[Industry of the Indians. They surprise the French.]
In this coast, the Portingalls, by industrie of the Indians, have
wrought many feats. At Cape Frio they tooke a great French ship in the
night, the most of her company being on the shore, with cannoas,[126]
which they have in this coast so great, that they carry seventie and
eightie men in one of them. And in Isla Grand, I saw one that was above
threescore foote long, of one tree, as are all that I have seen in
Brasill, with provisions in them for twentie or [San Sebastian.] thirtie
days. At the iland of San-Sebastian, neere Saint Vincent, the Indians
killed about eightie of Master Candish [Sidenote: Kill the English,] his
men, and tooke his boat, which was the overthrow of his voyage.
There commeth not any ship upon this coast, whereof these cannoas give
not notice presently to every place. And wee were certified in Isla
Grand, that they had sent [and discover us.] an Indian from
the river of Ienero, through all the mountaines and marishes, to take a
view of us, and accordingly made a relation of our shippes, boates, and
the number of men which we might have. But to prevent the like danger
that might come upon us being carelesse and negligent, I determined one
night, in the darkest and quietest of it, to see what watch our company
kept on the shore; manned our light horsman, and boat, armed them with
bowes and targetts, and got a shore some good distance from the places
where were our boothes, and sought to come upon them undiscovered: we
used all our best endevours to take them at unawares, yet comming within
fortie paces, we were discovered; the whole and the sicke came forth to
oppose themselves against us. Which we seeing, gave them the hubbub,
after the manner of the Indians, and assaulted them, and they us; but
being a close darke night, they could not discerne us presently upon the
hubbub.[127]
From our shippe the gunner shott a peece of ordinance over our heads,
according to the order given him, and thereof we tooke occasion to
retyre unto our boates, and within a little space came to the boothes
and landing places, as though wee came from our shippes to ayd them.
They [The events of a good watch.] began to recount unto us,
how that at the wester poynt of the iland, out of certaine cannoas, had
landed a multitude of Indians, which with a great out-cry came upon
them, and assaulted them fiercely; but finding better resistance then
they looked for, and seeing themselves discovered by the shippes, tooke
themselves to their heeles and returned to their cannoas, in which they
imbarked themselves, and departed. One affirmed, he saw the cannoas;
another, their long hayre; a third, their bowes; a fourth, that it could
not be, but that some of them had their payments. And it was worth the
sight, to behold those which had not moved out of their beds in many
moneths, unlesse by the helpe of others, gotten some a bow-shoot off
into the woods, others into the toppes of trees, and those which had any
strength, joyned together to fight for their lives. In fine, the boothes
and tents were left desolate.[128]
To colour our businesse the better, after we had spent some houres in
seeking out and joyning the companie together, in comforting, animating,
and commending them, I left them an extraordinary guard for that night,
and so departed to our shippes, with such an opinion of the assault
given by the Indians, that many so possessed, through all the voyage,
would not be perswaded to the contrary. Which impression wrought such
effect in most of my companie, that in all places where the Indians
might annoy us, they were ever after most carefull and vigilant, as was
convenient.[129]
In these ilands it heigheth and falleth some five or six foot water, and
but once in two and twentie houres; as in all this coast, and in many
parts of the West Indies; as also in the coast of Perew and Chely,
saving where are great bayes or indraughts, and there the tydes keep
their ordinary course of twice in foure and twentie houres.
[Palmito iland.]
In the lesser of these ilands, is a cave for a small ship to ryde in,
land-lockt, and shee may moore her sele to the trees of either side.
This we called Palmito iland, for the aboundance it hath of the greater
sort of palmito trees; the other hath none at all. A man may goe betwixt
the ilands with his ship, but the better course is out at one end.
In these ilands are many scorpions, snakes, and adders, with other
venemous vermine. They have parrots, and a certaine kinde of fowle like
unto pheasants, somewhat bigger, and seeme to be of their nature. Here
we spent above a moneth in curing of our sicke men, supplying our wants
of wood and water, and in other necessary workes. And the tenth of
December, all things put in order, we set sayle for Cape Frio, having
onely six men sicke, with purpose there to set ashore our two prisoners
before named; and anchoring under the Cape, we sent our boat a shore,
but they could not finde any convenient place to land them in, and so
returned.[130] The wind being southerly, and not good to goe on our
voyage, we succoured our selves within Isla Grand, which lyeth some
dozen or fourteene leagues from the cape, betwixt the west, and by south
and west south-west; the rather to set our prisoners a shore.
