The New atlas, or, Travels and voyages in Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, thro' the most renowned parts of the world ... performed by an English gentleman, in nine years travel and voyages, more exact than ever.

CHAP. XXI. A Voyage from Amsterdam in Holland, to Cales in the Spanish Dominion, and Thence to America; giving an Account of what happened on the Sea, and in some Islands, touched at, &c.

BEing at Amsterdam I began seriously to consider of my Travels, and whilst I Ruminated on many things, a strange fancy came into my Head, that I had not compleated my first undertaking, in visiting the several Parts of the World, because I had not been in America; though the fatigues and dangers I had run thro' might have been a sufficient Motive to have put a stop to my further Progress in strange Countries, and give me satisfaction enough to have returned home; but the report of the Golden Mountains, and other things, egged me on, made me seek for an opportunity to pass to Cales, where I doubted not but by one means or other, to get a Passage into the Spanish Indies, for that was it I Aimed at; for the other I understood are little considerable, as to Travellers, and have nothing Extraordinary to be found in them, and besides are mostly very well known to my Countrymen: therefore in describing New-England, Virginia, Bar∣badoes, Jamaica, &c. I should have furnished their Curiosity with nothing that is rare, and new to them. I had not waited a Week before an op∣portunity offered, and I Embarked with such ne∣cessaries, as I had procured. Entering the Bay of Biscay, we were taken with a violent Storm, and sprung our Mizen; it held us for 24 Hours, so that every moment we thought we should become a prey to Neptune's Watery fry, and this Storm

was more terrible, and threatned more danger than any I had seen before, which made me repent my attempting so rashly, as thinking God was angry with me for my presumption, and then concluded if I could get safe ashoar I would rest quiet, with what I had seen and felt; the Storm at last blew over, and then a fresh gale, Providence so ordered it, that we reached the desired Port.

Being now on Land again at Cales, or Cadiz, in the Dominion of the King of Spain, such is man's frailty, I found my desire of Travelling not so much quenched, as in the Tempest I fancied it. A secret Inclination promised, and urged me on, that seeing I had made so many weary steps in 3 parts of the World, I should now venture upon the proposed fourth, held to be Larger and Richer than any of the other three, and as fortune would throw it in my way, to make me more resolved on it, a Spa∣nish Merchant whom I had been Intimately Ac∣quainted withal in London, I renewed my Acquain∣tance with him, and he Entertained me very ci∣villy, but when I opened my Mind, and unbosomed my Intentions, he told me it would be a very dif∣ficult undertaking, because the Officers of the Port had very strict Orders not to permit Strangers to Embarque for the Spanish Indies, least they might be sent thither as Spies to discover the Havens, and Strength of the Forts, and other things that might be prejudicial to the Government. I told him I had no such Intention, that curiosity was only to inform my self, as a Travellor, of what was rare to be observed in a World, which the alwise God had so Admirally framed and ordered, and when I gave him a general account in what Parts I had been, and showed him my Papers of Memo∣randums, and curious Remarks, he was satisfied, promised to do his Endeavour for the furtherance and security of my passage, and to furnish me with Money sutable to the Country, upon Bills I gave him to receive by Exchange in London; and then he let me know he was a Part-owner in one of the

Ships, that was to accompany the Galeons, cal∣led the St. Johns D' Ʋlua; and to be brief, when the Fleet was ready to Sail, he gave the Master private orders to conceal me in his Cabin, and use me as a puculiar friend of his. I had pretty well learned the Spanish in England, which with little more attention I doubled, not to Improve so well in my Voyage as to be taken for a Spaniard among the Native Spaniards of America, who, I was In∣formed, but corruptly spoke the Language of old Spain. In a little time a warning Piece was fired for the Fleet to weigh Anchor, and tho' our Ship was narrowly searched, I so well wraped my self up in a Ticking, and lay instead of a Bolster at the Bedshead, that I was not discovered, tho' they tur∣ned up the Quilt, and other covering to see if a∣ny had absconded under them, that were not Li∣censed to depart.

