A new voyage to the East-Indies in the years 1690 and 1691 being a full description of the isles of Maldives, Cicos, Andamants, and the Isle of Ascention ... / by Monsieur Duquesne ; to which is added, a new description of the Canary Islands, Cape Verd, Senegal, and Gambia, &c. ; illustrated with sculptures, together with a new map of the Indies, and another of the Canaries ; done into English from the Paris edition.

CHAP. V.

The Squadron Anchors at the Island of Saintiague.

HEther we had reason to admire our happiness, and to hope we should soon arrive at Saintiague, where we were to stay some days; our only misery was a violent Fever which feiz'd our men, and of which fifty lay dangerously ill, tho' we had been but three weeks at sea. 'Twas then the R. R. F. F. the Jesuites, found an op∣portunity to exercise their Zeal and Charity; they Confest the sick, gave them Instructions for dying well, and assisted them with their own pro∣visions: It must be said, that from the first day they came aboard us, they had such care, by their Holy Example, to promote a good life a∣mongst the Officers and seamen, that far from following the loose way of others, they thought themselves ob∣liegd to behave themselves according

to the utmost severity of the Christian Religion; they were willingly present at their Catechisms and Sermons on Sundays, and at Mass every morning, with prayers at the end for the King; in the evening we said our beads, and the Litany of the Blessed Virgin, making an Examen of Conscience on our knees with an Act of Contriction.

Great was the happiness and ad∣vantages we had from the company of these Religious persons, but chiefly the sick; one of the Mandarins nam'd Pipit dy'd the 7th. day of his distem∣per; the R. P. Fachard took parti∣cular care of him, never leaving him till he had administerd extream Unction, and the Holy Eucharist to him. Of these three Envoys of the King of Siam, he converted two to the Catholick Religion, Baptizing them at Brest, and 'tis to be presum'd that the third would soon have yeilded too, to the Authority of his holy Life, as well as that of his Arguments.

All the funeral Honours due to a person of Quality, were paid to this deceas'd Mandarin: Four Gard Marines held the corners of the Pall, and after

the usual prayers on the occasion, threw him into the Sea, with five Guns, fir'd at a distance one from another, which made it more sad and Sollemn; 'twas believ'd in the rest of the ships that 'twas an Ensign dy'd, so to honour him, and to testify to their Admiral their concern for him, they struck their sails, and lay by, rolling in his way sadly, as if there were none to govern them; as soon as the ship past by, they hoist their Sails again.

The next night, which was the 15th, we past the Tropick of Cancer, which our Pilots perceiv'd next day by the computation they made, we had made vast way in a little time, being but sixteen days since we left France; the winds and seas seem'd to conspire to prosper our Voyage, every thing succeeding to our wishes.

The 17th. in the Evening Mon∣sieur Duquesne made the Cape, of which he gave notice to the rest by the signal of a Gun, and two fires, one on the Round-top of the Main-Mast, and the other on the Round-top of the Fore-mast, for fear we should run

aground in the night, from which we could not be far, according to the Elevation taken at Noon: Next morn∣ing by break of day we perceiv'd the Isle of May to the left, which we no sooner doubel'd, but we saw that of Saintiage, our Commandant per∣ceiving no ships at anchor there, hoisted a white Flag and an Admiral Flame on the top of the Main-mast, and coming near, he sent in the Rock to sound; there appear'd at a great distance a Man on the top of a hill, who hoisted a flag six several times, in all probability to give the Inhabitants notice of the number of our ships. Saturday the 18th. of March, at two in the afternoon, we anchor'd half a League from the shoar.