in the night passed, as our Pilots saide, by one of the Portugals castles,
which is 8. leagues to the Westwards of the Cape: vpon the first sight of
the Cape wee discerned it a very high land, and all growen ouer with trees,
and comming neere to it, we perceiued two head lands, as it were two Bayes
betwixt them, which opened right to the Westward, and the vttermost of them
is the Easterne Cape, there we perceiued the middle Cape, and the
Eastermost Cape: the middle Cape standeth not aboue a league from the West
Cape, although the Card sheweth them to be 3. leagues one from the other:
and that middle Cape hath right before the point of it a small rocke so
neere to it, that it cannot be discerned from the Cape, except a man be
neere to the shoare, and upon the same Cape standeth a great heape of
trees, and when a man is thwart the same Cape to the Eastward, there riseth
hard by it a round greene hommoke, which commeth out of the maine.
The thirde Cape is about a league beyond the middle Cape, and is a high
land like to the other Capes, and betwixt the middle, and the thirde
commeth out a little head or point of a land out of the maine, and diuers
rocks hard aboord the shoare.
Before we came to the Capes, being about 8. leagues off them, wee had the
land Southeast, and by East, and being past the Capes, the land runneth in
againe East Northeast.
About two leagues beyond the farthest Cape there is a lowe glade about two
miles long, and then the land riseth high againe, and diuers head lands
rise one beyond another, and diuers rockes lie at the point of the first
head-land. The middest of these Capes is the neerest to the Southwards, I
meane, further into the sea than any of the other, so that being to the
Eastward of it, it may be discerned farre off, and being so to the Eastward
it riseth with two small rockes.
This day we ankered for feare of ouershooting a towne called S. Iohns. Wee
ran this day not aboue 8. leagues. In the afternoone this day there came a
boate of the countrey from the shoare, with fiue men in her, and went along
by vs, as we thought, to discerne our flagges, but they would not come
neere vs, and when they had well looked vpon vs, they departed.
The fourth day in the morning, sailing by the coast, we espied a ledge of
rockes by the shoare, and to the Westwards of them two great grene hils
ioyning together, so that betweene them it was hollow like a saddle: and
within the said rockes the Master thought the aforenamed Towne had stoode,
and therefore we manned our boates, and tooke with vs cloth, and other
marchandize, and rowed ashoare, but going along by the coast, we sawe that
there was no towne, therefore wee went aboord againe.
From these two hils aforesaid, about two leagues to the Eastward, lie out
into the Sea almost two miles a ledge of rockes, and beyond that a great
Bay, which runneth into the North Northwestward, and the land in this place
lieth North Northeast along the shoare: but the vttermost point of land in
that place that we could see, lay Northeast, and by East from vs.
After that we were with a small gale of winde runne past that vttermost
head-land, we sawe a great red cliffe, which the Master againe iudged to be
the towne of S. Iohns, and then wee tooke our boate with marchandize, and
went thither, and when we came thither, we perceiued that there was a towne
vpon the toppe of the hill, and so wee went toward it, and when we were
hard by it, the people of the towne came together a great sort of them, and
waued vs to come in, with a peece of cloth, and so we went into a very
faire Bay, which lieth to the Eastward of the cliffe, whereupon the towne
standeth, and being within the cliffe, wee let fall our grapnell, and after
that we had taried there a good space, they sent a boate aboord of vs, to
shewe vs that they had golde, and they shewed us a peece about halfe a
crowne weight, and required to know our measure, and our weight, that they
might shewe their Captaine thereof: and wee gaue them a measure of two
elles, and a waight of two Angels to shew vnto him, which they tooke, and
went on shoare, and shewed it vnto their Captaine, and then they brought vs
a measure of two elles, one quarter and a halfe, and one Crusado-weight of
gold, making vs signes that so much they would giue for the like measure,
and lesse they would not haue. After this, we taried there about an houre,
and when we sawe that they would doe no otherwise, and withall vnderstood,
that all the best places were before vs, wee departed to our shippes and
wayed, and ranne along the shoare, and went before with our boate, and
hauing sailed about a league, we came to a point where there lay foorth a
ledge of rockes, like to the others before spoken of, and being past that
people, the Master spied a place which hee saide plainely was the towne of
Don Iohn: and the night was come vpon vs, so that we could not well
discerne it, but we ankered as neere vnto the place as we could.
