the boate, but it was the
Lords will that one of the Mariners had brought a little rice with him in
the boate to barter away for some other thing, and it was not so much but
that three or foure men would haue eaten it at a meale: I tooke the
gouernment of this Ryce, promising that by the helpe of God that Ryce
should be nourishment for vs vntil it pleased God to send vs to some place
that was inhabited: [Sidenote: Great extemitie at sea.] and when I slept I
put the ryce into my bosome because they should not rob it from me: we were
nine daies rowing alongst the coast, without finding any thing but
countreys vninhabited, and desert Ilands, where if we had found but grasse
it would haue seemed sugar vnto vs, but wee could not finde any, yet we
found a fewe leaues of a tree, and they were so hard that we could not
chewe them, we had water and wood sufficient, and as wee rowed, we could
goe but by flowing water, for when it was ebbing water, wee made fast our
boat to the banke of one of those Ilandes, and in these nine dayes that we
rowed, we found a caue or nest of Tortoises egges, wherein were one hundred
fortie and foure egges, the which was a great helpe vnto vs: these egges
are as bigge as a hennes egge, and haue no shell about them but a tender
skinne, euery day we sodde a kettle full of those egges, with an handfull
of rice in the broth thereof: it pleased God that at the ende of nine dayes
we discouered certaine fisher men, a fishing with small barkes, and we
rowed towardes them, With a good cheare, for I thinke there were neuer men
more glad then we were, for wee were so sore afflicted with penurie, that
we could scarce stande on our legges. Yet according to the order that we
set for our ryce, when we sawe those fisher men, there was left sufficient
for foure dayes. [Sidenote: Tauay under the king of Pegu.] The first
village that we came to was in the gulfe of Tauay, vnder the king of Pegu,
whereas we found great store of victuals: then for two or three dayes after
our arriuall there, we would eate but litle meate any of vs, and yet for
all this, we were at the point of death the most part of vs. From Tauay to
Martauan, in the kingdome of Pegu, are seuentie two miles. We laded our
bote with victuals which were aboundantly sufficient for sixe moneths, from
whence we departed for the port and Citie of Martauan, where in short time
we arriued, but we found not our ship there as we had thought we should,
from whence pres