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. As he rowed along the coast, the
people ran after him on shore inviting him to land with offers of
provisions, and calling to each other to come and see the people who had
come down from Heaven to visit the earth, and lifting up their hands to
Heaven as if giving thanks for their arrival. Many of them in their canoes,
or by swimming as they best could, came to the boats asking by signs
whether they came down from Heaven, and entreating them to come on shore
to rest and refresh themselves.
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