onely at two or three meales, when we had in stead hereof as much wine,
which was wringed out of Winelees that remained. With this hard fare (for
by reason of our great want of drinke, wee durst eate but very litle) wee
continued for the space of a fortnight or thereabouts: Sauing that now and
then wee feasted for it in the meane time: And that was when there fell any
haile or raine: the haile-stones wee gathered vp and did eate them more
pleasantly then if they had bene the sweetest Comfits in the world; The
raine drops were so carefully saued, that so neere as wee coulde, not one
was lost in all our shippe. Some hanged vp sheetes tied with cordes by the
foure corners, and a weight in the midst that the water might runne downe
thither, and so be receiued into some vessel set or hanged vnderneth: Some
that wanted sheetes, hanged vp napkins, and cloutes, and watched them till
they were thorow wet, then wringing and sucking out the water. And that
water which fell downe and washed away the filth and soiling of the shippe,
trod vnder foote, as bad as running downe the kennell many times when it
raineth, was not lost. I warrant you, but watched and attended carefully
(yea sometimes with strife and contention) at euery scupper hole, and other
place where it ranne downe, with dishes, pots, cannes, and Iarres, whereof
some dranke hearty draughts, euen as it was, mud and all, without tarrying
to clense or settle it: Others. cleansed it first but not often, for it was
so thicke and went so slowly thorow, that they might ill endure to tary so
long, and were loth to loose too much of such precious stuffe: some licked
with their tongues (like dogges) the boards vnder feete, the sides, railes,
and Masts of the shippe: others that were more ingenious, fastened girdles
or ropes about the Mastes, dawbing tallow betwixt them and the Maste (that
the raine might not runne downe betweene) in such sort, that those ropes or
girdles hanging lower on the one side then of the other, a spout of leather
was fastened to the lowest part of them, that all the raine drops that came
running downe the Maste, might meete together at that place, and there be
receiued.