The Chronicle of the Discovery and Conquest of Guinea. Vol. IIZurara, Gomes Eannes de
History
The Chronicle of the Discovery and Conquest of Guinea. Vol. II
Zurara, Gomes Eannes de
Guinea (Region) -- Discovery and exploration -- Early works to 1800
were overflowing with the crew they had taken from the Bishop's caravel.
But although they gave this reason, I hold that the principal cause of
their departure was the fear of their enemies, whose terrible manner of
fighting was such as to strike any man of understanding with great
terror. For it cannot be named true courage, unless they had some other
and greater need of fighting, willingly to enter into combat with men
who they knew had the power to do them so much injury. And there
remained the bodies of those dead men among the thickness of the trees,
and their souls departed to see the things of the other world; and may
it please God, if they are not yet in His holy kingdom, to take them to
Himself. And for pity's sake, all ye others that hold the Christian
faith, say your prayers for them, for in asking for them ye ask for
yourselves also. And the caravels returning as they had arranged,
arrived at the Island of Arguim to provide themselves with water, of
which they had need. And then they determined to go to the Cape of the
Ransom,[N209] where they went on shore and found the track of some
Moors. And although by reason of the heat a journey by land was very
perilous, yet considering that they were returning without booty to the
kingdom, they felt constrained to adventure the risk, and so they began
to follow up that track until after two leagues they reached the Moors
and with little labour captured eight and forty of them. And thence they
resolved to make their way straight to the Kingdom; and so in truth did
all save only Stevam Affonso, who sailed to the Island of Palma, where
he went on shore with the greater part of those he brought with him. And
there they happened to light at once upon some Canarians, of whom they
took two women; but this was not fated to pass without a very harmful
return on the part of the enemy. For they turned upon our men as they
were carrying off the booty, and attacked them so boldly that there were
some there who would willingly have left a part of that spoil to any who
would have secured them from destruction. But that bold and good esquire
Diego Gonçalvez, forgetting not his courage, stoutly took a crossbow
from the hands of one of those archers there, and also the bolts and
quiver, and placing himself among our men shot at the Canarians; and so
much did he toil in the using of his arrows that in a very brief space
he killed seven of those enemies. And among them there died one of their
kings, who was recognised by a palm he carried in his hand, for it
seemeth that their custom is for a king to have that pre-eminence among
the others. And as you know that with all men it is a natural thing that
when the chief dieth all the others do fly, so those men, seeing their
captain to be dead, ceased from their fighting, giving place to our men
that they might put themselves in safety; and so they came to the
Kingdom with their booty, although one of those Canarian women died
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