The Natives Likewise Have Much Urbanity Among Themselves, As We Observed
Them, In The Mornings When They Met, Shaking Hands And Conversing, As If
In Friendly Salutation.
Their manners are very modest, and both men and
women are straight, well-limbed, and comely.
Their religion is
Mahometism, and they go almost naked, having only turbans on their
heads, and a piece of cloth round their middles. The women have a piece
of cloth before, covering their breasts and reaching to the waist, with
another piece from thence to a little below their knees, having a kind
of apron of sedges hanging down from a girdle, very becomingly. They go
all barefooted, except the king, who wears sandals. His dress was as
follows: A white net cap on his head; a scarlet vest with sleeves, but
open before; a piece of cloth round his middle; and another which hung
from his shoulders to the ground.
When at the town, the natives brought us cocoa-nuts for sale, of various
sizes, some as big as a man's head, each having within a quantity of
liquor proportioned to its size, and as much kernel as would suffice for
a man's dinner. They brought us also goats, hens, chickens, lemons,
rice, milk, fish, and the like, which we bought very cheap for
commodities; as two hens for a penny knife; lemons, cocoa-nuts, and
oranges for nails, broken pikes, and pieces of old iron. Fresh water is
scarce, being procured from holes made in the sands, which they lade out
in cocoa-nut shells as fast as it springs, and so drink. They brought
some of it to us, which we could not drink, it looked so thick and
muddy.
We sailed from Comoro on the 29th November, and on the 10th December, at
three a.m. we suddenly descried a low land, about a league a-head,
having high trees growing close to the shore. We took this at first to
be the island of Zanjibar, till one of the natives told us it was
Pemba.[277] We immediately stood off till day-break, when we again made
sail for the shore, along which we veered in search of a harbour or
anchoring place, and sent Mr Elmore in the boat to look out for a
convenient watering-place. On landing, some of the inhabitants demanded
in Portuguese who we were; and being told we were English, they asked
again what we had to do there, as the island belonged to the King of
Portugal? Answer was made that we knew not this, and only wanted a
supply of water. The ship came next day to anchor, near two or three
broken islands, close by Pemba, in lat. 5 deg. 20' S. The 12th, Mr Jordan
went ashore, and conversed with some of the people in Portuguese, but
they seemed not the same who had been seen before, as they said the king
of the island was a Malabar. Mr Jordan told them, though the ship was
English, that he was a Portuguese merchant, and the goods were belonging
to Portugal. They then said he should have every thing he wanted, and
sent a Moor to shew them the watering-place, which was a small hole at
the bottom of a hill, more like a ditch than a well. Having filled their
borachios, or goat-skins, they carried the Moor aboard, and going again
next day for water, set him ashore. The report he made of his good
usage, brought down another Moor who could speak a little Portuguese,
and said he was one of the king's gentlemen.
[Footnote 277: Jones says they overshot Zanjibar by the fault of their
master, so that all their misfortunes seem attributable to his
ignorance. - E.]
This man went also on board and was well treated, and on landing next
day, he promised to bring hens, cocoa-nuts, and oranges, which he did. I
went this day on shore along with the master, Mr Revet, and some others,
and dined on shore. When we had done dinner, there came two head men and
a Moor slave to the watering-place, who asked if the chief men belonging
to the ship were ashore, and where they were. Edward Churchman told them
that the master and one of the merchants were ashore, and he would bring
us to them if they pleased. At our meeting they saluted us after the
Portuguese fashion, and told us that we were welcome, and that every
thing in the island was at our command: But all these sugared words were
only a cloak to their treacherous designs. We asked who the chief person
among them was, and were told he was the king's brother; who immediately
produced a plate of silver, on which were engraven the names of all the
villages and houses in the island, telling us that he was governor of
all these. On asking if there were any Portuguese on the island, they
said no, for they were all banished, because they would have
refreshments there by force, and endeavoured to make slaves of the
people; wherefore they had made war upon them ever since their first
appearance.
In the mean time our pinnace joined us, having been sent to another part
of the island for cattle according to appointment, but the people had
postponed supplying them, till they could find an opportunity of
executing their intended treachery. The people of the pinnace told us,
they had been informed that fifteen sail of Hollanders had lately taken
Mozambique, and put all the Portuguese to the sword. At this news, which
came from Zanjibar, the head Moors seemed overjoyed, being another
subtle contrivance to lead us on to our ruin. On the approach of night,
we entreated them to go on board with us, which they declined, but
promised they would next day. Accordingly, he who called himself the
king's brother came with two others on board, having Thomas Cave,
Gabriel Brooke, and Lawrence Pigot, our surgeon, as their pledges.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 138 of 218
Words from 140021 to 141029
of 221842
