A fuccincl Account of the Adventures 
Book I. 
Accordingly, the next Day the Captain landed, with a 
Score or more of Mufketeers, and they had not marched 
far before a Party of Indians , to the Number of a thou- 
fan'd, that lay cunningly intrenched, fell upon them, and 
cut them all off. 
4. This was a terrible Misfortune upon all Accounts, 
particularly in that this Execution had fcarce left them Men 
enough to do the neceffary Office of the Ships. With this 
Lofs they went away from the inhofpitable Cape, and came 
to the Ifl.e of Saint Mary itfelf ; here they found their Ad- 
mirals, but in much the fame diftrened Condition as thern- 
felves, the Natives of the Eland of Mocha having given 
them the fame rude Treatment that thofe at the Cape had 
given the others, only of the two the Admiral had the 
word: on it, for they had loft more Men by the Darts of 
the Indians , and over and above that, their General him- 
felf. Now, to get fome Refrefbment at this Place was the 
great Difficulty, ’twas hard to lie ftill, and famifli on Ship- 
board, and ’twas as hard to venture on Shore, becaufe they 
had not Men for it. In fhort, thefe two Wants were fo 
great, and fo unhappily complicated in their prefent Cir- 
cumftance, that for all that appears, if an Accident had 
not relieved them, they muft have concluded upon dying 
here without any more ado. 
But a Couple of Spaniards that had a Defign to betray 
them, came aboard (in a feeming friendly manner) for that 
Purpofe, and were fo wife as to do it without Pledges, or 
making any Provifion for their fafe Return. So when they 
had feen the Ship, and would have gone back again, they 
told them no, they were fenfible of their ill Defign, and 
would keep them Prifoners (efpecially fince they came of 
their own Heads too) unlefs they would promife to fur- 
mfh the Ship with fo much Provifions. One may eafiiy 
imagine the Spaniards were out of Humour upon it, to find 
themfelves taken in fuch a Trap ; but ’twas all one, ’twas 
to no Purpofe to be in a Paffion there, and they were 
forced to fubmit to thofe Terms of Deliverance, and glad 
to efcape fo too. The Spaniards brought in their Provi- 
fions according to the Agreement, and now they were once 
more reprieved from a miferable Death. 
After this the two Ships fet fail in Company for Japan, 
the reft of the Fleet were given over for loft, and one of 
them they afterwards heard fell into the Hands of the Spa- 
niards at St. Jago. Befides this, the King of Spain’s Fleet 
waited for them upon the Coaftof Peru , and had they light- 
ed on them, *tis very probable they had both followed their 
Companion in her Fate, fince they were in fo very weak 
and fluttered a Condition. 
5. It was November the 29th that they left the Eland of 
Saint Mary upon the Coaft of Chili , and having paffed the 
Line, had a good Wind, and fair Weather for a good 
while, without any Interruption by Storms and Tempefts. 
In the Latitude of fifteen or fixteen Degrees North, they 
fell in with fome Elands of Canibals, or Men-eaters, as 
Mr. Adams calls them, without any Scruple, fince eight or 
nine of their Men he believes were devoured by them. 
Thefe Fellows, it feems, being weary of fo long a Voyage, 
and willing to take up at the next refting Place, put them- 
felves into the Pinnace, and fo ran away ; but which Way 
•foever the Canibals difpofed of them, ’tis certain, they 
never came aboard more. In the Latitude of 27 and 28° 
the Weather began to change upon them, the Winds that 
had lain ftill and quiet fo long roufed, and blew with a pro- 
digious Fury. They had fuch a Storm of W ind and Rain, 
that equalled or exceeded the moft violent any Mariner 
among them had feen. 
In this horrible Confufion they loft one another, and the 
Admiral never came up to them more ; but they followed 
on their Courfe for Japan alone, being ftill in hopes to 
meet her in one Part or odier of that Eland. Certainly, 
hardly ever any Man performed a Voyage in more Diftrefs. 
Our Pilot tells us, that they had of all their Number but 
nine or ten left, that w'ere able to Hand, or creep upon their 
Knees. As for the Captain, and all the reft, they were all 
at their laft Gafp, as it were, and expected to die every 
Flour : And this was a very diftnal Cafe ; for Storms will 
nw.ke the poor Seamen beftir and work themfelves to the 
Purpofe. But how fhall Nature be fupported in the mean 
time, and where fhall Men have Strength to do thefe toil- 
4 
fome Works, that have not Food to keep Life and Soul 
together ? 
