scoa", 74;
"Hermiona", 54; "Esperanza", 50; "St. Estevan", 40. The Asia was the only
ship that ever returned to Spain.)

Pizarro with his squadron having, towards the latter end of February, run
the length of Cape Horn, he then stood to the westward in order to double
it; but in the night of the last day of February, OS. while, with this
view, they were turned to windward the Guipuscoa, the Hermiona, and the
Esperanza were separated from the Admiral. On the 6th of March following
the Guipuscoa was separated from the other two, and on the 7th (being the
day after we had passed straits le Maire) there came on a most furious
storm at north-west, which, in despite of all their efforts, drove the
whole squadron to the eastward, and obliged them, after several fruitless
attempts, to bear away for the River of Plate, where Pizarro in the Asia
arrived about the middle of May and a few days after him the Esperanza
and the St. Estevan. The Hermiona was supposed to founder at sea for she
was never heard of more and the Guipuscoa was run ashore and sunk on the
coast of Brazil. The calamities of all kinds which this squadron
underwentin this unsuccessful navigation can only be paralleled by what
we ourselves experienced in the same climate when buffeted by the same
storms. There was indeed some diversity in our distresses which rendered
it difficult to decide whose situation was most worthy of commiseration;
for to all the misfortunes we had in common with each other as shattered
rigging, leaky ships, and the fatigues and despondency which necessarily
attend these disasters, there was superadded on board our squadron the
ravage of a most destructive and incurable disease* and on board the
Spanish squadron the devastation of famine.

(*Note. Scurvy.)

FAMINE.

For this squadron departed from Spain as has been already observed with
no more than four months' provision and even that, as it is said, at
short allowance only, so that, when by the storms they met with off Cape
Horn their continuance at sea was prolonged a month or more beyond their
expectation they were thereby reduced to such infinite distress that
rats, when they could be caught, were sold for four dollars a piece and a
sailor who died on board had his death concealed for some days by his
brother who during that time lay in the same hammock with the corpse only
to receive the dead man's allowance of provisions.

By the complicated distress of fatigue, sickness, and h