The Country Is Excessively Hot,
And The Heat Increases As We Go To The South; Besides Which, We Found It
Much Hotter Up The River Than At Sea, Owing To The Immense Number Of Trees
With Which The Country Everywhere Abounds.
Some of these trees are of very
great dimensions.
Near a spring where our sailors were in use to fill our
water casks, not far from the banks of the river, there grew an
exceedingly large tree, but its height was by no means proportional to its
thickness; for, though it measured seventeen cubits in girth near the
ground, its height, by estimation, was only twenty paces. This tree was
hollow, but the branches were very large, avid extended to a great
distance, forming a thick and ample shade. But there were many other trees
much larger than this, by which the richness and fertility of the soil may
be easily conceived; and the country is intersected by numerous streams.
There are many elephants in this country, but the natives are ignorant of
the art of taming these animals, as is practised in other countries. One
day, while we lay at anchor in the middle of the river, we observed three
elephants come out from the wood and walk by the river side, on which we
sent our boat with some of the people towards them, but they immediately
returned into the wood. These were all I ever saw alive; but, sometime
afterwards, Guumi-mensa[2], one of the Negro lords, shewed me a dead young
elephant, which he had killed after a chase of two days. The Negroes hunt
on foot in the woods, using only arrows and assagays, or javelins, which
are all poisoned. When they hunt the elephant they conceal themselves
behind trees, and even sometimes mount to their tops, leaping from one
tree to another in pursuit of the elephant, which, being a large unweildy
animal, is often wounded in many places before it can turn round, or place
itself in a posture of defence; but, in an open field, no person dare
attack one, nor could even the swiftest escape from their pursuit, as I
have been informed by many of the Negroes. The teeth of this dead elephant,
which was shewn me by Guumi-Mensa, one of which still remained in the jaw,
did not exceed three spans long, which distinctly shews that it was quite
young in comparison of those whose teeth are from ten to twelve spans in
length; yet, small as it was for an elephant, we computed that the weight
of its carcass was equal to five or six oxen. Guumi-Mensa made me a
present of what part of this elephant I liked best, and gave the remainder
to his huntsmen to feast on. Understanding that elephants flesh was eaten
by the Negroes, I had some both roasted and boiled, of which I tasted,
that I might be able to say that I had fed upon the flesh of an animal
which had never been eaten by any of my countrymen; but I found it hard,
and of an unpleasant relish. I brought one of the legs and a part of the
trunk on board our caravel, together with some of the hair from its body,
which was a span and a half long, of a black colour, and very thick. On my
return to Portugal, I presented this hair to Don Henry, together with a
part of the flesh salted up for that express purpose, which he received
with much satisfaction, as it was the first of the kind that had been
brought from the countries that were discovered under his auspices. The
foot of the elephant is round, like that of a horse, but without hoofs;
instead of which it is covered by a very thick, hard, black skin, and
defended by five nails on the fore part, which are round and of the size
of a _grossone_[3]. Though young, the foot of this elephant measured a
span and a half in diameter. From the same Negro lord I received the foot
of a full-grown elephant, the sole of which was three spans and an inch in
diameter; which, together with a tooth of twelve spans long, I presented
to Don Henry on my return, who sent it afterwards as a great curiosity to
the Dutchess of Burgundy.
In the river Gambia, and in other rivers on this coast, besides the
_Calcatrici_[4] and other animals, there is one called the _river horse_,
or hippopotamus, of the same nature almost with the sea cow, and which
lives both on land and in the water. This animal is as large in the body
as a cow, with very short legs and cloven feet, having a large head like
that of a horse, and two huge teeth like the tusks of a wild boar, some of
which I have seen upwards of two spans long. This animal, when it gets out
of the river, walks on the land like any other fourfooted beast; and, so
far as I know, was never before discovered by any Christian traveller,
except perhaps in the Nile. We saw likewise a number of bats, or rather
owls, upwards of three spans long; and many other birds, quite different
from those of our country, both in appearance and taste, yet very good to
eat.
[1] The meaning of this expression is obscure. Perhaps it implies that
their Mahometan teachers had no mosques, because the Negroes were
ignorant of the means and method of construction. The knowledge of God
among the northern Negroes was assuredly due exclusively to the
Mahometan missionaries. - E.
[2] Called Gnumi-Mensa in Grynaeus. According to Jobson, Mensa, or Mansa,
signifies a king in the Mandingo language. - Astl.
[3] A Venetian silver coin, not exceeding a silver penny. - Astl.
[4] This animal is nowhere explained. Perhaps the crocodile or
alligator. - E.
SECTION X.
_Continuation of the Voyage from the Gambia to the river Kasa-Mansa, Cape
Roxo, the rivers of St Ann and St Domingo, and the Rio Grande._
Having continued eleven days in the river Gambia, and many of our people
becoming affected by acute fevers, we dropt down the river on the evening
of the eleventh day, departing from the country of Batti-Mansa[1], and
got out of the river in a few days, so stocked with commodities as to
encourage us to proceed farther; and indeed, having been so far
successful, and having a plentiful supply of provisions, and every thing
necessary for prosecuting the voyage, we considered as incumbent on us to
attempt some farther discoveries towards the south.
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