Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 15.djvu/326

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.

The next day being the second of March in the morning by breake of day we were hard aboord Cape de los Corrientes, which is a bare low cape, hauing a bush of trees higher then the rest some mile to the Eastward of the cape. All Cuba is full of wood on the Southside. The Spanish fleete which then were but 14, no more then we were, kept still vpon our weather quarter, but dared not to come roome with vs although our Admirall stayed for them. As soone as we had cleered our selues of the Cape 3 of their best saylers came roome with the Salomon, which was so neere the land that she could not double the Cape, but tacked about to the Eastward, and so was both a sterne and also to leeward of all our fleete. But when we saw the Spaniards working, the Defiance tacked about to rescue her: which the Spaniards seeing, and hauing not forgotten the fight which she made the night before, they loofed vp into the middest of their fleete againe, and then all the fleete stayed vntill the Salomon came vp: and so stood along for Cape S. Antonio, which wee came in sight of by two in the afternoone, being a low cape also, and to the Southwest a white sandie bay where 3 or 4 ships may very well water. There is a good road for North and Easterly windes: there the Spaniardes began to fall a sterne. That night wee stood away a glasse or two Northwest, and Northnorthwest, and Northeast, and in the morning-watch South, and in the morning had sight of Cuba about the East part of the Organes, which are dangerous rocks lying 8 leagues off vpon the North part of Cuba, presently assoone as you passe Cape S. Anthonie: then we stood to the Eastward of the land, the winde at Southsouthwest, and at 6 at night had foule weather, but after were becalmed all night. The 5 the winde came scant. The 7. we sawe a hie land like a crowne, which appeareth so 13 or 14 leagues to the Westward of Hauana, and another place in Cuba called the table, 8 leagues to the Eastward of the crowne. The land ouer Hauana maketh two small mountaines like a womans breasts or paps. Here we found no great current vntill we came to the Gulfe of Bahama.

The 10 we saw the Cape of Florida being but a reasonable low land and broken Ilands to the Southward of the Cape. And at two in the afternoone we lost sight of the land 12 leagues to the Northward of the Cape. After we had disemboqued, we stood West till midnight, and were in 28 degrees, and then stood Northeast till the 13 at night, when we were in 31 degrees. And