In other places at low water they seek for cockles, mussels, and
periwinkles; of these shell-fish there are fewer still, so that their
chief dependence is on what the sea leaves in their wares, which, be it
much or little, they gather up, and march to the place of their abode.
There the old people, that are not able to stir abroad, by reason of
their age, and the tender infants, wait their return: and what
providence has bestowed upon them, they presently broil on the coals,
and eat in common. Sometimes they get as many fish as make them a
splendid banquet; and at other times they scarce get every one a taste;
but be it little or much that they get, every one has his part, as well
the young and tender, and the old and feeble who are not able to go
abroad, as the strong and lusty.
How they get their fire I know not; but probably, as Indians do out of
wood. I have seen the Indians of Bon-Airy do it, and have myself tried
the experiment. They take a flat piece of wood that is pretty soft, and
make a small dent in one side of it, then they take another hard round
stick, about the bigness of one's little finger, and sharpening it at
one end like a pencil, they put the sharp end in the hole or dent of the
soft flat piece, and then rubbing or twirling the hard piece between the
palms of their hands, they drill the soft piece till it smokes, and at
last takes fire.
These people speak somewhat through the throat, but we could not
understand one word that they said. We anchored, as I said before,
January 5th, and seeing men walking on the shore, we presently sent a
canoe to get some acquaintance with them, for we were in hopes to get
some provisions among them. But the inhabitants, seeing our boat coming,
ran away and hid themselves. We searched afterwards three days in hopes
to find the houses, but found none, yet we saw many places where they
had made fires. At last being out of hopes to find their habitations, we
searched no further but left a great many toys ashore, in such places
that we thought that they would come. In all our search we found no
water, but old wells on the sandy bays.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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