Amerigo VespucciOber, Frederick A. (Frederick Albion)
History
Amerigo Vespucci
Ober, Frederick A. (Frederick Albion)
Vespucci, Amerigo, 1451-1512
shore, who would not, however, speak with us.
"On the seventh day we landed and found that they had
brought their wives with them, whom they commanded, as we
reached the shore, to speak with us. We observed that they
hesitated to obey the order, and accordingly determined to
send one of our people, a very courageous young man, to
address them. In order to encourage them, we entered the
boats while he went to speak with the women. When he arrived
they formed themselves into a great circle around him,
touching and looking at him as with astonishment. While all
this was going on, we saw a woman coming from the mountains
carrying a large club in her hands. When she arrived where
our young Christian stood she came up behind him and,
raising the bludgeon, gave him such a blow with it that she
laid him dead on the spot, and immediately the other women
took him by the feet and dragged him away towards the
mountain. The men ran towards the shore forthwith and began
to assail us with their arrows, throwing our people into a
great fright, in consequence of the boats having grounded,
many arrows reaching them. No one resorted to arms, but for
a time all was terror and panic. After a while, however, we
discharged four swivels at them, which had no other effect
than to make them flee towards the mountain, when they heard
the report. There we saw that the women had already cut the
young Christian in pieces, and at a great fire which they
had made were roasting him in our sight, showing us the
several pieces as they ate them. The men also made signs to
us indicating that they had killed the other two Christians
and eaten them in the same manner, which grieved us very
much.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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