While We Stayed Here We Were Given To Understand That Those Who Had Been Pleased At Goa To Give Us Directions In Relation To Our Journey Had Done Nothing But Tell Us Lies.

That the people were savage, that they had indeed begun to treat with the Portuguese, but it was only

From fear, that otherwise they were a barbarous nation, who finding themselves too much crowded in their own country, had extended themselves to the sea- shore; that they ravished the country and laid everything waste where they came, that they were man-eaters, and were on that account dreadful in all those parts. My companion and I being undeceived by this terrible relation, thought it would be the highest imprudence to expose ourselves both together to a death almost certain and unprofitable, and agreed that I should go with our Abyssin and a Portuguese to observe the country; that if I should prove so happy as to escape being killed by the inhabitants, and to discover a way, I should either return, or send back the Abyssin or Portuguese. Having fixed upon this, I hired a little bark to Jubo, a place about forty leagues distant from Pate, on board which I put some provisions, together with my sacerdotal vestments, and all that was necessary for saying mass: in this vessel we reached the coast, which we found inhabited by several nations: each nation is subject to its own king; these petty monarchies are so numerous, that I counted at least ten in less than four leagues.

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