again on the 17th. The scurvy now began to make rapid progress among the
company; which, together with the approach of the antarctic winter,
determined them to put in at St Helena. Missing that island, they next
endeavoured to fall in with the island of Ascension, or some other
island where they might procure refreshments; but their hard fortune
brought them to a very barren and desolate island in the lat. of 20 deg. 30'
S.[70] where they could procure no refreshments, except a few fowls
called _Malle Mewen,_[71] which they knocked down with clubs.

[Footnote 70: The island of Trinidad is nearly in the indicated
latitude.--E.]

[Footnote 71: These were probably young unfledged sea-gulls, called in
provincial English _Malls, Maws_, and _Mews,_ not unlike the Dutch names
in the text; where perhaps we ought to read Malle _or_ Mewen.--E.]

Soon leaving this inhospitable place, they put to sea again, and on the
1st of June, while endeavouring to reach Ascension, they got back to the
coast of Brazil. Not being suffered to land any where on the continent,
they sailed to the isle of Santa Clara, an island of about a mile round,
and as much from the continent, in lat. 21 deg. 15' S. This island afforded
little else beyond herbs, but they found here a sour fruit resembling
plums, which cured all their sick men in fifteen days. They sailed from
thence for Port Desire, in lat 47 deg. 40' S. on the 16th June, and reached
that place on the 20th September, after enduring much bad weather. They
procured abundance of penguins and fish, at an island three miles south
from Port Desire; killing to the number of 50,000 penguins, which are
nearly as large as geese, and procured a vast quantity of their eggs, by
which their people were greatly refreshed, and the sick restored. Going
up the river on the 5th October, and landing in the country, they found
animals resembling stags, together with buffaloes, and ostriches in
great numbers, and even found some of the nests of these birds, in which
were as far as nineteen eggs. The 20th, the admiral went ashore to view
the country, leaving orders with those who were left in charge of the
boats, not to leave them a moment on any account: But they, having a
mind also to see the country, ventured upon a short ramble, when they
fell into an ambush of the savages, who slew three of their number, and
wounded the fourth. These savages were very tall portly men, painted,
and armed with short bows, and arr