Beyond this country is there another king, whom they call Menatonon, and
these three kings are in league with each other. Toward the southwest,
four days' journey, is situate a town called Secotan, which is the
southernmost town of Wingandacoa, near unto which six-and-twenty years
past there was a ship cast away, whereof some of the people were saved,
and those were white people, whom the country people preserved. And
after ten days remaining in an out island unhabited, called Wocokon,
they, with the help of some of the dwellers of Secotan, fastened two
boats of the country together, and made masts unto them, and sails of
their shirts, and having taken into them such victuals as the country
yielded, they departed after they had remained in this out island three
weeks. But shortly after, it seemed, they were cast away, for the boats
were found upon the coast, cast a-land in another island adjoining.
Other than these, there was never any people apparelled, or white of
color, either seen or heard of among these people, and these aforesaid
were seen only of the inhabitants of Secotan; which appeared to be very
true, for they wondered marvellously when we were among them at the
whiteness of our skins, ever coveting to touch our breasts and to view
the same.
Besides they had our ships in marvellous admiration, and all things else
were so strange unto them, as it appeared that none of them had ever
seen the like. When we discharged any piece, were it but an arquebuse,
they would tremble thereat for very fear, and for the strangeness of the
same, for the weapons which themselves use are bows and arrows. The
arrows are but of small canes, headed with a sharp shell or tooth of a
fish sufficient enough to kill a naked man. Their swords be of wood
hardened; likewise they use wooden breast-plates for their defence; They
have beside a kind of club, in the end whereof they fasten the sharp
horns of a stag, or other beast. When they go to wars they carry about
with them their idol, of whom they ask counsel, as the Romans were wont
of the oracle of Apollo. They sing songs as they march toward the
battle, instead of drums and trumpets. Their wars are very cruel and
bloody, by reason whereof, and of their civil dissensions which have
happened of late years among them, the people are marvellously wasted,
and in some places the country left desolate.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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