6. It was April the 19th before they had Sight of the 
Coaft of Japan , and by that Time there was but five of 
their Company that could go. Providence ordering the 
Matter fo for them, that they had then a Profpebt of Re- 
lief ; when Things were run up to the higheft Extremity, 
’twas near to Bungo that they faw this firft Eland, and were 
then in about 35 0 30' ; but Mr. Adams, by the way, Mures 
us, that that Coaft of Japan is falfly placed in all our Maps, 
Charts, and Globes ; for he fays, it lies in 35 0 30', which 
makes a confiderable Difference from the common Account 
given by them of its Pofition. At Bungo feveral Boats of 
the Natives came up to them, and aboard them too, as 
they had a mind themfelves, and it could be no othefwife, 
for there was no body to make any Refiftance: 
The Sailors were all quite fpent, and if the Japonefe 
would have plundered them, or knocked them on the 
Plead, they might have done it without any Trouble ; yet 
they did them no manner of Harm, as to any Violence, or 
any fort of Affront ; but they pilfered and ftole all that they 
could lay Hands on ; for which fome of them payed very 
dear afterwards, The Vice-King of the Place proved very 
kind to them, took them into his Protection, and fent a 
Guard (as foon as they were come to an Anchor in the Port; 
to fee that none of the Merchants Goods were ftolen. This 
would have done very well had it come in good Time; 
but the Thieves were there before them. However, here 
they had good Store of Provifions fent them, and a Houfe 
provided on purpofe for them, and, infliort, were made very 
much of, and began in fome meafure to enjoy themfelves* 
after all the Dangers and Fatigues of the Sea. 
But ’twas their ill Luck to meet with Portuguese and 
Jefuits here ; they were forced to make ufe of them for In- 
terpreters indeed ; but they had far better been without 
any, and chofe rather to have made ufe of the filent "Lan- 
guage of Geftures and Signs, than have made ufe of fuch 
Interpreters as they were: For, thefe Men gave the Cha- 
racter of them, that they commonly give of their European 
Neighbours (in all Parts of the World where they meet 
them) that they were Spies or Pirates, and not trading 
Men, as they themfelves pretended ; and this fet the Ja- 
ponefe againft them, that Mr. Adams tells us he was appre- 
henfive at one time that they fhould have had the Fate of 
Pirates in that Country, which is to be fet up upon Croffes. 
Now, when a Company of poor Seamen came to throw 
themfelves upon their Mercy, as it were, in a ftrange Coun- 
try, where they were not able to fpeak for themfelves, and 
where their Liberties and Lives depended entirely upon the 
Peoples good Opinion of them, to go and ferve them at 
that rate, was an Unpardonable Piece of Villany, and an Ac- 
tion fo very inhuman and bafe, as was only fit for Portu- 
guese and jefuits to be guilty of ; but it was not long before 
the Emperor, hearing of this Ship, fent for Mr .Adams, 
being the Pilot, to come to him. The Court was then at 
Ofala , which is about eighteen Leagues from Bungo. Hither 
came our Englifhman , not knowing whether ’twas for Life 
or Death, to Prifon and Punifhment, or for their Favour 
and Enlargement. 
7. The Emperor viewed him, he fays, with a wonder- 
ful deal of Attention ; but yet with his mild and favour- 
able Countenance, took off, in a great Meafure, from the 
Dread his Countenance might otherwife have impreffed. 
He afked, by his Interpreters, a World of Queftions about 
the Country Mr. Adams came from, the People, their Man- 
ners, their Affairs both as to War and Peace, and Products 
of it inBeafts, Fifh, and Fowl, the Trade and Bufinefs, and 
Laws and Government; and, in fhort, the whole natural 
and civil Hiftory of it. More than this he purged him as 
to his Religion too, and would needs examine his Faith* 
afking him what ’twas he believed in ? a Queflion, that if 
a Man had not known the Emperor’s Religion, would 
almoft have made him afraid ; the Jefuits had fet up an In- 
quifition here, and that he was one of the Tribunal. 
But Mr. Adams puzzled him ten times worfe, when he 
fhewed him the Magellanick Str eights in his Chart, thro’ 
which he failed to Japan. The Emperor perhaps had a 
pretty good Opinion of him before, but now he thought 
him a downright Lyar, the Myftery of fuch a Voyage was 
