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A54930
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A relation of the great sufferings and strange adventures of Henry Pitman, chyrurgion to the late Duke of Monmouth, containing an account ...
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Pitman, Henry.
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1689
(1689)
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Wing P2298; ESTC R4673
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34,975
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40
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three Canows and one Indian Prisoner who conducted them to his own and his Fathers Plantations on condition they would afterwards set him free where they stored themselves with Provisions and other Necessaries but it cost them dear for their Quarter-Master and one more of the Company was poâ—soned by their unwary eating of Casader Roots the rest of them went with those Canows and Indian which they had taken to the place appointed expecting to meet their Man of War but could not find him and therefore being necessitated to shift for themselves as well as they could they came to this Island hoping to meet here with some Vessel loading of Salt in which they might get passage for some English Port but was disappointed here also for the Ships were all gone before they came After we had sufficiently refresht our selves with Rest and Sleep and returned to the Lord the Praises due unto his Name for this wonderful miraculous deliverance we thought it time to consider how to stop the Leaks of our Boat and to raise a Deck over her with Rinds of Trees c. that we might proceed in our intended Voyage for Quirasoe our Intentions were no sooner perceived by the Privateers but they endeavoured to perswade us from it alledging the insufficient of our Boat and the Dangers we were so lately exposed unto advising us rather to go with them in their Pereagoes a Privateering than to hazard our lives by a second attempt with the like Argument they would have easily prevailed with my Companions to consent to go with them had I not perswaded them to the contrary But when the Privateers saw it was in vain to perswade they thought to compel us by burniâ—g our Boat supposing thâ—n that we would chuse rather to go with them then to slay upon the Island till Sâ—â—ping came for Salt which would be eight or nine Moneths and in the mean time to be in danger of being taken by the Spamards for Privateers or otherwise to be starved with Hunger for we had no more then four or five pound of Bread for each man left But this contrivance answered not their Expectations for notwithstanding they burnt our Boat and took our Sails and other Utensils from us I continued my resolution and chose rather to trust divine Providence on that desolate and uninhabitable Island than to partake or be any ways concerned with them in their Piracy having confidence in my self that God who had so wonderfully and miraculously preserved us on the Sea and brought us to this Island would in like manner deliver us hence if we continued faithful to him And in order to our better Accomodation and Preservation on this Island I gave the Privateers 30 pieces of Eight for the Indian they took on the Main but was not so true to their Promise as to set him at liberty which I expected would be serviceable unto us in cat hing Fish c. About the 25th of May twenty two of the Privateers having first raised the sides of their Pereagoes with Boards fastened with the Nails they saved in the burning our Boat and fitted them for the Sea they set sail leaving four of their Company behind that refused to go with them as also a Spanish Boat that was of no service to them neither could be of any use to us unless we had Sails to sail her and a Rudder to guide her both of which we wanted In this condition they left us deprived of all ways and means of getting off until the season aforesaid unless God by a perticular Providence should direct some Vessel or other to touch here But before I proceed to give account of our manner of Life in this place I think it necessary to give a short description of the Island it self which is scituated in the Latitude of 11 Degrees and 11 Minutes North Latitude its extent is about twelve Miles in length and two or three in breadth and is about one hundred and twenty Leagues from Barbadoes called by the Spainards Tortuga from the great plenty of Turtle that resorts thither but our English gives it the Name of Saltitudos because there is such great quantity of Salt yearly brought from thence the Spaniard claims the Propriety of this Island lying so near the Main where they inhabit and therefore will sometimes take our English Vessels as they are loading of Salt of which they took two the Season before we came there The East and West end of this Island is for the most part Sand the middle consists of hard and carggy Rocks that are very poreous resembling honey Combs and therefore we called them Honey-Comb Rocks There is plenty of small Bushes growing out of the Sand and Shrubs from between the Rocks but no Timber Trees on the whole Island One the South side near the East end is the Salenaes or salt Ponds from whence the Salt is brought which is thus made the Sea or salt Water penetrates through the beachy Banks of the Sea and over-flows a large Plain of two or three Miles circumference near a Foot deep where by the scorching heat of the Sun the thin Aqueous part is exhaled and the Saline part is Coagulated into pure white Christaline Salt and because there is a continual supply of Salt Water from the Sea the Sun continues exhaling and coagulating until the whole Salenaes is deeply covered over with Salt so that all they have to do is only to rake it together and carry it aboard There is great plenty of Birds and Fowl as Pellicans Flammans Parakets Mocking Birds and a innumerable company of Sea-Fowl and some Vegiâ—able Productions of which I shall have occasion to treat hereafter But to return from this Digression the Privateers had no sooner left us but we found our selves of necessity obliged to seek out for Provision and being led by the Example of those four Privateers that staid behind we wâ—lked along the Sea-shore to watch for Tortoise or Turtle which when they came up out of the Sea to lay their Eggs in the Sand we turned them on their Backs and they being uncapable of turning themselves again we let them remain so till the day following or until we had conveniency of killing them for if they were sufficiently defended from the heat of the Sun by a shade which we usually built over them they would live several days out of the Water And thus we walked to and fro in the Night time to turn Turtle and in the Day time we were imployed in killing them whose Flesh was the chiefest of our Diet being roasted by the Fire on wooden Spits and sometimes when we designed a Feastival we left some part of the Flesh on the Calepatch and Calapee that is the Back and Breast Shells which we roasted by setting them upright in two forked Sticks thrust into the Sand before a large Fire what we did not eat we cut into long and slender pieces and after we had salted it very well we
