The Contrivance For Apprizing The
Watchmen Of The Approach Of An Enemy, And For Taking Them Prisoners,
Seems A Notable Invention Of Our Countrymen; For Surely An Enemy Might
Easily Destroy These Net-Traps To Catch Soldiers, These Pack-Thread
Fortifications.
- Astl.
1. 167. a.]
As in this country it is necessary to travel in the night to avoid the
heat of the day, our men came to the town about five in the morning.
About nine the king sent for them, as no one must go to him unless sent
for, and they proposed carrying their present, but were told they must
be brought before him three times, before their gift could be offered.
They then waited upon him and were graciously received. And having been
sent for three several times, they carried their present the last time,
which was thankfully accepted; and calling for a pot of Palm wine, the
king made them drink. Before drinking they use the following ceremonies:
On bringing out the pot of wine, a hole is made in the ground into which
a small quantity of the wine is poured, after which the hole is filled
up, and the pot set on the place. Then with a small cup made of a gourd
shell, they take out a little of the wine, which is poured on the ground
in three several places. They set up likewise some branches of the Palm
tree in different parts of the ground, where they shed some of the wine,
doing reverence to the palms. All these ceremonies being gone through,
the king took a gold cup full of wine which he drank off, all the people
calling out Abaan! Abaan! together with certain words, as is usual in
Flanders on twelfth night, _the king drinks._ When he had drank, then
the wine was served round to every one, and the king allowed them to
depart. Then every one bowed three times, waving his hands, and so
departed. The king has usually sitting beside him, eight or ten old men
with grey beards.
On the 23d we took 1 lib. 10 oz. of gold; the 24th 3 lib. 7 oz.; the
25th 3-1/4 oz.; the 26th 2 libs. 10 oz.; the 27th 2 libs. 5 oz.; the
28th 4 libs. Then seeing that there was no more gold to be had, we
weighed anchor and continued along the coast. The 1st of March we came
to a town called _Moure_, where we found neither boats nor people; but
when about to depart there came some people to us in two canoes from
another town, from whom we took 2-1/2 oz. of gold, and who told us that
the inhabitants had removed from Mowre to _Lagoua._[269]. The 2d we were
abreast the castle of Mina, where we saw all the five Portuguese ships
at anchor, and by night we were off Shamma or Chama, where we meant to
water. But next day we saw a tall ship of about 200 tons to windward
within two leagues, and then two more astern of her, one a ship of 500
tons or more and the other a pinnace.
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