These People Were Armed With Long Bows And
Arrows, And Had Darts Headed With Iron, Having Many Copper Bracelets, On
Their Arms And Legs, With Copper Ornaments In Their Hair.
They have also
iron daggers, with pewter handles and ivory sheaths; so that it is
manifest they have plenty of copper and tin.
They have likewise abundance
of salt, which they make from sea water, which they carry in gourds to
certain caves where the salt is made. They were so fond of linen, that
they gave a great quantity of copper in exchange for an old shirt, and
were so quiet and civil, that they brought water to our boats from a
river about two cross-bow shots from the landing, which our people named
Rio do Cobre, or Copper River.
"Osorius places the arrival of the Portuguese on this part of the coast a
day earlier than Castaneda, and gives the following additional
information. On the 10th January 1498, they discovered some small islands,
about 230 miles from their last watering-place, having a very beautiful
appearance, and consisting of verdant meadows, intermixed with groves of
lofty trees, where they could see the inhabitants walking on the shore in
great numbers. Here De Gama landed, and sent one of his men, who was well
versant in the Negro languages to visit the king, and who was received
with much civility, receiving presents of the produce of the country on
his dismissal. Before leaving Lisbon, De Gama received ten malefactors on
board who had been condemned to die, but were pardoned on condition of
going on this voyage, for the purpose of being left wherever De Gama
pleased, that they might examine the country, and be enabled to give him
an account of the inhabitants on his return. On setting sail from this
place, De Gama left two of these exiles on shore, to inform themselves of
the character and manners of the natives[19].
From this place our fleet departed on the 15th January, and proceeding on
their voyage, came to another country of very low land, having very thick
tall trees; and proceeding onwards, they found a river which was very
open at the mouth, near which he came to anchor on Thursday the 24th of
January, as the general deemed it proper to examine this country, and to
try if any intelligence could be here procured concerning India. That
same evening, he and his brother Nicholas Coello[20] entered the river;
and, at day-break next morning, the land was observed to be extremely low
and covered with water, having many trees of great height, thickly loaded
with various kinds of fruits, the country appearing very pleasant. They
saw likewise certain boats with some of the natives coming towards the
ship, at which the general was well pleased, as he conceived from their
having some degree of maritime knowledge in these parts, that he could
not now be very far from India, or at least should soon hear news of that
country.
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