, which our mutinous
souldiers had brought backe, and that 25 men should hazard themselues to
passe therein into France. The rest being better aduised said that it
should be farre better to build a faire ship vpon the keele of the Galiote
which I had caused to be made, promising to labour couragiously therupon.
Then I enquired of my shipwrights to knowe in what space they could make
this shippe readie. They assured the whole company that being furnished
with all things necessarie they would make it readie by the 8. of August.
Immediatly I disposed of the time to worke vpon it, I gaue charge to
Monsieur de Ottigny my Lieutenant to cause timber necessary for the
finishing of both the vessels to be brought, and to Monsieur de Arlac my
Standart-bearer to goe with a barke a league off from the Fort to cut
downe trees fit to make plankes, and to cause the sawiers which he carried
with him to saw them: and to my Sergeant of the company to cause fifteene
or sixteene men to labour in making coales: and to Master Hance keeper of
the Artillery, and to the gunner to gather store of rosen to bray the
vessels: wherein he vsed such diligence, that in lesse then 3 weekes he
gathered 2 hogs-heads of the same together. There remained now but the
principal, which was to recouer victuals to sustaine vs while our worke
endured: which I vndertooke to doe with the rest of my company and the
Mariners of the ship. To this end I embarked my selfe making vp the
thirtieth in my great barke, to make a voyage of forty or fifty leagues,
hauing with vs no prouision at all of victuals: whereby it may easily he
gathered how simply those of our Fort were prouided. True it is that
certaine souldiers being better husbandes then the rest, and hauing made
some prouision of mast, solde a little measure thereof for fifteene and
twentie sous vnto their companions. During our voyage we liued of nothing
else but raspices, of a certaine round graine little and blacke, and of
the rootes of palmitos which we got by the riuer sides: wherein after we
had sayled a long time in vaine, I was constrained to returne to the Fort:
where the souldiers beginning to be wearie of working, because of the
extreme famine which did consume them, assembled themselues and declared
vnto me, that seeing we could get no victuals of the Indians, it was
expedient for the sauing of their liues, to seaze vpon the person of one
of the Kings of the Countrey: assuring themselues that one being tak