In The
Morning Of The 4th, While Sailing Along The Coast, We Espied A Ledge Of
Rocks Close To The
Shore, to the westwards of which were two green hills
joining together, with a hollow between them resembling a saddle;
And,
as the master thought the town we were looking for stood within these
rocks, we manned our boats, taking with us a quantity of cloth and other
goods, with which we rowed on shore; but after going some way along the
shore without finding any town, we returned again on board. About two
leagues to the eastwards from the two saddle hills, a ledge of rocks
stretches almost two miles out to sea, beyond which is a great bay
running N.N.W. while the general stretch of the coast at this place is
from S.W. by W. to N.E. by E. Having with a gentle gale run past that
uttermost headland, we saw a great red cliff, which the master again
judged to be near the town of St Johns, on which we again took our boat
and merchandise and rowed to the shore. We actually found a town on the
top of a hill to which we directed our course, and on seeing us a
considerable number of the inhabitants collected together and waved a
piece of cloth as a signal for us to come in, on which we rowed into an
excellent bay to eastward of the cliff on which the town stands, and on
getting fairly into the bay we let drop our grapnel. After remaining
some time, a boat or canoe came off to us and one of the men in her
shewed us a piece of gold about half a crown weight, requiring us to
give them our measure and weight that they might shew them to their
captain. We accordingly gave them a measure of two ells, and a weight of
two _angels_, as the principles on which we meant to deal. He took these
on shore to their captain; and then brought us back a measure of two
ells one quarter and a half, and one _crusado_ weight of gold, making
signs that they would give so much weight of gold for that measure of
cloth and no more; but this we refused. After staying about an hour, and
finding that they would not deal on our principles, besides
understanding that the best places for trade were all before us, we
returned to our ships, weighed anchor, and stood along shore, going
before in the boat.
[Footnote 242: This was probably Fort St Antonio, at the mouth of the
river Aximer or Ashim. - Astl. I. 155. a.]
[Footnote 243: St Johns river is about 12 leagues E.N.E. of Cape
Three-points, nearly in lat. 5 deg. N. long 2 deg. 10' W. - E.]
Having sailed about a league, we came to a point of land having a long
ledge of rocks running out from it to seawards like the others; and on
passing the ledge our master noticed a place which he said was assuredly
the town of Don John[244]. As the night approached we could not see it
very distinctly, wherefore we came to anchor as near as possible. On the
morning of the 5th it was recognized to be the town we wanted, wherefore
we manned our boats and went towards the shore; but knowing that the
Portuguese had taken away a man from that place the year before, and had
afterwards shot at them with great _bases_[245], driving them from the
place, we let go our grapnel almost a _base_ shot from shore, and lay
there near two hours without any boat coming off to us. At this time
some of our men who had gone in the Hinds boat into the bay to the
eastward of the town, where they found a fine fresh river, waved to us
to join them, because the negroes were seen coming down to that place,
which we did. Immediately afterwards the negroes came down to the shore,
and gave us to know by signs that they had gold, but none of them would
come to our boats, neither indeed did we see that they had any canoes to
come in, so that we suspected the Portuguese had spoiled their boats, as
we saw half their town in ruins. Wherefore, having tarried a good while,
and seeing that they did not come to us, and as we were well armed, we
run the heads of both boats on shore. Upon this the captain of the town
came towards us with his dart in his hand, followed by six tall men each
of whom had a dart and target. Their darts were all headed with iron
well-fashioned and sharp. After this party came another negro carrying
the captains stool. We all saluted the captain respectfully, pulling off
our caps and bowing to him; but he, seeming to consider himself as a man
of consequence, did not move his cap in return, and gravely sat down on
his stool, hardly inclining his body in return to our salute: All his
attendants however, took off their caps and bowed to us.
[Footnote 244: Called St Johns twice before; and we shall see that they
came to another town afterwards called Don Johns, more to the east,
whence it appears that the Don John of the text here is an error for St
John. - E.]
[Footnote 245: Probably musketoons or blunderbusses, and certainly some
species of gun or fire-arm. - E.]
This chief was clothed from the loins downwards, with a cloth of the
country manufacture, wrapped about him and made fast with a girdle round
his waist, having a cap of the country cloth on his head, all his body
above the loins with his legs and feet being bare. Some of his
attendants had cloths about their loins, while others had only a clout
between their legs, fastened before and behind to their girdles; having
likewise caps on their heads of their own making, some made of
basket-work, and others like a large wide purse of wild beast skins.
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