The Boats Accordingly Proceeded Up The River For Two Miles,
Leaving The Small Caravel At Anchor, And Found The Banks Everywhere
Beautiful, With Sixteen Fathoms Water.
But as the river above this made
several returns or reaches, they did not think it prudent to venture any
higher.
When on their way back, they saw three _almadias_ or canoes near the
mouth of a small river which runs into the large one. These almadias
resemble the skiffs used in Italy which are called _zoppoli_, and are
hollowed out of one large piece of wood. Although our boats were strongly
armed, yet, in obedience to their orders, and for fear of being attacked
with poisoned arrows, which the Negroes of Senegal had told us were used
by all the natives of Gambia, they took to their oars, and made all
possible haste back to the ship. By the time they got on board, the
almadias, which followed them close, were within arrow flight. There were
about twenty-five or thirty negroes in these three almadias, who stopped
for some time gazing at the caravel, which was quite a new sight to them;
but would neither speak nor come nearer, notwithstanding every endeavour
by signs, to induce them to approach, and at length they returned to the
shore. About three next morning, the other three caravels that had
remained at anchor without the river, sailed with the rising tide and a
light breeze, into the river, to rejoin the small caravel, and to proceed
up the river, hoping to meet with a more civilized people than had been
seen in the almadias.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 366 of 812
Words from 100933 to 101201
of 224388
