A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 02: Arranged in Systematic Order: Forming a Complete History of the Origin and Progress of Navigation, Discovery, and Commerce, by Sea and Land, from the Earliest Ages to the Present TimeKerr, Robert
History
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 02: Arranged in Systematic Order: Forming a Complete History of the Origin and Progress of Navigation, Discovery, and Commerce, by Sea and Land, from the Earliest Ages to the Present Time
Kerr, Robert
Voyages and travels
Continuing the voyage along the coast beyond the cape, they saw great
numbers of large and small cattle as they passed, all well grown and fat;
but could perceive no towns, as the villages inhabited by the natives are
all farther inland, the houses being of earth covered with straw. The
natives were all somewhat black, clothed like those they had seen at St
Elena Bay, speaking the same language, and using similar darts, together
with some other kinds of arms, both for defence and assault. The country
is very pleasant, being diversified with wood and water; and adjoining to
the cape on the east side, they found a great harbour now called False
Bay, almost six leagues wide at the mouth, and running about as much into
the land. Having thus doubled the cape, the squadron came, on the Sunday
after, being St Katherine's day, 25th November, to the watering-place of
St Blaze[10], which is sixty leagues beyond the cape, and is a very large
bay, exceeding safe in all winds except the north[11].
The natives here resembled those already seen in dress and arms. The
country produces many large elephants, and numerous oxen, of vast size
and extremely fat, some of which have no horns. On some of the fattest of
these the natives were seen riding, on pannels stuffed with rye straw, as
is used in Spain, and having a frame of wood like a saddle. Such of them
as they choose to sell they mark by means of a piece of wood, like the
shaft of one of their arrows, put through the nose. In this harbour,
about three cross-bow shots from the shore, there is a rock much
frequented by sea wolves, as large as great bears, very wild and fierce,
with long, great teeth. These animals are very dangerous, and will attack
men, and their skins are so hard as not to be pierced with spears, unless
pushed with much force and valour. These animals resemble lions, and
their young bleat like kids. One day that our men went to this rock for
amusement, they saw at least three thousand of these animals, old and
young. On this rock also, there are great numbers of birds as large as
ducks which do not fly, having no feathers in their wings, and which bray
like so many asses[12].
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