In the mid-way betwixt the Cape and this iland, lyeth [Sidenote:
Ienero.] the river Ienero, a very good harbour, fortified with a
garrison, and a place well peopled. The Isla Grand is some eight or ten
leagues long, and causeth a goodly harbour for shipping. It is full of
great sandie bayes, and in the most of them is store of good water;
within this iland are many other smaller ilands, which cause divers
sounds [Little iland.] and creekes; and amongst these little
ilands, one, for the pleasant scituation and fertilitie thereof, called
Placentia. This is peopled, all the rest desert: on this island our
prisoners desired to be put a shore, and promised to send us some
refreshing. Whereto we condescended, and sent them ashore, with two
boates well man’d and armed, who found few inhabitants in the iland; for
our people saw not above foure or five houses, notwithstanding our boats
returned loaden with plantynes, pinias,[131] potatoes, sugar-canes, and
some hennes. Amongst which they brought a kind of little plantyne,
greene, and round, which were the best of any that I have seene.
With our people came a Portingall, who said, that the island was his; he
seemed to be a Mistecho, who are those that are of a Spanish and an
Indian brood, poorely apparelled and miserable; we feasted him, and gave
him some trifles, and he, according to his abilitie, answered our
courtesie with such as he had.
The wind continuing contrary, we emptied all the water wee could come
by, which we had filled in Saint James his [Isla Grand.]
iland, and filled our caske with the water of this Isla Grand. It is a
wildernesse, covered with trees and shrubs so thicke, as it hath no
passage through, except a man make it by force. And it was strange to
heare the howling and cryes of wilde beastes in these woods day and
night, which we could not come at to see by any meanes; some like lyons,
others like beares, others like hoggs, and of such and so many
diversities, as was admirable.
[Shells of mother of pearle.]
Heere our nets profited us much; for in the sandy bayes they tooke us
store of fish. Upon the shore, at full seamark, we found in many places
certaine shels, like those of mother of pearles, which are brought out
of the East Indies, to make standing cups, called _caracoles_; of so
great curiositie as might move all the beholders to magnifie the maker
of them: and were it not for the brittlenes of them, by reason of their
exceeding thinnes, doubtles they were to bee esteemed farre above the
others; for, more excellent workemanship I have not seene in shels.[132]
The eighteenth of December, we set sayle, the wind at north-east, and
directed our course for the Straites of Magalianes. The twenty two of
this moneth, at the going too of the sunne, we descryed a Portingall
ship, and gave her chase, and comming within hayling of her, shee
rendred her selfe without any resistance; shee was of an hundred tuns,
bound for Angola, to load negroes, to be carried and sold in the river
of Plate. It is a trade of great profit, and much used, for that the
negroes are carried from the head of the river of Plate, to Patosi, to
labour in the mynes. It [Price of negroes.] is a bad negro,
who is not worth there five or six hundreth peeces, every peece of tenne
ryals, which they receive in ryals of plate,[133] for there is no other
marchandize in those partes. Some have told me, that of late they have
found out the trade and benefit of cochanillia, but the river suffereth
not vessels of burthen; for if they drawe above eight or seaven foote
water, they cannot goe further then the mouth of the river, and the
first habitation is above a hundred and twenty leagues up, whereunto
many barkes trade yearely, and carry all kinde of marchandize serving
for Patosi and Paraquay; the money which is thence returned, is
distributed in all the coast of Brasill.
[Cassavi meale.]
The loading of this ship was meale of cassavi, which the Portingals call
_Farina de Paw_. It serveth for marchandize in Angola, for the
Portingals foode in the ship, and to nourish the negroes which they
should carry to the river of Plate. This meale is made of a certaine
roote which the Indians call _yuca_, much like unto potatoes. Of it are
two kindes: the one sweete and good to be eaten (either rosted or
sodden) as potatoes, and the other of which they make their bread,
called _cassavi_; deadly poyson, if the liquor or juyce bee not
thoroughly pressed out. So prepared it is the bread of Brazill, and many
parts of the Indies, which they make in this maner: first they pare the
roote, and [The preparing thereof for food.] then upon a rough
stone they grate it as small as they can, and after that it is grated
small, they put it into a bag or poke, and betwixt two stones, with
great waight, they presse out the juyce or poyson, and after keepe it in
some bag, till it hath no juyce nor moysture left.[134] Of this they
make two sorts of bread, the one finer and the other courser, but bake
them after one maner. They place a great broad smooth stone upon other
foure, which serve in steede of a trevet, and make a quicke fire under
it, and so strawe the flower or meale a foote long, and halfe a foot
broad. To make it to incorporate, they sprinkle now and then a little
water, and then another rowe of meale, and another sprinkling, till it
be to their minde; that which is to be spent presently, they make a
finger thicke, and sometimes more thicke; but that which they make for
store, is not above halfe a finger thicke, but so hard, that if it fall
on the ground it will not breake easily. Being newly baked, it is
reasonable good, but after fewe dayes it is not to be eaten, except it
be soaked in water. In some partes they suffer the meale to become
fenoed,[135] before they make it into bread, and hold it for the best,
saying that it giveth it a better tast; but I am not of that opinion. In
other parts they mingle it with a fruite called agnanapes, which are
round, and being ripe are grey, and as big as an hazell nut, and grow in
a cod like pease, but that it is all curiously wrought: first they parch
them upon a stone, and after beate them into powder, and then mingle
them with the fine flower of cassavi, and bake them into bread, these
are their spice-cakes, which they call _xauxaw_.
