Sir Francis Drake's Famous Voyage Round the WorldPretty, Francis
History
Sir Francis Drake's Famous Voyage Round the World
Pretty, Francis
Voyages and travels; Voyages around the world
After we had set sail from hence, we continued without sight of land
till the 13th day of October following, which day in the morning we fell
with certain islands eight degrees to the northward of the line, from
which islands came in a great number of _canoas_, having in some of them
four, in some six, and in some also fourteen men, bringing with them
cocos and other fruits. Their _canoas_ were hollow within and cut with
great art and cunning, being very smooth within and without, and bearing
a gloss as if it were a horn daintily burnished, having a prow and a
stern of one sort, yielding inward circle-wise, being of a great height,
and full of certain white shells for a bravery; and on each side of them
lie out two pieces of timber about a yard and a half long, more or less,
according to the smallness or bigness of the boat. These people have the
nether part of their ears cut into a round circle, hanging down very low
upon their cheeks, whereon they hang things of a reasonable weight.
The nails of their hands are an inch long, their teeth are as black as
pitch, and they renew them often, by eating of an herb with a kind
of powder, which they always carry about them in a cane for the same
purpose.
Leaving this island the night after we fell with it, the 18th of
October we lighted upon divers others, some whereof made a great show of
inhabitants. We continued our course by the islands of Tagulanda, Zelon,
and Zewarra, being friends to the Portugals, the first whereof hath
growing in it great store of cinnamon. The 14th of November we fell
in with the islands of Maluco. Which day at night (having directed
our course to run with Tidore) in coasting along the island of Mutyr,
belonging to the king of Ternate, his deputy or vice-king seeing us at
sea, come with his _canoa_ to us without all fear, and came aboard; and
after some conference with our General, willed him in any wise to run in
with Ternate, and not with Tidore, assuring him that the king would be
glad of his coming, and would be ready to do what he would require, for
which purpose he himself would that night be with the king, and tell him
the news. With whom if he once dealt, we should find that if he went to
Tidore before he came to Ternate, the king would have nothing to do with
us, because he held the Portugal as his enemy. Whereupon our General
resolved to run with Ternate. Where the next morning early we came to
anchor; at which time our General sent a messenger to the king, with a
velvet cloak for a present and token of his coming to lie in peace,
and that he required nothing but traffic and exchange of merchandise,
whereof he had good store, in such things as he wanted.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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