For Instance, We Bought As Many Oranges As
Would Fill A Hat For Half A Quarter Of A Sheet Of White Paper, And All
Other Kinds Of Provision In The Same Proportion.
The islanders brought
much of their fruits to us in their little canoes, which are long and
narrow boats, like troughs, hollowed out of single trees; but their
cattle we bought on shore.
I observed the people to be straight,
well-limbed, and able-bodied men, of a very dark tawny colour. Most of
the men, and all the women, were entirely naked, except merely enough to
hide their parts of shame. Some few of the men wore long garments, after
the fashion of the Arabs, whose language they spoke, and were likewise
of the Mahometan religion, and so rigid, that they would not suffer us
to come near their places of worship. They have good convenient
dwellings, and fair sepulchres for their dead.
They scorned to live under strict obedience to a king, whose residence
was some miles up the country, as they required to have his leave, which
was sent for, before they would sell us any provisions. When informed of
our arrival, their king sent a message of welcome to our commander,
together with a present of beeves, goats, and choice fruits; in return
for which, he was well recompensed and contented, by a present of paper,
and other English toys. We saw some Spanish money among them, of which
they made so small account, that some of our men got rials of eight, in
exchange for a little paper, or a few beads. What use they made of the
paper, we could not guess. The cocoa-nut tree, of which this island has
abundance, may have the pre-eminence of all trees, in my opinion, by its
universal usefulness. Without the help of any other, one may build and
furnish out a ship for sea, with every thing requisite. Of the body of
this tree may be made timbers, planks, and masts; its gum may serve for
paying the bottom; the rind of the same tree will make sails and
cordage; and the large nut, being full of kernel and pleasant liquor,
will serve those who navigate the ship both for meat and drink, as also
for merchandize.
Being well stored with these nuts, and other good provisions, after six
days abode here, the breaches in our ships received in fight being all
repaired, and our men well refreshed, we put again to sea on the 16th of
August, with a prosperous wind. On the 24th, we passed under the line,
without any heat to offend us, bending our course for Socotora, near the
mouth of the Red Sea, an island whence comes our Socotorine aloes. But
an adverse wind from the coast of Arabia prevented us from being able to
fetch that island, which we passed on the 1st September.
In the year before, our English fleet touched at this island, on which
occasion the petty king came to the water-side, and hearing some of our
wind-instruments, asked if they ever played David's Psalms, which he had
heard of, being a Mahometan.
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