We Continued Here Eleven Days,
During Which The Caravels Were Continually Resorted To By Great Numbers Of
Negroes From Both Sides Of The River, Who Came To See The Novelties, And
To Sell Their Goods, Among Which There Were A Few Gold Rings.
Part of
their commodities consisted of cotton cloth and cotton yarn; some of the
pieces being all white, some striped blue and white, and others again with
red, blue, and white stripes, all very well wrought and coloured.
They
likewise brought civet for sale, the skins of civet-cats, monkies, large
and small baboons of various sorts; and these last being very plenty they
sold them cheap, or for something not exceeding ten _marquets_ in value,
for each; and the ounce of civet for what was not worth more than forty or
fifty marquets; not that they sold their commodities by weight, but I
judged the quantity to be about an ounce. Other Negroes brought various
sorts of fruit for sale, among which were many small wild dates, which
they seemed to think much of, but which our people thought not good, as
the taste was different from those of Europe: As for me, I would not
venture to eat any of them, lest they might have given me the flux, or
some other distemper. Our ships were every day crowded with people of
different aspects and languages[6], and the natives were continually going
up and down the river from one place to another, both men and women, in
their almadias. They have no sails, and propel their almadias entirely
with oars, which they use on both sides, all the rowers standing up. One
man stands at the stern, who rows sometimes on one side, sometimes on the
other, to keep the almadia steady in her course. They have no pins or row-
locks to steady their oars, but hold them fast with both hands; their oar
being a pole, like a half lance, seven feet and a half long, with a round
board like a trencher fastened to one end, and with these they row with
great safety and swiftness, in the mouths of their rivers, which are very
numerous; but they seldom go out to sea, or to any distance from their own
coasts, lest they should be taken by their neighbours and sold for slaves.
[1] There is some difficulty respecting the date of this second voyage. In
the former, Cada Mosto sailed from Portugal in March 1455. In the
course of his proceedings, the month of November is mentioned, and
some subsequent transactions are said to have happened in July, which,
on this arrangement, must necessarily have been of the year 1456. If,
therefore, the dates of the former voyage be accurate, the second
ought to have been dated in 1457. - E.
[2] This part of the narrative is involved in difficulty, and most be
erroneous. A storm from the S. W. off Cape Branco, almost in lat. 21 deg.
N. and a N. W. course, could not possibly lead to the discovery of the
Cape Verd islands, almost six degrees farther south, and at least six
degrees farther west. This difficulty may be solved, by supposing the
storm from the N.E. and that the ships drove to the S.W. from off Cape
Branco. - E.
[3] This passage alludes to the voyage of Antonio de Noli in 1462. And it
may be remarked, that de Faria, who mentions the discovery of these
islands by Noli, takes no notice of the actual discovery by Cada Mosto.
- Astl.
[4] The editor of Astleys Collection considers this as having been St
Jameses island, which is about twenty miles up the Gambia: But there
is a small island near the northern bank, now called Charles I. which
exactly corresponds with the distance in the text. - E.
[5] According to our best maps or charts of the Gambia, this river is
never less than four miles broad, and generally above five, till we
get near 100 miles up the river, to the reach which encircles the
Devils Point, where it still is two miles wide. It is possible that
the original journal of Cada Mosto may have had leagues of three
marine miles each, in which case the residence of Battimansa may have
been at or near the Devils Point, above 100 miles up the river. - E.
[6] Though this country will be amply described in other voyages in our
Collection, it may be proper to remark, that both sides of the river
Gambia are inhabited by a mixed population of three nations, the
Feloops, Foleys, and Mandingoes, each of whom have their own separate
villages interspersed. This population is divided into many states,
lordships, or little kingdoms; as Joalli, Barrah, Kolar, Badibu,
Barsalli, &c. on or near the northern bank; Kumbo, Fonia, Kaen, Jagra,
Yamini, &c. on the southern. - E.
SECTION IX.
_Some Account of the Manners and Customs on the Gambia, and of the
Elephant and Hippopotamus._
It now remains for me to relate what I observed and was informed of
concerning this country, during my short stay. The religion of the Negroes
of Gambia consists of various kinds of idolatry; they place great reliance
on sorcery and other diabolical things, yet all believe in God. There are
many Mahometans among them, who trade to many countries, yet are not
settled in houses, because the natives are ignorant[1]. They live very
much in the same manner with the natives of Senegal, and have the same
kinds of provisions; but they cultivate more sorts of rice. They eat dogs
flesh, which I never heard of being used anywhere else. They are clothed
in cotton garments, and have great abundance of cotton in their country,
which may be the reason of the Gambians not going naked, as those of
Senegal do, where cotton is very scarce. The women dress in the same
manner; and, when they are very young, take great delight in delineating
figures on their necks, breasts, and arms, with the point of a hot needle,
which are never obliterated, and which resemble the flowers and ornaments
which are wrought on silk handkerchiefs.
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