Observing, Therefore, The Uncommon Policy Of This Nation, The
Admiral Was The More Anxious To Be Acquainted With Them; And
Though he
would not listen to their offers of ransoming their friends, he ordered
some trifles to be given to
The messengers that they might not go away
dissatisfied, and that they should be paid for their hogs.
Among other creatures which that country produces, there is a kind of cats
of a greyish colour, as large as a small greyhound, but with a much longer
tail, which is so strong, that whatever they clasp with it is as if bound
fast with a rope. These animals ran about the trees like squirrels, and
when they leap, they not only hold fast with their claws, but with their
tails also, by which they often hang to the boughs, either to rest
themselves or to sport. It happened that one Ballaster brought one of
these cats out of a wood, having knocked him from a tree, and not daring
to meddle with it when down because of its fierceness, he cut off one of
its fore paws and brought it on board in that mutilated condition. Even in
that maimed state, it terrified a good dog we had on board, but put one of
the Indian hogs into much greater fear. The hog used to run at every
person, and would not allow the dog to remain on deck; but the moment it
saw the cat it ran away with signs of the utmost terror. The admiral
therefore gave orders that the hog and the cat should be placed close
together; the cat immediately wound her tail around the snout of the hog,
and with its remaining fore-leg fastened on the pole of the hog, which
grunted the while most fearfully. From this we concluded that these cats
hunt like the wolves or dogs of Spain.
On Wednesday the 5th of October, the admiral sailed from Cariari, and came
to the bay of Caravaro, which is six leagues long and two broad; in this
bay there are many small islands, and two or three channels to go out and
in by. Within these channels the ships sailed as it had been in streets or
lanes between the islands, the branches of the trees rubbing against the
shrouds. As soon as we anchored in this bay, the boats went to one of the
islands where there were twenty canoes on the shore, and a number of
people all entirely naked; most of them had a plate of gold hanging from
the neck, and some an ornament of gold resembling an eagle. These people
were perfectly peaceable, and shewed no tokens of being afraid of the
Christians. Assisted by the two Indians from Cariari, who acted as
interpreters, our people bought one of the gold plates which weighed ten
ducats for three horse-bells, and the Indians said that there was great
plenty of that metal to be had farther up the country at no great distance.
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