This River, Called St Vincent In The Chart, Is By
Estimation About Eight Leagues Beyond The River Sestro, But Is
So hard
to find that a boat may be within half a mile of it without being able
to discover
Any river, as a ledge of rocks of greater extent than its
breadth lies directly before its mouth, so that the boats had to go a
considerable way between that ledge and the shore before coming to its
mouth. When once in, it is a great river, having several others that
fall into it. The entrance is somewhat difficult, as the surf is rather
high, but after getting in it is as smooth as the Thames.[231] Upon this
river, near the sea, the inhabitants are tall large men, going entirely
naked, except a clout about a quarter of a yard long before their
middle, made of the bark of trees, yet resembling cloth, as the bark
used for this purpose can be spun like flax. Some also wear a similar
cloth on their heads, painted with sundry colours, but most of them go
bareheaded, having their heads clipped and shorn in sundry ways, and
most of them have their bodies punctured or slashed in various figures
like a leathern jerkin. The men and women go so much alike, that a woman
is only to be known from a man by her breasts, which are mostly long and
hanging down like the udder of a milch goat.
[Footnote 231: Sestro river, in the Complete Neptune of the Rev. James
Stanier Clarke, chart. 2, is called Sesters, in lat. 5 deg. 30' N. long. 9 deg.
10' W. from Greenwich. The river St Vincent of the text does not appear
in that chart, but nearly at the indicated distance to the E.S.E. is one
named Sangwin. - E.]
Soon after coming to anchor on the 15th December, we went up the river
in our skiff, carrying with us certain basons, _manels_, &c. for sale.
We procured that day one hogshead and 100 pounds weight of grains,[232]
and two elephants teeth, getting both at an easy rate. We sold the
natives basons, _maneilios_, and _margarits_,[233] but basons were most
in request, and for most of these we got thirty pounds of _grains_ in
exchange for each, and gave for an elephants tooth of thirty pounds
weight six basons. We went again up the river on the 16th, in the
morning, taking some of every kind of merchandise along with us in our
boat, and shewed them to the negroes, but they made light of every
thing, even of the basons, manellios, and margarite which they had
bought the day before; yet they would have given us some grains for our
basons, but so very little that we did not that day get above 100 pounds
weight, through their chief or captain, who would not suffer any one to
sell but through his mediation and at his price. He was so cunning that
he would not give above 15 pounds of grains for a bason, and would
sometimes offer us a small dishful, whereas we had a basket full for
each the day before. Seeing that we would not accept what he offered,
the captain of the negroes went away, and caused all the boats to depart
likewise, thinking perhaps that we would have followed and agreed to his
terms; but on perceiving his drift, we hauled up our grapnel and went
away likewise. We landed at a small town, to see the manners of the
people, and about 60 of them came about us, being at first shy, and
seemingly afraid of us; but seeing we did them no harm, they came up in
a familiar manner, and took us by the hand. We then went into their
town, which consisted of about twenty small hovels, covered over with
large leaves. All the sides were open, and the floor was raised like a
scaffold about a yard high, where they work many ingenious things of the
barks of trees, and there also they sleep. In some of these hovels they
work in iron, making very pretty heads for javelins, tools for making
their boats, and various other things, the women working as well as the
men.
[Footnote 232: That is grains of paradise, so the Italians called Guinea
pepper when they first saw it, not knowing what it was. We took the name
from them, and hence came the name of the Grain Coast - Astl. I. 152, a.]
[Footnote 233: Margarits may possibly have been mock pearl beads; the
manels or manellios were bracelets of some kind. - E.]
While we were among them, several of the women danced and sung after
their manner, by way of amusing us, but the sound was by no means
agreeable to our ears. Their song was continually,
Sakere, sakere, ho! ho!
Sakere, sakere, ho! ho!
And with these words they kept leaping, dancing and clapping their
hands. The only animals we saw among them were two goats, a few small
dogs, and some hens. Having seen these things, we went on board our
ships; and on seeing us depart, the chief of the other town sent two of
his servants after us with a basket of grains, making signs to us that
when we had slept, or next day, we should have plenty of grains if we
came for them: Then shewing us his grains, he went away. Accordingly,
next morning being the 17th, thinking that some business might be done
with the negroes as the captain sent for us, I sent the master with the
rest of the merchants on shore, remaining myself on board, because they
had esteemed our goods so lightly the day before. The captain
accordingly came to our people after they went up the river, bringing
grains with him, but not seeing me he made signs to know where I was,
and was answered in the same manner that I was on board ship.
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