[Footnote 124: See the MS. edited by Margry, and given in Major's Introduction to his _Life of Henry the Navigator_; the _Short History of the Navigation of Jean Prunaut of Rouen_; also _La Relation des Costes d'Afrique appelées Guinées_, by Sieur Villaut de Bellefond, Paris, 1669; L. Estancelin, _Recherches sur les voyages des navigateurs normands_, 1832; Père Labat, _Nouvelle rélation de l'Afrique Occidentale_, 1728; Pierre Margry, _Les Navigations Françaises du XIVme. au XVIme. siècle_, 1867. The French claim is fully admitted by Nordenskjöld, _Periplus_, 115-6 (1847), but of course vigorously denied by the Portuguese, whom Major supports.--_Henry Navigator_, Introduction, pp. xxiv-li, and text, pp. 117-133.] This tradition admits that it has lost its proofs in the destruction of the Admiralty Registers at Dieppe in 1694, but it is possible that some articles[125] may be discovered dating from this early commerce, which can supply fresh evidence. In itself, the Dieppese story is not impossible, and we shall see in another section, from the witness of the Map of 1351 and other portolanos, how plausible it appears, together with still greater ventures. But as things at present stand, it must be considered as a "thing not proven."[126] [Footnote 125: Especially some of the ivory carvings said to have been made from spoils of this fourteenth-century trade.] [Footnote 126: The "short history" of Prunaut's navigation assigns September, 1364, for the start of the first voyage; makes the sailors reach "Ovideg" at Christmas ("Ovidech" in Barros, _Decade I_, occurs as a native name for the Senegal); and tells us the anchorage was at C. "Bugiador," in "Guinoye." The blacks, called Jaloffs or Giloffs, had never seen white men before. Small presents were exchanged for "morphi" or ivory, skins, etc. Next year (?) Prunaut (called "Messire Jean of Rouen" throughout), returned with four ships and acquired land from the natives. Here he built houses for wares and habitation, and proposed to his men to settle there permanently. They agreed, but quarrels prevented the foundation of the colony. In September, 1379, Prunaut sailed again to Guinea with a very fine ship, _Notre Dame de bon Voyage_, but lost many men from sickness; he himself returned after Easter, 1380, with much gold. After this Prunaut was made a captain in the French navy. Next year (1381) the _Notre Dame_ again went out with the _St. Nicholas_ and _L'Espérance_, of Dieppe and Rouen. The first-named cast anchor at La Mine, where Prunaut built a chapel, a castle, a fortalice, and a square house, on a hill called the "Land of the Prunauts." Near this were Petit Dieppe, Petit Rouen, Petit Paris, Petit Germentrouville; French forts were also built at Cormentin and Acra. But from 1410 all this prosperity decayed;