the Island unknown to us and being in great want of Provision resolved to travel the Island to see if they could find out any Food by chance they found some salt Turtle which we had laid upon a Tree and covered it over with a Callapatch to secure it from the Weather Three of these men being very ill principled and loose kind of Fellows waiting their opportunity when three of their Companions were abroad went aboard and fetcht their Arms then came ashore to their Hut where the other two were and presented a Pistol to each of their Breasts and swore if they would not carry every thing aboard they were dead men The two men being surprized and not able to make any resistance the three having all the Arms in their Custody were forced to comply and carry all aboard Which done they charged them that if they did not acquaint them when the other came home they would make them Examples They promised very fair having done this they went aboard waiting for their coming home In the Evening the other three men came to their Hut not mistrusting what had happened but finding the Hut risted and every thing gone enquired the meaning of it which having understood bethought what to do to tarry they were afraid to go they could not tell where for they had travelled all Day and could not find a drop of fresh Water neither was there any at the Hut for the other had carried all aboard being very faint one was resolved to hail the Boat and beg a little the other kept close to hear how he would fare who having hailed them they made answer he should have some So coming ashore laid hold on him and tyed his Hands behind him and left him in Custody with one of them while they went to look for the rest The reason why they endeavoured to take them was because they had hid their Monies in the Sand and did not keep it in their Chests but in the mean time while they were looking for the other the Prisoner by means of a Knife he had in his Pocket cut loose the Line with which his Hands were tyed and made his escape Being thus exiled from his Companions bethought himself of ranging the Island to look for men for the Turtle which they found came afresh into his Memory all this time he had no Victuals nor a drop of Watter but was constrained to drink his own being so excessive hot at length having travelled about the Island till almost ready to faint he came near our Huts and seeing us dressing of Turtle with nothing on only a pair of Drawers the man made a stand thinking we had been Iudians for we were tan'd with the Sun as yellow almost as them at length advanced and enquired if we were English men We told him we were then he begg'd for a little Water which we gave him and some of our Turtle And after some Conference he told us his condition and desired us to help him to regain what was so ungratefully taken from him and his fellow-sufferers by their own Country-men and Boats Crew which we readily agreed to and when we had sixt our Arms we travelled all Night till we came where the Boat lay which was about six or seven Miles from that place When we came near the place we hid our selves in the Bushes by the Sea side waiting their coming ashore next Morning which they usually did as we were informed Morning being come two of them came ashore and the Negro slave bearing a Vessel to fetch Water and they with their Arms leaving one aboard with about twelve pieces by him ready loaden when they were come on shore we appeared with our Arms ready cockt enclosed them and took them Prisoners then we brought them to the Water-side and shewed the other aboard what we had done commanded him not to Fire but to jump over board and swim ashore to us which he immediately did So taking them all Prisoners we put them ashore leaving them some of our Provision the rest we put aboard in order to prosecute our Voyage for New-England So victualling and watering our small Frigot in the best manner we could we left them upon the Island and the 24th of August took our Departure from Saltatudos and in about six dayes time made the Island of Porto Rico but our Pilot not being very well acquainted with that Country supposed it to be the high Land of St Domingo upon Hispaniola therefore ordered to bear up the Helm stand away to the Westward before the Wind the next day we could see no Land which caused no small trouble amongst us being dubious where we were Towards the Evening we made the East end of Hispaniola then our Pilot saw his error that we had lost our passage between the two Islands Hispaniola and Portarico before-mentioned we were sailing down the South side of Hispaniola about nine dayes having sometimes very little Wind at other times Turnadoes that we could not carry Sail. Our Water being all spent we were forced some to drink their own Water others to drink salt Water taken up by the side Running along close aboard shore we espied three men running with all the haste that possibly they could till they came to a Canow which lay at the Mouth of a Creek which immediately they rowed up into the Country among the Woods we imagining they were afraid of us supposing us to be Spaniards then we came to an Anchor and my self with one more a Carpenter swim'd ashore but with a great deal of dissiculty for the Rocks lying so far off the shore had like to have dasht out our Brains Coming ashore we swom up the Creek but the Tyde being so strong against us we were forced to return back again neither finding the men nor hopes of getting fresh Water therefore we swom aboard again Weighing our Anchor we steered within the Isle of Ash which lies almost to the West end of Hispaniola our Pilot looking over his Waggoner found that within this Island was a fresh Water Creek into which we designed to run but through mistake run about two Leagues up into a wrong Creek where we could find no fresh Water that with drinking salt Water our Mouthes were almost grown together and hardly able to speak but God Almighty was pleased to send us a very great shower of Rain which lasted so long that by means of a Sheet held up by the four Corners with a weight in it we caught about two Gallons of Water So loaring our Sails we haled up the Creek into the Woods and went ashore and concluded to dig a Well when we had digged about four or six Foot deep we found fresh Water to our great Comfort and Satisfaction lying ashore all Night to take up the Water as it sprung we were almost stung to death with a sort of Flys called Musquetoes and Merrywings which draw'd Blisters and Bladders in our Skin that we lookt as