Our Sailors, Therefore, Pulled Off The Iron Hoops
From Some Of The Old Water-Casks, Stuck Them Into Wooden Handles,
And Filing Them To An Edge, Sold These Awkward Knives To The
Inhabitants For Their Fruits.
In all probability they had not forgot what happened to our people
on July 16th, 1616, in the days of William Schovten:
These people,
it seems, treated him very ill; upon which James le Maire brought
his ship close to the shore, and fired a broadside through the
woods; the bullets, flying through the trees, struck the negroes
with such a panic, that they fled in an instant up into the country,
and durst not show their heads again till they had made full
satisfaction for what was past, and thereby secured their safety for
the time to come; and he traded with them afterwards very peaceably,
and with mutual satisfaction.
This account of our author's seems to have been taken upon memory,
and is not very exact. Schovten's seamen, or rather the petty
officer who commanded his long boat, insulted the natives grossly
before they offered any injury to his people; and then,
notwithstanding they fired upon them with small arms, the islanders
obliged them to retreat; so that they were forced to bring the great
guns to bear upon the island before they could reduce them. These
people do not deserve to be treated as savages, because Schovten
acknowledges that they had been engaged in commerce with the
Spaniards; as appeared by their having iron pots, glass beads, and
pendants, with other European commodities, before he came thither.
He also tells us that they were a very civilised people, their
country well cultivated and very fruitful; that they had a great
many boats, and other small craft, which they navigated with great
dexterity.
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