"HOW WE ARRIVED AT THE SAID TOWN AND OF THE RECEPTION WHICH WAS
MADE UP THERE, AND HOW THE CAPTAIN MADE THEM PRESENTS; AND OTHER
THINGS THAT THE SAID CAPTAIN DID, AS SHALL BE SEEN IN THIS CHAPTER.
"When we had arrived near the town, a great number of the inhabitants
of it presented themselves before us, who after their fashion of doing,
gave us a good reception; and by our guides and conductors we were
brought to the middle of the town, where there was a place between the
houses the extent of a stone's throw or about in a square, who made
us a sign that we should stop at the said place, which we did. And
suddenly all the women and girls of the said town assembled together,
a part of whom were burdened with children in their arms, and who came
to us to stroke our faces, arms, and other places upon our bodies
that they could touch; weeping with joy to see us; giving us the best
welcome that was possible to them, and making signs to us that it might
please us to touch their said children. After the which things the men
made the women retire, and seated themselves on the ground about us,
as if we might wish to play a mystery. And, suddenly, a number of men
came again, who brought each a square mat in the fashion of a carpet,
and spread them out upon the ground in the middle of the said place
and made us rest upon them. After which things were thus done there
was brought by nine or ten men the king and lord of the country, whom
they all call in their language Agohanna, who was seated upon a great
skin of a stag; and they came to set him down in the said place upon
the said mats beside our captain, making us a sign that he was their
lord and king. This Agohanna was about the age of fifty years and was
not better appareled than the others, save that he had about his head a
kind of red band for a crown, made of the quills of porcupines and this
lord was wholly impotent and diseased in his limbs.
"After he had made his sign of salutation to the said captain and to
his folks, making them evident signs that they should make them very
welcome, he showed his arms and legs to the said captain, praying that
he would touch them, as though he would beg healing and health from
him; and then the captain began to stroke his arms and legs with his
hands; whereupon the said Agohanna took the band and crown that he
had upon his head and gave it to our captain: and immediately there
were brought to the said captain many sick ones, as blind, one-eyed,
lame, impotent, and folks so very old that the lids of their eyes hung
down even upon their cheeks, setting and laying them down nigh to our
said captain for him to touch them, so that it seemed as if God had
descended there in order to cure them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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