[Agnanapes.]
The agnanapes are pleasant, give the bread a yellowish coulour, and an
aromaticall savour in taste.[136] The finer of this bread, being well
baked, keepeth long time, three or foure yeares. In Brazill, since the
Portingalls taught the Indians the use of sugar, they eate this meale
mingled with remels[137] of sugar, or malasses; and in this manner the
Portingalls themselves feed of it.
But we found a better manner of dressing this farina, in making
pancakes, and frying them with butter or oyle, and sometimes with
_manteca de puerco_; when strewing a little sugar upon them, it was
meate that our company desired above any that was in the shippe.
[And for beverage.]
The Indians also accustome to make their drinke of this meale, and in
three severall manners.
First is chewing it in their mouths, and after mingling it with water,
after a loathsome manner, yet the commonest drinke that they have; and
that held best which is chewed by an old woman.[138]
The second manner of their drinke, is baking it till it be halfe burned,
then they beate it into powder; and when they will drinke, they mingle a
small quantitie of it with water, which giveth a reasonable good taste.
The third, and best, is baking it, as aforesaid, and when it is beaten
into powder, to seeth it in water; after that it is well boyled, they
let it stand some three or foure dayes, and then drinke it. So, it is
much like the ale which is used in England, and of that colour and
taste.
[The manner of planting _yuca_.]
The Indians are very curious in planting and manuring of this _yuca_. It
is a little shrubb, and carryeth branches like hazell wands; being
growne as bigge as a mans finger, they breake them off in the middest,
and so pricke them into the ground; it needeth no other art or
husbandry, for out of each branch grow two, three, or foure rootes, some
bigger, some lesser: but first they burne and manure the ground, the
which labour, and whatsoever els is requisite, the men doe not so much
as helpe with a finger, but all [With the labour of the women.] lyeth
upon their poore women, who are worse then slaves; for they labour the
ground, they plant, they digge and delve, they bake, they brew, and
dresse their meate, fetch their water, and doe all drudgerie whatsoever:
yea, though they nurse a childe, they are not exempted from any labour;
their childe they carry in a wallet about their necke, ordinarily under
one arme, because it may sucke when it will.
The men have care for nothing but for their cannoas, to passe from place
to place, and of their bowes and arrowes to hunt, and their armes for
the warre, which is a sword of heavie blacke wood, some foure fingers
broad, an inch thicke, and an ell long, something broader towards the
toppe then at the handle. They call it _macana_, and it is carved and
wrought with inlayd works very curiously, but his edges are blunt. If
any kill any game in hunting, he bringeth it not with him, but from the
next tree to the game, he breaketh a bough (for the trees in the Indies
have leaves for the most part all the yeare), and all the way as he
goeth streweth little peeces of it, here and there, and comming home
giveth a peece to his woman, and so sends her for it.
If they goe to the warre, or in any journey, where it is necessary to
carry provision or marchandize, the women serve to carry all, and the
men never succour nor ease them; wherein they shew greater barbarisme
then in any thing, in my opinion, that I have noted amongst them, except
in eating one another.
[Polygamy of the Indians.]
In Brasill, and in the West Indies, the Indian may have as many wives as
he can get, either bought or given by her friends: the men and women,
for the most part, goe [Their attire.] naked, and those which
have come to know their shame, cover onely their privie parts with a
peece of cloth, the rest of their body is naked. Their houses resemble
great barnes, covered over or thatched with plantyne leaves, which reach
to the ground, and at either end is the doore.
[Their manner of housing.]
In one house are sometimes ten or twentie households: they have little
household stuffe, besides their beds, which call _hamacas_,[139] and are
made of cotton, and stayned with divers colours and workes. Some I have
seene white, of great curiositie. They are as a sheete laced at both
ends, and at either end of them long strappes, with which they fasten
them to two posts, as high as a mans middle, [And sleeping.]
and so sit rocking themselves in them. Sometimes they use them for
seates, and sometimes to sleepe in at their pleasures. In one of them I
have seene sleepe the man, his wife, and a childe.