Verd, We
Descried, One Morning Two Ships In The Offing.
On joining company, we
found that one of these belonged to Antonio, an experienced Genoese
navigator, and the other
To some gentlemen in the service of Don Henry,
and that they had sailed in company, with the intention of passing Cape
Verd, to explore the coast beyond it, in search of new discoveries. Our
intentions being similar, I offered to join company, and we accordingly
proceeded together along the coast to the southward, in sight of land.
We came in sight of that cape next day, being about thirty Italian miles
from our last anchorage[1]. Cape Verd was so named by the Portuguese, who
discovered it about a year before[2], because it is covered with trees
which continue green all the year. This is a high and beautiful cape,
which runs a considerable way into the sea, and has two hills or small
mountains at its outer extremity. There are several villages of the
Senegal negroes, or Jalofs, upon and about this promontory, which are
composed of thatched cabins close by the shore, and in sight of those who
sail past. There are also some sand banks, which extend about half a mile
into the sea[3].
Having doubled the cape, we came to three small uninhabited islands, full
of green trees[4]; and being in want of water, we anchored at that which
seemed the largest and most fruitful, in hopes of meeting with a spring,
but could find none to answer our purpose.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 361 of 812
Words from 99439 to 99695
of 224388
