Page 363
An. 1686
Ship-Worms.
Ifland we heel'd and fcrubb'd alfo. The Mindanai- ans are fo fenfible of thefe deftructive Infects, that whenever they come from Sea, they immediately hale their Ships into a dry Dock, and burn her bot- tom, and there let her lye dry, till they are ready to go to Sea again. The Canoas or Proes they hale up dry, and never fuffer them to be long in the water. It is reported that thofe Worms which get into a Ships bottom in the falt water, will dye in the frefh water; and that the frefh water Worms will dye in falt water: but in brackifh water both forts will increafe prodigioufly. Now this place where we lay was fometimes brackifh water, yet commonly frefh; but what fort of Worm this was I know not. Some men are of opinion, that thefe Worms breed in the Plank; but I am perfwaded they breed in the Sea: for I have feen millions of them fwimming in the water, particularly in the Bay of Panama; for there Captain Davis, Captain Swan and my felf, and moft of our men, did take notice of them divers times, which was the reafon of our Cleaning fo often while we were there: and thefe were the largeft Worms that I did ever fee. I have alfo feen them in Virginia, and in the Bay of Campeachy; in the latter of which places the Worm eats prodigioufly. They are always in Bays, Creeks, mouths of Rivers, and fuch places as are near the fhore; being never found far out at Sea, that I could ever learn: yet a Ship will bring them lodg'd in its Plank for a great way.
Having thus ript off all our Worm-eaten Plank, and clapt on new, by the beginning of December, 1686, our Ships bottom was fheathed and tallowed; and the 10th day we went over the Bar, and took aboard the Iron and Lead that we could not fell, and began to fill our Water and fetch aboard Rice for our Voyage: But C. Swan remain d'ashore ftill, and was not yet determin'd when to fail, or whither. But