[Sidenote: The towne of Don Iohn.] The fift day in the morning we perceiued
it to be the same towne in deede, and we manned our boates and went
thither, and because that the last yeere the Portugals at that place tooke
away a man from them, and after shot at them with great bases, and did
beate them from the place, we let fall our grapnel almost a base shot off
the shoare, and there we lay about two houres, and no boats came to vs.
Then certaine of our men with the Hindes boate went into the Bay which
lieth to the Eastward of the towne, and within that Bay they found a goodly
fresh riuer, and afterwards they came and waued to vs also to come in,
because they perceiued the Negroes to come downe to that place, which we
did: and immediately the Negroes came to vs, and made vs signes that they
had golde, but none of them would come aboord our boates, neither could we
perceiue any boates that they had to come withall, so that we iudged that
the Portugals had spoiled their boates, because we saw halfe of their towne
destroyed.
Wee hauing stayed there a good space, and seeing that they would not come
to vs, thrust our boates heads a shoare, being both well appointed, and
then the Captaine of the Towne came downe being a graue man: and he came
with his dart in his hand, and sixe tall men after him, euery one with his
dart and his target, and their darts were all of yron, faire and sharpe,
and there came another after them which caried the Captaines stoole: wee
saluted him, and put off our caps, and bowed our selues, and hee like one
that thought well of himselfe, did not mooue his cap, nor scant bowed his
body, and sate him downe very solemnly, vpon his stoole: but all his men
put off their caps to vs, and bowed downe themselues.
He was clothed from the loines down with a cloth of that Countrey making,
wrapped about him, and made fast about his loynes with a girdle, and his
cap of a certaine cloth of the Countrey also, and bare legged, and bare
footed, and all bare aboue the loynes, except his head.
His seruants, some of them had cloth about their loines, and some nothing
but a cloth betwixt their legges, and made fast before, and behinde to
their girdles, and cappes of their owne making, some like a basket, and
some like a great wide purse of beasts skinnes.
[Sidenote: Their weapons.] All their cloth, cordes, girdles, fishing lines,
and all such like things which they haue, they make of the bark of certaine
trees, and thereof they can worke things very pretily, and yron worke they
can make very fine, of all such things as they doe occupy, as darts,
fishhookes, hooking yrons, yron heads, and great daggers, some of them as
long as a woodknife, which be on both sides exceeding sharpe, and bended
after the maner of Turkie blades, and the most part of them haue hanging at
their left side one of those great daggers.
Their targets bee made of such pils as their cloth is made of, and very
closely wrought, and they bee in forme foure square, and very great, and
somewhat longer then they bee broad, so that kneeling downe, they make
their targets to couer their whole body. Their bowes be short, and of a
pretie strength, as much as a man is able to draw with one of his fingers,
and the string is of the barke of a tree, made flat, and about a quarter of
an inch broad: as for their arrowes, I haue not as yet seene any of them,
for they had wrapped them vp close, and because I was busie I could not
stand about it, to haue them open them. Their golde also they worke very
well.
When the Captaine was set, I sent him two elles of cloth, and two basons,
and gaue them vnto him, and hee sent againe for a waight of the same
measure, and I sent him a weight of two Angels, which he would not take,
nether would hee suffer the towne to buy any thing, but the basons of
brasse: so that wee solde that day 74. basons vnto the men of the towne,
for about half an Angel weight, one with another, and nine white basons,
which we solde for a quarter of an Angell a peece, or thereabouts.
We shewed them all our other things which we had, but they did not esteeme
them.
