The Ladies Belonging To The Kings And Great Men, By Way Of
Extraordinary Grandeur, Have Gold Rings On Other Parts Of Their Body,
Which Decorum Prevents Us From Particularizing.
Passing Cape Sagres, they sailed about forty miles farther along the coast,
and came to the Rio de San Vincents, which is about four miles wide; and
about five miles farther they found another, which they called Rio Verde,
larger at the mouth than the former[5].
Both of these rivers were so named
by the sailors in the caravels. About twenty-four miles beyond the Rio
Verde, they came to another cape which they called _Cape Liedo_,
signifying the _cheerful_, because of the beautifully verdant country in
its neighbourhood[6]. From Cape Liedo there extends a large mountain for
about fifty miles along the coast, all of which is very high, and covered
with tall verdant trees. At the end of this mountain, and about eight
miles from the shore, there are three small islands, the largest of which
does not exceed ten or twelve miles in circumference. To these the sailors
gave the name of _Saluezze_[7]; and they named the mountain _Sierra Leona_,
or the Lion Mountain, on account of the continual roaring of thunder on
its summit, which is always enveloped in clouds.
Proceeding beyond Sierra Leona, the coast was quite low, and the shore
full of sand banks running out into the sea. About thirty miles from the
southern extremity of the mountain, they found a river near three miles
wide at the entrance, and because the water had a red colour, they called
it Rio Roxo[8]. And farther on they found a cape, likewise of a red colour,
which they named Cape Roxo[9]. And they gave the same name of Roxo to a
small uninhabited island, about ten miles off at sea, where the north
polar star seemed only the height of a man above the horizon. Beyond Cape
Roxo, the sea forms a gulf, about the middle of which there enters a river,
which the seamen called St Mary del Nievos, or of the snow, as having been
discovered on the day of that Saint. On the other side of the river there
is a cape, with an island close beside it[10]. This gulf is full of sand
banks, running ten or twelve miles along the coast, on which the sea
breaks with considerable violence, and has a strong current both in the
ebb and flow of the tide; and the little island just mentioned is named
_Scauni_, on account of these sand banks. Twenty-four miles distant from
this river is a large cape called St Ann, having been discovered on the
day of that saint; and the whole coast between is low, with very shallow
water. Twenty-four miles beyond this cape is the river of _Palms_, so
named from the abundance of these trees which were seen there. The mouth
of this river, though of sufficient width, is so full of shoals; and sand
banks as to render its entrance very dangerous. About seventy miles
farther on, there is another small river called _Rio de Fumi_, or Smoke
River; so named, because at the time of its discovery, they saw nothing
but smoke along this coast, made by the Negroes[11]. Beyond this river,
about twenty-four miles, there is a cape which runs a great way out into
the sea, on which stands a high mountain, on which account it was called
_Cabo del Monte_, or Cape Mount About sixty miles still farther on, to the
S. E. there is another and smaller cape, on which is a small mountain or
hill, which was named Cape _Cortese_, or _Misurado_. The first night after
their arrival at this place, the voyagers saw many fires among the trees,
made by the Negroes on seeing the ships, as they had never seen such
objects before.
About sixteen miles beyond Cape Misurado, there is a large forest of trees
close to the shore, to which they gave the name of St Mary's Grove. The
caravels came to anchor beyond this wood, and several almadias came off
from the shore towards them. There were two or three naked negroes in each,
having sharp pointed sticks in their hands, which our seamen supposed to
be darts; some of them had small knives, and they had only two targets and
three bows among them all. These Negroes, had their ears and noses pierced,
from which hung some strange ornaments resembling human teeth. The
interpreters spoke to them, but could not understand their language. Three
of these Negroes ventured on board one of the caravels, one of whom was
detained by the Portuguese, and the other two allowed to go away; for
Cintra had been ordered by the king, in case of discovering any country
where the interpreters did not understand the language, that he was to
bring away one of the natives either by force or fair means, that he might
be able to give an account of his country, either by some of the Negroes
in Portugal happening to understand his language, or after he had acquired
the Portuguese.
Piedro de Cintra, having determined to proceed no farther, returned back
to Portugal from Cape Misarado, to which he had traced the coast of Africa
from the Rio Grande. Upon his return, this negro who had been detained off
Cape Misurado, was examined by several Negroes, and at length was
understood by a Negress who belonged to an inhabitant of Lisbon; not
indeed by his own proper language, but by means of another which was known
to them both. Whatever intelligence may have been procured on this
occasion, was not made public, except that there were unicorns in his
country. After this Negro had been kept for some months in Lisbon, and had
been shewn many of the curiosities of Portugal, the king ordered him to be
supplied with clothes, and sent him back in a caravel to his own country.
But from that coast no other ship had arrived before my departure, which
was on the first of February 1463[12].
[1] For this exordium or introduction, we are indebted to the editor of
Astley's Collection of Voyages and Travels, said to have been a Mr
John Green.
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