e asked permission of Mauricio, count of Nasao,
and prince of Orange, [22] in whose dominions the above islands are
located, to equip four ships. He received permission, whereupon he
collected as many men and as much of supplies and artillery as he
deemed necessary. He placed forty of the total of two hundred and
sixty men aboard two of the ships, which sailed from the port of
Nostradama--while the other two sailed from the port of Rrotadama
[Rotterdam]--on the eleventh or twelfth of August, in the year
1598. They laid their course toward the straits of Magellanes; and
while skirting the coast of Brasil, the Portuguese there hoisted a
flag of peace. This being seen by the English and Irish, twelve of
them went ashore in the shallop, where the Portuguese, who numbered
perhaps ten or twelve, received them with pleasant countenances, and
invited them to dine. But while at dinner the Portuguese murdered all
the Irishmen, among them the chief pilot, upon whom the others relied
because of his familiarity with the said course and voyage. Thereupon
the enemy, furious at the manner in which they had been treated,
landed forty or fifty arquebusiers in order to avenge the injury that
they had received. The Portuguese, in anticipation of this, intrenched
themselves very strongly, so that the enemy was unable to enter their
fort, but was, on the contrary, forced to retire to his boats with a
loss of six men. They set sail and laid their course for the strait
[of Magellan], where they arrived a year and seven months from the
time when they sailed from their own country. When they arrived
there they encountered many storms and head-winds, and sickness
to such an extent that they were obliged to transfer the men still
remaining on one ship to the other three. Then they sunk this vessel,
and with the three vessels pursued their course, followed continually
by storms which never left them. They sighted a vessel, which upon
investigation turned out to be English. By it they were informed
that another squadron of four vessels had sailed from Yngalaterra
[England], and that this vessel, being unable to carry so much sail
as the others, had been left to its fate, and knew naught more of
the others. The Dutch ships continued their course and sailed ahead,
so that within a few days they lost sight of this vessel. They passed
through the strait, where they lost four or five months. After this it
happened that the general fell out with his admira