The Isle Of Juan Fernandez In The South Seas

1683.

Mr. Cook was an English native of St. Christopher’s. He was a Cirole, born of European parents in the West Indies.

He was a sensible man, and had been some years a privateer.

He accompanied Captain Sharp into the South Seas in our former expedition amd was left there. He returned overland, as is said in:

• the Introduction
• Chapters 1 and 2

At our joining ourselves with those privateers, we met at our reunion to the North Seas.

His ended up with Captain Yankes, who kept company for some considerable time with Captain Wright. I was in Wright’s ship.

Cook parted with us at our 2nd anchoring at the isle of Tortugas as I have said in the last chapter.

After our parting, Cook was quartermaster under Captain Yankes, the second place in the ship according to the law of privateers.

He laid claim and became captain to a ship they took from the Spaniards.

Some of Captain Yankes’s men went aboard this prize-ship under the new Captain Cook.

This redistribution, including the goods that they had taken, was made at the isle of Vacca, or the isle of Ash, as we call it.

But Captain Cook had no commission, as Captain Yankes, Captain Tristian, and some other French commanders had.

The French captains lay then at that island and plundered the English of their ships, goods, and arms, and turned them ashore.

Captain Tristian took in around 8 or 10 of these English, and carried them with him to Petit Guavres. Captains Cook and Davis were among them.

The rest of the English Captains found means to seize the ship while she was at anchor amd Captain Tristian and many of his men were ashore.

The English then sent ashore the remaining Frenchmen in the ship and sailed immediately for the isle of Vacca before any notice of this surprise could reach the French governor of that isle.

And so they took a ship newly arrived from France laden with wines.

They also took a large ship which they resolved to use for a new expedition into the South Seas, to cruise on the coast of Chile and Peru.

But first, they went for Virginia with their prizes where they arrived the April after my arrival there.

The best of their prizes carried 18 guns. This they fitted up there with sails, and everything necessary for so long a voyage.

They sold the wines they had taken for such provisions as they wanted.

Myself and those of our fellow-travellers over the Isthmus of America who came with me to Virginia the year before this (most of which had since made a short voyage to Carolina, and were again returned to Virginia) resolved to join ourselves to these new adventurers:

As many more engaged in the same design as made our whole crew consist of about 70 men.

After getting all the necessary materials and agreeing on some rules, especially of temperance and sobriety due to the length of our intended voyage, we all went on board our ship.

August 23 1683, we sailed from Achamack in Virginia under the command of Captain Cook bound for the South Seas.

ARRIVAL AT THE ISLES OF CAPE VERDE

We met nothing worth observation till we came to the Islands of Cape Verde, excepting a terrible storm which we could not escape:

This happened in a few days after we left Virginia; with a south-south-east wind just in our teeth. The storm lasted above a week:

It drenched us all like so many drowned rats, and was one of the worst storms I ever was in. One I met with in the East Indies was more violent for the time; but of not above 24 hours continuance.

ISLE OF SAL; ITS SALT PONDS.

After that storm we had favourable winds and good weather; and in a short time we arrived at the island Sal, which is one of the eastermost of the Cape Verde Islands. Of these there are 10 in number (so considerable as to bear distinct names) and they lie several degrees off from Cape Verde in Africa, whence they receive that appellation; taking up about 5 degrees of longitude in breadth, and about as many of latitude in their length, namely, from near 14 to 19 north.

They are most inhabited by Portuguese banditti. This of Sal is an island lying in the latitude of 16, in longitude 19 degrees 33 minutes west from the Lizard in England, stretching from north to south about 8 or 9 leagues, and not above a league and a half or two leagues wide.

It has its name from the abundance of salt that is naturally congealed there, the whole island being full of large salt ponds.

The land is very barren, producing no tree and only some small shrubby bushes by the seaside. Neither could I discern any grass; yet there are some poor goats on it.