People getting on board 
‘ die fame Night; therefore, on JVednejday Morning, it 
being then calm, they brought to the Beach the Calks, 
4 filled with Water, with Sele, and other Provifions, in 
‘ great Quantities ; which we haled on board. The Boat- 
fwain, Carpenter, Lieutenant Ewers, and three of the 
6 People fwam off ; but the Sea-breeze coming in, and the 
‘ Surfrifing, the reft were dneouraged from' coming off. 
‘ We haled a good Birth off the Shore, where we lay the 
c Remainder of the Day, and all the Night. The Great- 
6 nefs- of the Sea broke off our Rudder-head, and we ex- 
‘ pecked every Minujte the Veffel would founder at her 
4 Anchor. Thurjday Morning, we law no Probability of 
‘ the People coming aboard; and the Wind coming out 
c . of the Sea, and not one Stick of Fire-wood in the Veffel' 
‘ to drefs our Vicftuals, and it being every Man’s Opinion, 
‘ that we mull put to Sea, or penih, we got up a ikuttlecL 
‘ Calk, and put into it all manner of Neceffaries, with four 
‘ Small-arms leafhed to the Calk, and a Letter, to acquaint 
4 them of our Danger ; which Calk we faw them receive, 
4 as alfo the Letter that was in it. They then, fell on their 
4 Knees, and made Signals, wilhing us well ; at which we 
4 got under Sail, and left our Brethren, whofe Names are 
4 under-mentioned. Dated in Frejh-water Bay , on board - 
4 the Speedwell Schooner, on the Coalt of South America , 
4 in the Latitude of 37 0 25' South, Longitude from the 
4 Meridian of London 65° Weft, this 14th Day of Jam- 
4 ary 174 1-2.’ This was figned by the Lieutenant, and 
the reft of the Officers on board ; and the Peiffons left on 
fhore were eight private Sailors. 
They were left in that Part of the Southern Continent, 
which, in the Spanijh Maps, is ftiled the Country of the 
Pampas. It is of very large Extent, reaching from the 
Bay of St. Matthias to the Frontiers of the Province L'ucu- 
man, 120 Leagues directly North and South, and is about 
one hundred, or fomething more, from Eaft to Weft. 
The Spaniards are - not indeed pofieffed of it ; but the 
Natives do not hinder them, either from driving their 1 
Cattle thither, or from palling through it with their Ca- 
ravans. It cannot therefore be fuppofed, that thefe eight 
Seamen ran any greater Hazards, or met with any more 
Difficulties, than the People did at Sea, but had rather an 
eafier Time of it; one thing only excepted, which was, 
their being left in an Enemy’s Country ; fince the Place, 
on which they were fet on fhore, was not above feven ty 
Leagues from the Town of Buenos Ayres. 
The Speedwell continued (leering along-ffiore till they 
had palled the Mouth of the River of Plate , and fell in 
with the Coaft on the other Side, where, in the Evening 
of the 19th, they anchored in a fine fandy Bay, probably 
near the Mouth of that River, and foon after faw two 
Men coming towards them on Horfeback. This was a 
joyful Sight to them, fince it gave them fome Affurance 
of meeting with Refrefhment, and they had not, at this 
time, a Angle Drop of Water go board. On the 20th 
the Gunner and Carpenter went on fhore, and, as the 
former fpoke Portuguefe , he entered into Difcourfe with 
the People, who came down on Horfeback on purpofe to 
talk with them. Thefe Folks told them fairly that they 
were Spaniards and Fi flier men ; adding, that the Town 
they belonged to lay two Days Journey from thence, and 
that the Name of it was Monte Vidio ; which, according 
to the bell Spanijh Maps I have feen, lies about forty 
Leagues up the River Plate, in the Latitude of 34 0 30' 
South. Thefe People invited our unhappy Enmjlomen to 
their Caravan, which was about a Mile off, where they 
entertained them with Jerk-beef, that is. Beef dried in the 
Air, roafted and boiled, with very good white Bread. The 
firft thing they thought of was to purchafe fome Provi- 
fions ; but the People had none to fuppiy them with, ex- 
cept fix-and-twenty Loaves of white Bread, of the Size of 
Two-peny Loaves in England , lor which they demanded 
four Guineas ; and Hunger obliged the Englijh to comply ; 
