A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 07Kerr, Robert
History
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 07
Kerr, Robert
Voyages and travels
This town of John de Viso stands on a hill like that of Don John, but
had been recently burnt, so that there did not remain above six houses
standing. Most of the gold on this part of the coast comes from the
interior country, and doubtless, if the people durst bring their gold,
which they are prevented from doing by the Portuguese, we might have got
abundance; but they are under such subjection to the Portuguese, that
they dare not trade with others.
While coasting along on the 11th, we saw a small town about 4 leagues to
the east of that we last came from. About half a league farther was
another town upon a hill, and half a league beyond that another large
town on the coast, to which we went to try what could be done in the way
of trade, meaning, if unsuccessful, to return to the towns we had left
behind, in hopes that the Portuguese would leave them on our departure.
All the way from the castle of Mina to this place, there were very high
hills to be seen rising above other hills, all covered with wood, and
the coast was lined with great red cliffs close to the sea. The boats of
this coast are larger than those we had seen hitherto, as one of them
could carry 12 men, but they were still of the same form with all the
boats along the coast. About these towns there seemed few rivers, and
their language seemed the same with that at Don Johns town, every person
being able to speak a few words of Portuguese, which they constantly
used to us. About five o'clock P.M. we saw 22 of the native boats or
canoes going along shore to the westwards, on which we suspected some
treachery; wherefore on the 12th we made sail farther along the coast
eastwards, and descried more towns, in which there were some larger
houses than any we had hitherto seen, and from these the people came out
to look at us, but we could see no boats on the shore. Two miles beyond
the eastermost town there are black rocks, which continue to the
uttermost cape or point of the land for the space of a league, after
which the land runs E.N.E. Some negroes came down to these black rocks,
whence they waved a white flag for us to land; but as we were near the
principal town, we continued our course along shore, and when we had
opened the point of land we perceived another head-land about a league
farther on, having a rock lying off to sea, which was thought to be the
place of which were in search. On coming abreast of the town it was
recognized, and having anchored within half a mile of the shore in five
fathoms, with good ground, we put wares into our boat, and went near the
shore to endeavour to open trade. Anchoring close to the shore, about 10
A.M. we saw many canoes on the beach, and some came past us, but no one
would draw near, being, as we supposed, afraid of us, as four men had
been forcibly taken away from thence the year before. Seeing that no one
came off to us, we went again on board, expecting to make no sales; but
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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