A Book of American ExplorersHigginson, Thomas Wentworth
History
A Book of American Explorers
Higginson, Thomas Wentworth
America -- Discovery and exploration; United States -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775
And oftentimes one of the two kings coming with his queen, and many
gentlemen for their pleasure, to see us, they all staid on the shore,
two hundred paces from us, sending a small boat to give us intelligence
of their coming, saying they would come to see our ship. This they
did in token of safety; and, as soon as they had answer from us,
they came immediately, and, having staid awhile to behold it, they
wondered at hearing the cries and noise of the mariners. The queen
and her maids staid in a very light boat, at an island a quarter of
a league off, while the king abode a long space in our ship, uttering
divers conceits[84] with gestures, viewing with great admiration
all the furniture of the ship, demanding the property of every thing
particularly. He took likewise great pleasure in beholding our apparel,
and in tasting our meats, and so courteously taking his leave departed.
And sometimes our men staying for two or three days on a little island
near the ship for divers necessaries,――as it is the use of seamen,――he
returned with seven or eight of his gentlemen to see what we did, and
asked of us ofttimes if we meant to make any long abode there, offering
us of their provision; then the king, drawing his bow, and running up
and down with his gentlemen, made much sport to gratify our men....
We found another land[85] high, full of thick woods, the trees
whereof were firs, cypresses, and such like as are wont to grow in cold
countries. The people differ much from the other, and look! how much
the former seemed to be courteous and gentle, so much were these full
of rudeness and ill manners, and so barbarous, that by no signs that
ever we could make, we could have any kind of traffic with them. They
clothe themselves with bears’ skins, and leopards’, and seals’, and
other beasts’ skins. Their food, as far as we could perceive, repairing
often unto their dwellings, we suppose to be by hunting and fishing,
and of certain fruits, which are a kind of roots which the earth
yieldeth of her own accord. They have no grain, neither saw we any kind
or sign of tillage; neither is the land, for the barrenness thereof,
apt to bear fruit or seed. If, at any time, we desired by exchange to
have any of their commodities, they used to come to the seashore upon
certain craggy rocks, and, we standing in our boats, they let down
with a rope what it pleased them to give us, crying continually that
we should not approach to the land, demanding immediately the exchange,
taking nothing but knives, fish-hooks, and tools to cut withal; neither
did they make any account of our courtesy. And when we had nothing left
to exchange with them, when we departed from them, the people showed
all signs of discourtesy and disdain as was possible for any creature
to invent. We were, in despite of them, two or three leagues within the
land, being in number twenty-five armed men of us. And, when we went
on shore, they shot at us with their bows, making great outcries, and
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