come foorth as a lame man from behind the rockes,
and the better to declare his kindnes in caruing, he
hoised him vpon his shoulders, and bringing him hard
to the water side where we were, left him there limping
as an easie prey to be taken of vs. His hope was
that we would bite at this baite, and speedily leape
ashore within their danger, wherby they might haue
apprehended some of vs, to ransome their friends home
againe, which before we had taken. The gentlemen
and souldiers had great will to encounter them ashore,
but the Generall more carefull by processe of time
to winne them, then wilfully at the first to spoile
them, would in no wise admit that any man should put
himselfe in hazard ashore, considering the matter
he now intended was for the Ore, and not for the Conquest:
notwithstanding to prooue this cripples footemanship,
he gaue liberty for one to shoote: whereupon
the cripple hauing a parting blow, lightly recouered
a rocke and went away a true and no fained cripple,
and hath learned his lesson for euer halting afore
such cripples againe. But his fellowes which
lay hid before, full quickly then appeared in their
likenesse, and maintained the skirmish with their slings,
bowes and arrowes very fiercely, and came as neere
as the water suffred them: and with as desperate
minde as hath bene seene in any men, without feare
of shotte or any thing, followed vs all along the
coast, but all their shot fell short of vs, and are
of little danger. [Sidenote: An hundreth Sauages.]
They had belayed all the coast along for vs, and being
dispersed so, were not well to be numbred, but wee
might discerne of them aboue an hundreth persons,
and had cause to suspect a greater number. And
thus without losse or hurt we returned to our ships
againe.
Now our worke growing to an end, and hauing, onely
with fiue poore Miners, and the helpe of a few gentlemen
and souldiers, brought aboord almost two hundreth
tunne of Ore in the space of twenty dayes, euery man
therewithall well comforted, determined lustily to
worke a fresh for a bone[69] voyage, to bring our
labour to a speedy and happy ende.
And vpon Wednesday at night, being the one and twentieth
of August, we fully finished the whole worke.
And it was now good time to leaue, for as the men
were well wearied, so their shooes and clothes were
well worne, their baskets bottoms torne out, their
tooles broken, and the ships reasonably well filled.
Some with ouer-straining themselues receiued hurts
not a little dangerous, some hauing their bellies broken,
and others their legs made lame. And about this
time the yce began to congeale and freeze about our
ships sides a night, which gaue vs a good argument
of the Sunnes declining Southward, and put vs in mind
to make more haste homeward.
It is not a little worth the memorie, to the commendation
of the gentlemen and souldiers herein, who leauing
all reputation apart, with so great willingnesse and
with couragious stomackes, haue themselues almost ouercome
in so short a time the difficultie of this so great
a labour. And this to be true, the matter, if
it bee well weyed without further proofe, now brought
home doth well witnesse.