About two of the clocke, the Captaine who did depart in the morning from
vs, came againe, and brought with him to present mee withall, a henne, and
two great rootes, which I receiued, and after made me signes that the
countrey would come to his towne that night, and bring great store of gold,
which in deed about 4. of the clocke they did: for there came about 100.
men vnder 3. Captaines, well appointed with their darts and bowes, and when
they came to vs, euery man sticked downe his dart vpon the shoare, and the
Captaines had stooles brought them, and they sate downe, and sent a young
man aboord of vs, which brought a measure with him of an ell, and one
fourth part, and one sixteenth part, and he would haue that foure times for
a waight of one Angell and twelue graines: I offered him two elles, as I
had done before for two Angels weight, which he esteemed nothing, but still
stucke at his foure measures aforesaide: yet in the ende, when it grew very
late, and I made him signes, that I would depart, he came to foure elles
for the weight abouesaid, and otherwise he would not deale, and so we
departed. This day we tooke for basons sixe ounces and a halfe and one
eight part.
The sixt day in the morning we manned our boates and the skiffe well, for
feare of the Portugals which the last yeere had taken away a man from the
other ships, and went on shoare, and landed, because they had no boates to
come to vs, and so the young man which was with vs the night before was
sent aboord, who seemed to haue dealt and bargained before with the
Portugals for he could speake a litle Portuguise, and was perfect in
weights and measures: at his comming be offered vs, as he had done before,
one Angell, and twelue graines for four elles, and more he would not giue,
and made signes, that if we would not take that, we should depart, which we
did: but before we did indeede depart, I offered him of some rotten cloth
three elles for his waight of an Angell and twelue graines, which he would
not take, and then we departed making signes to him that we would go away,
as indeede we would haue done, rather then haue giuen that measure,
although the cloth was ill, seeing we were so neere to the places, which we
iudged to be better for sale. Then we went aboord our ships which lay about
a league off, and came backe againe to the shoare for sand and balaste: and
then the Captaine perceiuing that the boats had brought no marchandize but
came onely for water and sand, and seeing that we would depart, came vnto
them, making signes againe to know whether would we not giue the foure
elles, and they made signes againe, that we would giue them but three, and
when they sawe that the boates were ready to depart, they came vnto them
and gaue them the weight of our Angell and twelue graines, which we
required before and made signes, that if we would come againe, they would
take three elles. So when the boates came aboord, we layde wares in them
both, and for the speedier dispatch I and Iohn Sauill went in one boat, and
the Maister Iohn Makeworth, and Richard Curligin, in the other, and went on
shoare, and that night I tooke for my part fiftie and two ounces, and in
the other boate they tooke eight ounces and a quarter, all by one weight
and measure, and so being very late, we departed and went aboord, and took
in all this day three pound.
The seuenth day we went a shoare againe, and that day I tooke in our boate
three pound 19 ounces, so that we dispatched almost all the cloth that we
caried with us before noone, and then many of the people were departed and
those that remained had litle golde, yet they made vs signes to fetch them
some latten basons which I would not because I purposed not to trifle out
the time, but goe thence with speede to Don Iohns towne. But Iohn Sauill
and Iohn Makeworth were desirous to goe againe: and I, loth to hinder them
of any profite, consented, but went not my selfe: so they tooke eighteene
ounces of gold and came away, seeing that the people at a certaine crie
made, were departed.
While they were at the shoare, there came a young fellow which could speake
a little Portuguise, with three more with him, and to him I solde 39 basons
and two small white sawcers, for three ounces, &c., which was the best
reckoning that we did make of any basons: and in the forenoone when I was
at the shoare, the Master solde fiue basons vnto the same fellow, for halfe
an ounce of golde.
[Sidenote: 60. Portugales in the castle of Mina.] This fellow, as farre as
we could perceiue, had bene taken into the Castle by the Portugales, and
was gotten away from them, for he tolde vs that the Portugales were bad
men, and that they made them slaues if they could take them, and would put
yrons vpon their legges, and besides he tolde vs, that as many Frenchmen or
Englishmen, as they could take (for he could name these two very well) they
would hang them: he tolde vs further, that there were 60 men in the castle,
and that euery yeere there came thither two shippes, one great, and one
small caruell, and further, that Don Iohn had warres with the Portugals,
which gaue mee the better courage to goe to his towne, which lieth not
foure leagues from the Castle, wherehence our men were beaten the last
yeere.
