I asked him all the particulars of their voyage, and found they were a Spanish ship, bound from the Rio de la Plata to the Havanna, being directed to leave their loading there, which was chiefly hides and silver, and to bring back what European goods they could meet with there; that they had five Portuguese seamen on board, whom they took out of another wreck; that five of their own men were drowned when first the ship was lost, and that these escaped through infinite dangers and hazards, and arrived, almost starved, on the cannibal coast, where they expected to have been devoured every moment. He told me they had some arms with them, but they were perfectly useless, for that they had neither powder nor ball, the washing of the sea having spoiled all their powder but a little, which they used at their first landing to provide themselves with some food.
Ik vroeg hem al de bijzonderheden zijner reis, en vernam, dat zij op een Spaansch schip behoord hadden van Rio de la Plata naar Havanna bestemd, met last om daar hunne lading, die hoofdzakelijk uit huiden en zilver bestond, te lossen, en zoodanige Europesche goederen als zij daar konden vinden, terug te brengen; dat zij vijf Portugesche matrozen aan boord hadden gehad, die door hen van een ander wrak gered waren; dat bij het vergaan van hun schip vijf man van hun eigen volk verdronken waren, en dat de geredden onnoemelijke gevaren hadden doorgestaan, en half dood van honger op de Kannibaalsche kust gekomen waren, waar zij verwachtten elk oogenblik vermoord te zullen worden.