They Arrived At Mayo On The 27th January, But The Inhabitants Refused To
Trade With Them, Being Expressly Forbidden To Have Any Intercourse With
Foreigners, By Orders From Their Sovereign.
Next day, however, the
admiral sent a company of 72 armed men on shore under the command of Mr
Winter and Mr Doughty, to take a view of the island, and to see if any
refreshments could be procured.
They marched accordingly to the chief
place of the island; and, after travelling three days through the
mountains, they arrived there before day-break on the fourth day. The
inhabitants were all fled, but this part of the island seemed more
fertile and better cultivated than any of the rest. They rested here
some time, banqueting on delicious grapes, which they found in
perfection at that season of the year, though the depth of winter in
England. Mayo abounds with goats, wild poultry, and salt; this last
being formed in great quantities among the rocks, by the heat of the
sun; so that the natives have only the trouble of gathering it into
heaps, and sell it to their neighbours, from which they derive great
profit. They found here cocoa-nut trees, which have no branches or
leaves but at the top of the tree, where the fruit grows in clusters.
They then marched farther into the island, where they saw great numbers
of goats, but could not get any. They might have furnished themselves
with some dried carcasses of old goats, which the natives laid purposely
in their way; but not caring for the refuse of the island, they returned
to the ships.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 49 of 825
Words from 13098 to 13370
of 224764
