A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels | Page 7

able for the companies of both the ships, every man having twenty
pounds weight of onions for his sea-stock, we weighed anchor on
Thursday the 19th, and proceeded on our voyage. On the 21st, we made
the island of Palma, one of the Canaries, and soon after examining our
water, we found it would be necessary to touch at one of the Cape de
Verd islands for a fresh supply. During the whole of our course from
the Lizard, we observed that no fish followed the ship, which I judged
to be owing to her being sheathed with copper. By the 26th, our water
was become foul, and stunk intolerably, but we purified it with a
machine, which had been put on board for that purpose: It was a kind of
ventilator, by which air was forced through the water in a continual
stream, as long as it was necessary.

In the morning of the 27th, we made the island of Sal, one of the Cape
de Verds, and seeing several turtle upon the water, we hoisted out our
jolly-boat, and attempted to strike them, but they all went down before
our people could come within reach of them. On Monday the 30th, we
came to an anchor in Port Praya bay, the principal harbour in St Jago,
the largest of the Cape de Verd Islands. The rainy season was already
set in, which renders this place very unsafe; a large swell that rolls in
from the southward, makes a frightful surf upon the shore, and there is
reason every hour to expect a tornado, of which, as it is very violent,
and blows directly in, the consequences are likely to be fatal; so that
after the 15th of August no ship comes hither till the rainy season is
over, which happens in November; for this reason I made all possible
haste to fill my water and get away. I procured three bullocks for the
people, but they were little better than carrion, and the weather was so
hot, that the flesh stunk in a few hours after they were killed.
On Thursday the 2d of August, we got again under sail, with a large
cargo of fowls, lean goats, and monkies, which the people contrived to
procure for old shirts, jackets, and other articles of the like kind.[8] The
intolerable heat, and almost incessant rain, very soon affected our
health, and the men began to fall down in fevers, notwithstanding all
my attention and diligence to make them shift themselves before they
slept, when they were wet.
[Footnote 8: "Clothes, particularly those that are black, however mean,
are here an object of ambition and vanity, rendered less necessary by
the warmth of the climate."]
On Wednesday the 8th, the Tamar fired a gun, upon which we
shortened sail till she came up: We found that she had suffered no
damage but the carrying away of her topsail-yard; however, as we were
obliged to make an easy sail till she had got up another, and the wind
seemed to be coming again to the southward, we lost a good deal of
way. We continued, to our great mortification, to observe that no fish
would come near enough to our copper bottom for us to strike, though
we saw the sea as it were quickened with them at a little distance. Ships
in these hot latitudes generally take fish in plenty, but, except sharks,

we were not able to catch one.
On the 11th of September, we made the coast of Brazil; and on the 13th,
anchored in eighteen fathom, in the great road of Rio de Janeiro. The
city, which is large, and makes a handsome appearance, is governed by
the viceroy of Brazil, who is perhaps, in fact, as absolute a sovereign as
any upon earth. When I visited him, he received me in great form;
above sixty officers were drawn up before the palace, as well as a
captain's guard, who were men of a good appearance, and extremely
well clothed: His excellency, with a number of persons of the first
distinction, belonging to the place, met me at the head of the stairs,
upon which fifteen guns were fired from the nearest port: We then
entered the room of state, and, after conversing about a quarter of an
hour in French, I took my leave, and was dismissed with the same form
that had been used at my reception. He offered to return my visit at a
house which I had hired on shore, but this I declined, and soon after he
returned it on board.
The people in my own ship, who had as much fresh meat and greens as
they could eat every day, were very healthy, but there being many sick
on board the Tamar, I