For besides diuers other particular places where are abundance,
there is one shallowe sounde along the coast, where for the space of
many miles together in length, and two or three miles in breadth, the
grounde is nothing els beeing but halfe a foote or a foote vnder water
for the most part.
This much can I say further more of stones, that about 120. miles from
our fort neere the water in the side of a hill was founde by a Gentleman
of our company, a great veine of hard ragge stones, which I thought good
to remember vnto you.
'Of the nature and manners of the people'
It resteth I speake a word or two of the naturall inhabitants, their
natures and maners, leauing large discourse thereof vntill time more
conuenient hereafter: nowe onely so farre foorth, as that you may know,
how that they in respect of troubling our inhabiting and planting, are
not to be feared; but that they shall haue cause both to feare and loue
vs, that shall inhabite with them.
They are a people clothed with loose mantles made of Deere skins, &
aprons of the same rounde about their middles; all els naked; of such as
difference of statures only as wee in England; hauing no edge tooles or
weapons of yron or steele to offend vs withall, neither know they how to
make any: those weapos that they haue, are onlie bowes made of Witch
hazle, & arrowes of reeds; flat edged truncheons also of wood about a
yard long, neither haue they any thing to defend themselues but targets
made of barcks; and some armours made of stickes wickered together with
thread.
Their townes are but small, & neere the sea coast but few, some
cotaining but 10. or 12. houses: some 20. the greatest that we haue
seene haue bene but of 30. houses: if they be walled it is only done
with barks of trees made fast to stakes, or els with poles onely fixed
vpright and close one by another.
Their houses are made of small poles made fast at the tops in rounde
forme after the maner as is vsed in many arbories in our gardens of
England, in most townes couered with barkes, and in some with
artificiall mattes made of long rushes; from the tops of the houses
downe to the ground. The length of them is commonly double to the
breadth, in some places they are but 12. and 16. yardes long, and in
other some wee haue seene of foure and twentie. [In]
In some places of the countrey one onely towne belongeth to the
gouernment of a 'Wiroans' or chiefe Lorde; in other some two or three,
in some sixe, eight, & more; the greatest 'Wiroans' that yet we had
dealing with had but eighteene townes in his gouernmet, and able to make
not aboue seuen or eight hundred fighting men at the most:
