The 17th we went to another town,
where we understood that three of the Portuguese ships were at the
castle, and the other two at Shamma.
Though the Portuguese were so near
that they might have been with us in three hours, we yet resolved to
remain and make sales if we could. The chief of this town was absent at
the principal town of the district visiting the king, but came soon back
with a weight and measure. The 18th some of the kings servants came to
us, and we took 1 lib. 2-1/8 oz. of gold. The 19th we took 5 libs. 1 oz.
the 20th 1 lib. 4 oz; the 21st 4 libs. 1 oz; the 22d 3-1/2 oz.
Having sent one of our merchants with a present to the king, he returned
on the 23d, saying that he had been received in a friendly manner by
_Abaan_, who had little gold but promised if we would stay that he would
send all over his country in search of gold for us, and desired our
people to request our king to send men to his country to build a fort,
and to bring tailors with them to make them apparel, and to send good
wares and we should be sure to sell them; but that the French had for
the present filled the market with cloth. This town where the king Abaan
resides, is about 4 leagues up the country, and in the opinion of our
people who were there is as large in circumference as London, though all
built like those we had already seen. Around the town there was great
abundance of the wheat of the country, insomuch that on one side of it
they saw 1000 ricks of wheat and of another sort of grain called _mill_
or millet, which is much used in Spain. All round this town there is
kept a good nightly watch, and across all the roads or paths they have
cords stretched and connected with certain bells; so that if any one
touch the cords the bells, immediately ring to alarm the watchmen, on
which they run out to see what is the matter. In case of any enemies,
they have nets suspended over the paths ready to let fall and entangle
them. It is impossible to get to the town except by the regular paths,
as it is every where environed with trees and thick underwood; besides
which the town is surrounded by a fence of sedge bound with thick ropes
made of the bark of trees[268].
[Footnote 268: It is hard to discover what place this was. Perhaps it
was _Great Commendo_ or _Guaffo_, which stands on a river that runs by
the town of the _Mina_, and is still the residence of a negro king; in
which case the port they put in at might have been little _Commendo._
But the royal city is very far from being as large as London was in
1556, not having above 400 houses.
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