On His Return, Veloso Saw That He Was
Secretly Followed, Wherefore He Hastened To The Shore And Hailed The
Ships.
On this, the general who was then at supper, looked out towards
the land, where he saw numbers of the savages following Veloso.
He
therefore gave orders for all the ships to be in readiness against an
attack, and went himself on shore with several others unarmed, not
dreading any harm. On seeing our boats coming towards the shore, the
savages began to run away with much clamour; but when our people landed,
they returned and set upon them furiously, throwing their darts, and
using other weapons, which constrained our people to take to their boats
in all haste, taking Veloso along with them; yet in this scuffle the
general and three others were wounded. The Negroes returned to their
towns; and during four days after, while our ships remained in the bay,
they never saw any more of the natives, so that they had no opportunity
to revenge the injury they had done.
"Some commerce took place between the Portuguese and the Hottentot
natives around St Elena Bay, by means of signs and gestures; when the
fleet received plenty of excellent fresh provisions, in exchange for
clothes, hawks bells, glass beads, and other toys; but this friendly
intercourse was interrupted through the imprudence of a Portuguese young
man named Veloso. Delighted with the novelty of the scene, and anxious to
see the manners of the natives more intimately, he obtained permission to
accompany them to their huts, where a sea calf was dressed in the
Hottentot fashion, to his great astonishment.
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