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. The infant Don Henry of Portugal died in 1463; so that
there must have been an interval of six or seven years between the
second voyage of Cada Mosto and this of Piedro de Cintra: Though de
Faria seems to put this voyage as having been executed before the
death of that excellent prince, yet Cada Mosto, who then actually
resided at Lagos, could not be mistaken is this important particular. -
Astl.
[2] In a note to the second voyage of Cada Mosto, it has been already
noticed that he seems to have given the name of Rio Grande to the
channel between the Bissagos islands, or shoals of the Rio Grande and
the Main.
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