The Chronicle of the Discovery and Conquest of Guinea. Vol. IZurara, Gomes Eannes de
History
The Chronicle of the Discovery and Conquest of Guinea. Vol. I
Zurara, Gomes Eannes de
Guinea (Region) -- Discovery and exploration -- Early works to 1800
And who could finish that partition without very great toil? for as
often as they had placed them in one part the sons, seeing their fathers
in another, rose with great energy and rushed over to them; the mothers
clasped their other children in their arms, and threw themselves flat on
the ground with them; receiving blows with little pity for their own
flesh, if only they might not be torn from them.
And so troublously they finished the partition; for besides the toil
they had with the captives, the field was quite full of people, both
from the town[AS] and from the surrounding villages and districts, who
for that day gave rest to their hands (in which lay their power to get
their living) for the sole purpose of beholding this novelty. And with
what they saw, while some were weeping and others separating the
captives, they caused such a tumult as greatly to confuse those who
directed the partition.
[Footnote AS: Lagos.]
The Infant was there, mounted upon a powerful steed, and accompanied by
his retinue, making distribution of his favours, as a man who sought to
gain but small treasure from his share; for of the forty-six souls that
fell to him as his fifth, he made a very speedy partition of these;[AT]
for his chief riches lay in[AU] his purpose; for he reflected with great
pleasure upon the salvation of those souls that before were lost.
[Footnote AT: Among others.]
[Footnote AU: The accomplishment of.]
And certainly his expectation was not in vain; for, as we said before,
as soon as they understood our language they turned Christians with very
little ado; and I who put together this history into this volume, saw in
the town of Lagos boys and girls (the children and grandchildren of
those first captives, born in this land) as good and true Christians as
if they had directly descended, from the beginning of the dispensation
of Christ, from those who were first baptised.
CHAPTER XXVI.
How the Infant Don Henry made Lançarote a Knight.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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