A true & exact history of the island of BarbadosLigon, Richard
History
A true & exact history of the island of Barbados
Ligon, Richard
Barbados -- Description and travel; Plants -- Barbados; Sugar -- Manufacture and refining -- Barbados
long Boate, as he lay sleeping on the water, whose body afforded all
the Gentlemen, and Officers of the Ship, a very plentifull meal; and
was the best meat wee tasted, all the time wee were at Sea. There are
of these kinds of Fishes but two sorts, that continue in the mayne;
the Loggerhead Turtle, and the Hawkes bill Turtle, of which sorts,
the latter is the best, and of that kind ours was that wee took.
There is a third kind, called the Green Turtle which are of a lesser
Magnitude, but far excelling the other two, in wholesomnesse, and
Rarenesse of taste; but of them hereafter for I have no mind to part
so leightly, with the forenamed Birds of prey: For having been bred a
Faulconer in my youth, I cannot but admire the admirable swiftnesse
of wing these birds make. They mount sometimes upon the trayne, to
so loftie a pitch: as, if a Faucon were there, Shee might be allowed
a double Cancellere in her stooping to her game: they doe it at one
entire downe come. Her ordinary flying for her own pleasure, and
not for prey is commonly more free then the best Haggard Faulcon,
that I have ever seen; but the continuance of it makes it the more
admirable, At the times they grow hungry, they attend the _Dolphins_,
who are their Spaniels; and where they perceive the water to move,
they know they are in Chase, of the flying fish; and being neere
them, they rise like Coveys of Partridges by 12 and 16 in a Covey,
and flye as far as young Partridges, that are forkers, and in their
flight these birds make them their quarry.
These frighted fishes, sometimes in the night have crost our ship,
and being stopt by the shroudes, have falne downe; and with their
bodies we have baited hookes, and taken their pursuers the Dolphins;
which we have found very excellent meat, being drest by a good hand,
with Wine, Spice, and sweet herbs, which we never wanted. So here we
have excellent hauking, no feare of losing our hauke, by going out
at Cheik, or to a village to Poult, and yet eate of the quarrie, and
sometimes of the Spaniells, which is an advantage the best faulconers
misse at Land. As for the hunting here, we only see the Chase, but
suffer the hounds to flesh themselves upon the quarrie, or it may
be, a royall fish, such a one as may fill a dish to furnish Neptunes
table, & by that meanes we are cosen’d of our quarry. So that as
I ever thought on Land, I find the same at Sea, Hawking to be the
better sport. I had almost forgot, to tell what kind of fish this
flying fish is, which is the cause of such excellent sport, both in
himselfe and others, he is just like a Pilchard, but his fins larger,
both in breadth & length, & as long as they are wett, so long he
flyes; and for their mortall enemies the birds, they continue with us
from 33. degrees til we come to 15. and then leave us.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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