[Sidenote: The English in anno 1544 tooke away 5 Negroes.] This fellowe
came aboord our shippe without much feare, and assoone as he came, he
demaunded, why we had not brought againe their men, which the last yeere we
tooke away, and could tell vs that there were fiue taken away by
Englishmen: we made him answere, that they were in England well vsed, and
were there kept till they could speake the language, and then they should
be brought againe to be a helpe to Englishmen in this Countrey: and then he
spake no more of that matter:
Our boates being come aboord, we wayed and set saile and a litle after
spied, a great fire vpon the shoare, and by the light of the fire we might
discerne a white thing, which they tooke to be the Castle, and for feare of
ouersbooting the towne of Don Iohn we there ankered two leagues off the
shoare, for it is hard to fetch vp a towne here, if a ship ouershoot it.
This day we tooke seuen pound, and fiue ounces of gold.
This towne lieth in a great Bay, which is very deepe.
The people in this place desired most to haue basons and cloth. They would
buy some of them also many trifles, as kniues, horsetailes, hornes: and
some of our men going a shoare, sold a cap, a dagger, a hat, &c.
They shewed vs a certain course cloth, which I thinke to be made in France,
for it was course wooll, and a small threed, and as thicke as wosted, and
striped with stripes of greene, white, yellow &c. Diuers of the people did
weare about their neckes great beades of glasse of diuerse colours. Here
also I learned some of their language, [Marginal note: This language
seemeth partly to be corrupt.] as followeth:
Mattea, mattea, Is their salutation.
Dassee, dassee, I thanke you.
Sheke, Golde.
Cowrte, Cut.
Cracca, Kniues.
Bassina, Basons.
Foco, foco, Cloth.
Molta, Much, or great store.
[Sidenote: Sight of the casle of Mina.] The eight day in the morning we had
sight of the Castle, but by reason of a miste that then fell we could not
haue the perfect sight of it, till we were almost at the towne of Don Iohn,
and then it cleared vp, and we saw it and a white house, as it were a
Chappell, vpon the hill about it, and then we halled into the shoare,
within two English miles of Don Iohns towne, and there ankered in seuen
fadome water. Here, as in many other places before, we perceiued that the
currant went with the winde.
The land here is in some places low and in some high, and full of wood
altogether.
[Sidenote: Don Iohns towne described.] The towne of Don Iohn is but litle,
of about twentie houses, and the most part of the towne is walled in with a
wall of a mans height, made with reede or sedge, or some such thing. Here
we staied two or three houres after we had ankered, to see if any man would
come vnto vs: and seeing that none did come, we manned our boates and put
in marchandize, and went and ankered with our boates neere to the shoare:
then they sent out a man to vs who made vs signes that that was the towne
of Don Iohn, and that he himselfe was in the Countrey, and would be at home
at the going downe of the Sunne, and when he had done, he required a
reward, as the most part of them will doe which come first aboord, and I
gaue him one ell of cloth and he departed, and that night we heard no more
of him.
The ninth day in the morning we went againe with our boates to the shoare,
and there came foorth a boate to vs, who made signes that Don Iohn was not
come home, but would be at home this day: and to that place also came
another boate from the other towne a mile from this, which is called Don
Deuis, and brought with him gold to shew vs, making signes that we should
come thither. I then left in this place Iohn Sauill, and Iohn Makeworth,
and tooke the Hinde, and went to the other towne and there ankered, and
tooke cloth and went to shore with the boate, and by and by the boates came
to vs and brought a measure of foure yards long and a halfe, and shewed vs
a weight of an angell and twelue graines, which they would giue for so
much, and not otherwise: so I staied and made no bargaine. And all this day
the barke lay at Don Iohns towne, and did nothing, hauing answere that he
was not come home.
