my throat in the shippe. Thus was I constrained to signe their
Passe-port, and forthwith to grant them certaine mariners, with Trenchant
an honest and skilfull Pilot. When the barks were finished, they armed
them with the kings munition, with powder, with bullets, and artillery,
asmuch as they needed, and chose one of my Sergeants for their Captain,
named Bertrand Conferrent, and for their Ensigne one named La Croix. They
compelled Captaine Vasseur to deliuer them the flag of his ship. Then
hauing determined so saile vnto a place of the Antilles called Leauguaue,
belonging vnto the king of Spaine, and there to goe on land on Christmasse
night, with intention to enter into the Church while the Masse was sayd
after midnight, and to murder all those that they found there, they set
saile the eight of December. But because the greatest part of them by this
time repented them of their enterprise, and that now they began to fall
into mutinies among themselues, when they came foorth of the mouth of the
riuer, the two barks diuided themselues: the one kept along the coast vnto
Cuba, to double the Cape more easily, and the other went right foorth to
passe athwart the Isles of Lucaya: by reason whereof they met not vntill
sixe weekes after their departure. During which time the barke that tooke
her way along the coast, wherein one of the chiefe conspiratours named De
Orange was Captaine, and Trenchant his Pilot, neere vnto a place called
Archaha, tooke a Brigantine laden with a certaine quantity of Cassaui,
which is a kinde of bread made of rootes, and yet neuerthelesse is very
white, and good to eate, and some little wine, which was not without some
losse of their men: for in one assault that the inhabitants of Archaha
made vpon them, two of their men were taken, to wit, Steuen Gondeau, and
one named Grand Pre, besides two more that were slaine in the place,
namely Nicolas Master and Doublet: yet neuerthelesse they tooke the
Brigantine, wherein they put all their stuffe that was in their owne
Barke, because it was of greater burthen and better of saile then their
owne. Afterward they sailed right vnto the Cape of Santa Maria nere to
Leauguaue, where they went on land to calke and bray their ship which had
a great leake. In this meane while they resolued to saile to Baracou,
which is a village of the Isle of Iamaica: where at their arriuall they
found a carauel of fifty or three score tunnes burden, which they tooke
without any body