When They Mean To Be Very Fine
Upon A Day Of Festival, They Colour Their Faces, Some Black And Some
Red,
and others draw streaks of several colours; some paint their noses, others
black their eyes, and thus adorning, themselves
As they think to look
beautiful, they look in truth like devils.
The admiral sailed along the coast de las Orejas, or the Mosquito shore,
eastwards to Cape Garcias a Dios, or Thanks be to GOD, so called on
account of the difficulty of getting there, having laboured seventy days
to get only sixty leagues to the eastwards of Cape Casinas or Honduras.
This was occasioned by opposing currents and contrary winds, so that we
had continually to tack out to sea and stand in again, sometimes gaining,
and sometimes losing ground, according as the wind happened to be scant or
large when we put about. And had not the coast afforded such good
anchoring we had been much longer upon it; but being free from shoals or
rocks, and having always two fathoms of water at half a league from the
shore, and two more at every league farther distant, we had always the
convenience of anchoring every night when there was little wind. When on
the 14th of September we reached the cape, and found the land turned off
to the southwards, so that we could conveniently continue our voyage with
those levanters or east winds that so continually prevailed, we all gave
thanks to GOD for the happy change, for which reason the admiral gave it
the name of Cape Garcias a Dios. A little beyond that cape we passed by
some dangerous sands, that ran out to sea as far as the eye could reach.
It being requisite to take in wood and water, the boats were sent on the
16th of September to a river that seemed deep and to have a good entrance,
but the coming out proved disastrous, for the wind freshening from the sea,
and the waves running high against the current of the river, so distressed
the boats, that one of them was lost with all the men in it; for which the
admiral named it Rio de la Disgratia, or the River of Disaster. In this
river, and about it, there grew canes as thick as a mans leg. Still
running southwards, we came on Sunday the 25th of September to anchor near
a small island called Quiriviri, and near a town on the continent named
Cariari, where were the best people, country, and situation we had yet
seen, as well because it was high and full of rivers, and thickly wooded
with forests of palms, mirabolans, and other trees. For this reason, the
admiral named this island Hucite. It is a small league from the town named
Cariari by the Indians, which is situated near a large river, whither a
great number of people resorted from the adjacent parts; some with bows
and arrows, others armed with staves of palm tree, as black as coal and as
hard as horn, pointed with fish bone, and others with clubs, and they came
in a body as if they meant to defend their country. The men had their hair
braided, and wound round their heads, and the women wore their hair short
like our men. But perceiving that we had no hostile intentions, they were
very desirous to barter their articles for ours; theirs were arms, cotton
jerkins, and large pieces of cotton cloth like sheets, and guaninis which
are made of pale gold, and worn about their necks like our relics. With
these things they swam to our boats, for none of our people went on shore
that day or the next. The admiral would not allow any of their things to
be taken, lest we might be considered as covetous, but ordered some of our
articles to be given to them. The less we appeared to value the exchange,
the more eager were they to bring it about, and made many signs to that
effect from the shore. At last, perceiving that none of our people would
go on shore, they took all the things which had been given them, without
reserving the smallest article, and tying them up in a bundle, left them
on that part of the beach where our people first landed, and where our
people found them on the Wednesday following when they went on shore.
Believing that the Christians did not confide in them, the Indians sent an
ancient man of an awful presence, bearing a flag upon a staff, and
accompanied by two girls of about eight and fourteen years of ages and
putting these into the boat as if giving hostages, he made signs for our
people to land. Upon their request, our people went ashore to take in
water, the Indians taking great care to avoid doing any thing which might
have alarmed the Christians; and when they saw our men about to return to
the ships, the Indians made signs to take the girls along with them with
their guaninis about their necks, and at the request of the old man, they
complied and carried them on board. In this conduct these people shewed
themselves of a more friendly disposition than any we had yet met with;
and though the girls evinced uncommon undauntedness in trusting themselves
unconcernedly among strangers, they always behaved themselves with great
modesty and sweetness. The admiral treated them well, clothed and fed them,
and sent them again on shore, where they were received by the old man and
about fifty others, with great signs of satisfaction and content. On the
boats going on shore again the same day, they found the same people with
the girls, who insisted upon restoring all that had been given them by the
admiral.
Next day, the admirals brother went on shore to endeavour to learn
something of these people, when two of the chiefs came to the boat, and
taking him by the arms made him sit down on the grass between them; and as,
when he was about to ask them questions, he ordered his secretary to write
down the information they might give, the sight of the pen, ink, and paper,
threw them into such consternation that most of them ran away[11]. It was
supposed they did this from dread of being bewitched; for to us they
appeared to be sorcerers and superstitious people, as whenever they came
near the Christians, they used to scatter some powder about them in the
air, and to burn some of the same powder, endeavouring to make the smoke
go towards the Christians; besides their refusing to keep any thing that
belonged to us showed a degree of jealousy like the proverb, which says,
"A knave thinks every man like himself[12]." Having remained here longer
than was convenient, considering the haste we were in, and having repaired
the ships, and provided all we wanted, the admiral sent his brother on
shore with some men on the 2d of October, to view the town, and to
endeavour to learn as much as possible of the manners of the people, and
the nature of the country.
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