degrees northward. When we came thwart of St. Helena, the shoals
appearing dangerous, and we having no pilot to undertake the entry, it
was thought meetest to go hence alongst. For the Admiral had been the
same night in four fathom and a half, three leagues from the shore; and
yet we understood, by the help of a known pilot, there may and do go
in ships of greater burden and draught than any we had in our fleet. We
passed thus along the coast hard aboard the shore, which is shallow for
a league or two from the shore, and the same is low and broken land for
the most part. The ninth of June upon sight of one special great fire
(which are very ordinary all alongst this coast, even from the Cape
of Florida hither) the General sent his skiff to the shore, where they
found some of our English countrymen that had been sent thither the
year before by Sir Walter Raleigh, and brought them aboard; by whose
direction we proceeded along to the place which they make their port.
But some of our ships being of great draught, unable to enter, anchored
without the harbour in a wild road at sea, about two miles from shore.
From whence the General wrote letters to Master Ralph Lane, being
governor of those English in Virginia, and then at his fort about six
leagues from the road in an island which they called Roanoac; wherein
especially he shewed how ready he was to supply his necessities and
wants, which he understood of by those he had first talked withal.

The morrow after, Master Lane himself and some of his company coming
unto him, with the consent of his captains he gave them the choice of
two offers, that is to say: either he would leave a ship, a pinnace, and
certain boats with sufficient masters and mariners, together furnished
with a month's victual, to stay and make further discovery of the
country and coasts, and so much victual likewise as might be sufficient
for the bringing of them all (being an hundred and three persons) into
England, if they thought good after such time, with any other thing