The tenth day we went againe to the shoare, and there came out a boat with
good store of gold, and hauing driuen the matter off a long time, and
hauing brought the measure to a nayle lesse then three elles, and their
weight to an angell and twentie graines, and could not bring them to more,
I did conclude with them and solde, and within one quarter of an houre I
tooke one pound and a quarter of an ounce of golde: and then they made me
signes to tary, till they had parted their cloth vpon the shoare as their
manner is, and they would come againe, and so they went away, and layde the
cloth all abroad vpon the sande peece by peece, and by and by one came
running downe from the towne to them, and spake vnto them, and foorthwith
euery man made as much haste as he could away, and went into the woods to
hide his golde and his cloth: we mistrusted some knauery, and being waued
by them to come a shoare, yet we would not, but went aboorde the Hinde, and
perceiued vpon the hill 30 men whom we iudged to be Portugals: and they
went vp to the toppe of the hill and there mustered and shewed themselues,
hauing a flagge with them. Then I being desirous to knowe what the Hart
did, tooke the Hindes boate and went towards her, and when I came neere to
them they shot off two pieces of ordinance which I marueiled at: I made as
much haste as I could to her, and met her boate and skiffe comming from the
shoare in all haste, and we met aboord together. [Sidenote: The Portugales
of the castle of Mina inuaded our men.] They shewed me that they had beene
a shoare all that day, and had giuen to the two sonnes of Don Iohn, to
either of them three yardes and a halfe of doth, and three basons betwixt
them, and had deliuered him 3 yards of cloth more and the weight of an
angell and 12 graines, and being on land did tarie for his answere, and in
the meane time the Portugals came running from the hill vpon them, whereof
the Negroes a litle before had giuen them warning, and bad them to go away,
but they perceiued it not. The sonne of Don Iohn conspired with the
Portugales against them, so that they were almost vpon them, but yet they
recouered their boate and set off from the shoare, and the Portugales shot
their calieuers at them, but hurt no man, and then the shippe perceiuing
it, shot off the two peeces aforesayde among them. Hereupon we layde bases
in both the boates, and in the Skiffe and manned them well, and went a
shoare againe, but because of the winde we could not land, but lay off in
the sea about ten score and shot at them, but the hill succoured them, and
they from the rockes and from the hilles shot at vs with their halfe
hakes, and the Negroes more for feare then for loue stoode by them to helpe
them, and when we saw that the Negroes were in such subiction vnto them
that they durst not sell vs any thing for feare of them we went aboord, and
that night the winde kept at the East, so that we could not with our ship
fetch the Hinde, but I tooke the boate in the night and went aboord the
barke to see what was there to be done, and in the morning we perceiued the
towne to be in like case layde with Portugales, so we wayed and went along
the coast. [Sidenote: The towne of Don Iohn de Viso.] This towne of Iohn de
Viso standeth vpon an hill like the towne of Don Iohn, but it hath beene
burned, so that there are not passing sixe houses in it: the most part of
the golde that comes thither comes out of the countrey, and no doubt if the
people durst for feare of the Portugals bring forth their gold, there would
be had good store: but they dare not sell any thing, their subiection is so
great to the Portugales. The 11 day running by the shoare we had sight of a
litle towne foure leagues from the last towne that we came from, and about
halfe a league from that, of another towne vpon a hill, and halfe a league
from that also of another great towne vpon the shoare: whither we went to
set what could there be done: if we could doe nothing, then to returne to
the other towne, because we thought that the Portugales would leaue the
towne vpon our departure. Along from the castle vnto this place are very
high hilles which may be seene aboue all other hilles, but they are full of
wood, and great red cliffes by the sea side. The boates of these places are
somewhat large and bigge, for one of them will carie twelue men, but their
forme is alike with the former boates of the coast. There are about these
townes few riuers: their language differeth not from the language vsed at
Don Iohns towne: but euery one can speake three or foure words of
Portuguise, which they vsed altogether to vs.