ise drowned:
none of the officers were saued but the carpenter.
We twelue which the Lord had deliuered from extreme danger of the Sea, at
our comming ashore fell in a maner into as great distresse. At our first
comming on shore we all fell downe on our knees, praying the Lord most
humbly for his merciful goodnesse. Our prayers being done, we consulted
together what course to take, seeing we were fallen into a desert place,
and we traueled all that day vntill night, sometimes one way and sometimes
another, and could finde no kinde of inhabitants; onely we saw where wilde
beasts had bene, and places where there had bene houses, which after we
perceiued to haue bene burnt by the Portugals. So at night falling into
certaine groues of oliue trees, we climed vp and sate in them to auoid the
danger of lions and other wilde beasts, whereof we saw many the next
morning. The next day we trauelled vntill three of the clocke in the
afternoone without any food but water and wilde date roots: then going ouer
a mountaine, we had sight of Cape Espartel; whereby we knew somewhat better
which way to trauell, and then we went forward vntill we came to an
hedgerow made with great long canes; we spied and looked ouer it, and
beheld a number of men aswell horsemen as footmen, to the number of some
fiue thousand in skirmish together with small shot and other weapons. And
after consultation what we were best to do, we concluded to yeeld our
selues vnto them, being destitute of all meanes of resistance. So rising vp
we marched toward them, who espying vs, foorthwith some hundred of them
with their iauelings in their hands came running towards vs as though they
would haue run vs thorow: howbeit they onely strooke vs flatling with their
weapons, and said that we were Spaniards: and we tolde them that we were
Englishmen: which they would not beleeue yet. By and by the conflict being
ended, and night approching, the captaine of the Moores, a man of some 56
yeres olde, came himselfe vnto vs, and by his interpreter which spake
Italian, asked what we were and from whence we came. One Thomas Henmer of
our company which could speake Italian, declared vnto him that we were
marchants, and how by great misfortune our ship, marchandise, and the
greatest part of our company were pitifully cast away vpon their coast. But
he void of all humainity and all manhood, for all this, caused his men to
strip vs out of our apparel euen to our shirts to see what money an
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