In The Morning Of The Next Day, Being The 13th Of October, Many Of The
Natives Returned On Board The
Ships in their boats or canoes, which were
all of one piece hollowed like a tray from the trunk of
A tree; some of
these were so large as to contain forty or forty-five men, while others
were so small as only to hold one person, with many intermediate sizes
between these extremes. These they worked along with paddles formed like a
bakers peel or the implement which is used in dressing hemp. These oars or
paddles were not fixed by pins to the sides of the canoes like ours; but
were dipped into the water and pulled backwards as if digging. Their
canoes are so light and artfully constructed, that if overset they soon
turn them right again by swimming; and they empty out the water by
throwing them from side to side like a weavers shuttle, and when half
emptied they lade out the rest with dried calabashes cut in two, which
they carry for that purpose.
This second day the natives, as said before, brought various articles to
barter for such small things as they could procure in exchange. Jewels or
metals of any kind were not seen among them, except some small plates of
gold which hung from their nostrils; and on being questioned from whence
they procured the gold, they answered by signs that they had it from the
south, where there was a king who possessed abundance of pieces and
vessels of gold; and they made our people to understand that there were
many other islands and large countries to the south and south-west. They
were very covetous to get possession of any thing which belonged to the
Christians, and being themselves very poor, with nothing of value to give
in exchange, as soon as they got on board, if they could lay hold of any
thing which struck their fancy, though it were only a piece of a broken
glazed earthen dish or porringer, they leaped with it into the sea and
swam on shore with their prize. If they brought any thing on board they
would barter it for any thing whatever belonging to our people, even for a
piece of broken glass; insomuch that some gave sixteen large clews of well
spun cotton yarn, weighing twenty-five pounds, for three small pieces of
Portuguese brass coin not worth a farthing. Their liberality in dealing
did not proceed from their putting any great value on the things
themselves which they received from our people in return, but because they
valued them as belonging to the Christians, whom they believed certainly
to have come down from Heaven, and they therefore earnestly desired to
have something from them as a memorial. In this manner all this day was
spent, and the islanders as before went all on shore at night.
Next Sunday, being the 15th of October, the admiral sailed in his boats
along the coast of the island of St Salvador towards the north-west, to
examine its nature and extent, and discovered a bay of sufficient capacity
to contain all the ships in Christendom.
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