Anchors weighed, and the Wind being fair, we set Sail with a prosperous Gale till we came to Colfo d' Yeguas, a very turbulent Sea, where the Ships and Galeons rowled and tottered extreamly, the Waves dashing violently, by reason of an Eddy oc∣casion by a current that set into it, and the Gal∣leon who went only a Convoy, having convey'd us thus, left us as concluding we were out of dan∣ger; especially of the Barbary Corisaries, and then by the Masters advice I showed my self on the Decks, as not fearing to be carried back again, or hinder∣ed in my further passage; and having the Wind constantly favourable, we steered our course without meeting with any thing Remarkable, till we made the Land of America, about 6 Weeks after we set out from Cales. Here I saw many Dorados, or Gol∣den Fish, sporting in the Water, so called, because their Skins are of the Colour of Gold, and the Sailers with Hooks and Lines catched a great ma∣ny of them: they Eat something like a Herring, but more short and Sweet. The first Land we stood in with, was Desseada, or as the Spaniards have named it, The desired Land, as being first

found by Collumbus, when he discovered the Western Indies, but passing by it we stood with another Island, called Margalanted; Passing by that and Dominica, we arrived at Guadalupe, where we be∣fore designed to Refresh ourselves, and casting An∣chor in a safe Road before the Island, as many as would, had leave to go on ashoar. The Indians who Inhabit it, no sooner saw our Ships which they had long waited for, and Expected by their Recoining the Course of the Moon, which is the account of the Months they keep, but they came running to the Shoar with Provisions to wellcome and refresh us; which were Sugar Canes, Plantons, Tortois, and some Fowl, and for it they received Knives, Beads, and such like Trifles; and many Rowed to the Ships in the Canoes, Boats clouterly made like Troughs out of the main body of a Tree. These People were naked Except a cloath to hide their Priveties, and many of them like the Antient Britains had scarified on their Faces, and other Parts, the Figures of Flowers, Suns, Moons, Stars, Birds, Beasts, and the like; and rings in their Nose, which they looked on as their chief Orna∣ment. They are Idolaters, worshipping the Host of Heaven. The Commanders gave some of them Wine, that came aboard, which they Eagerly co∣veted, but a little soon made them Drunk, and kick up their heels on the Decks, as being only used to drink Water, and a Liquor that Distills out of the Plantain Tree. Yet for all this kindness, we could not but suspect they Murthered two of our men, who went into the Woods to gather wild Fruit, for tho' we searched and stayed for them, they returned not, nor could be found, which made the rest more cautious to venture too far.

Leaving this Island we Sailed within sight of the Land of Puerto Rico, and then of St. Domingo, a very large Island, and here the Ships separated to the several Ports they were bound, as Havana, Honduras, Jucatan, and others; yet we kept toge∣ther 4 Sail, being bound for the Mexicaian Pro∣vince,

and came into the Sound, where we found the Sun, it being in August, exceeding hot, and afflicted us the more because we were becalmed, and one of the Sailers in the Evening leaping in∣to the Sea to cool himself by Swiming, was un∣fortunately seized on by a Monsterous Fish, which they called a Tiburon, a kind of Crocadil, that pulled him under Water, and devoured him; who's surprizing Tragedy became a warning to the rest, yet hoping to be revenged, we let down two large Hooks, fastned back to back, with a strong Rope, and Baited with a stone of flesh, and took one of these Fish, but not the Murderer, as we found by his Gorge, when we opened him; he was as much as Sixteen men could Hawl on the Deck, tho' they let down a noose Rope under him to hold him fast hampered; he proved to be 12 yards long, and being killed the Spaniards cut him up, and salted part of his flesh, which had something of the Tast of Beef in it, being very firm and hard; and soon after a fresh gale Springing up, and we had sailed a few Leagues, the man at the Topmast-head cryed out, Land, which did not a little rejoyce us, for the hot weather on those broad Seas had rendred us faint and sickly, but it being near Sunset, and the Coast dangerous to enter on in the night time, we lay off till the next morning, and then stood into a part rockey on either side, and presently discovered it to be Ve∣ra Crux, otherwise called St. John d' Ʋlliua, and came so near in 6 Fathom Water, that by a Ca∣ble we fastned our Ship, that entered foremost by Cable Ropes, to the Rings that were placed for that purpose in the Wall of the Fort, which we saluted with our Guns. In this place Her∣nando Cortz, the famous Spanish Captain, first en∣tered, when he made his Conquests in Mexico, sinking his Ships that his Souldiers might be the more resolute in the undertaking, as ha∣ving all hopes of returning cut off, and with a Handful of men did such Exploits, that

made the World Amazed, and this being the Port to which our Ships were bound we went Ashoar.