These Men Likewise Noticed Something Resembling Islands Towards
The West, But At So Great A Distance That They Could Not Be Clearly
Distinguished, Neither Did I Think Proper To Sail In That Direction, Lest
I Should Lose Time In Visiting Uninhabited Islands, Like This At Which We
Had Touched.
The fame of my discovery of these four islands, brought
other navigators afterwards to explore this group; who round them to be
ten in number, both large and small included, and altogether uninhabited,
except by pigeons and other birds, and having a fine fishery[3].
Leaving the first island, we came in sight of the other two, and searched
for an anchoring place near one of them, which was full of trees.
Discovering the mouth of a river, and being in want of water, we came to
anchor, and sent our boats on shore to supply our wants. Some of our
people went a little way up the river, where they found some small lakes
containing remarkably fine white salt, of which they brought large
quantities to the ships, laying in what store was thought necessary, as
we did likewise of water. We found here great numbers of tortoises, or
turtle, the shells of which were larger than a target. The sailors cooked
these into different dishes, as they had done before in the gulf of
Arguin, where these animals are found in plenty, but not so large as here.
Out of curiosity I eat some of the flesh of these tortoises, which seemed
very good, having a good smell and taste, and was not inferior to veal.
We salted a great number of them, which proved a valuable addition to our
stock of provisions during the voyage.
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