In this tract we found something or other to kill and eat, which always
supplied our necessity, though not so well as we were provided in our
first setting out; being thus, as it were, pushing to avoid a peopled
country, we at last came to a very pleasant, agreeable stream of water,
not big enough to be called a river, but running to the N.N.W., which
was the very course we desired to go.
On the farthest bank of this brook, we perceived some huts of negroes,
not many, and in a little low spot of ground, some maize, or Indian
corn, growing, which intimated presently to us, that there were some
inhabitants on that side less barbarous than what we had met with in
other places where we had been.
As we went forward, our whole caravan being in a body, our negroes, who
were in the front, cried out, that they saw a white man! We were not
much surprised at first, it being, as we thought, a mistake of the
fellows, and asked them what they meant; when one of them stepped to me,
and pointing to a hut on the other side of the hill, I was astonished to
see a white man indeed, but stark naked, very busy near the door of his
hut, and stooping down to the ground with something in his hand, as if
he had been at some work; and his back being towards us, he did not see
us.
I gave notice to our negroes to make no noise, and waited till some more
of our men were come up, to show the sight to them, that they might be
sure I was not mistaken; and we were soon satisfied of the truth, for
the man, having heard some noise, started up, and looked full at us, as
much surprised, to be sure, as we were, but whether with fear or hope,
we then knew not.
As he discovered us, so did the rest of the inhabitants belonging to the
huts about him, and all crowded together, looking at us at a distance, a
little bottom, in which the brook ran, lying between us; the white man,
and all the rest, as he told us afterwards, not knowing well whether
they should stay or run away. However, it presently came into my
thoughts, that if there were white men among them, it would be much
easier to make them understand what we meant as to peace or war, than
we found it with others; so tying a piece of white rag to the end of a
stick, we sent two negroes with it to the bank of the water, carrying
the pole up as high as they could; it was presently understood, and two
of their men and the white man came to the shore on the other side.
However, as the white man spoke no Portuguese, they could understand
nothing of one another but by signs; but our men made the white man
understand that they had white men with them too, at which they said the
white man laughed. However, to be short, our men came back, and told us
they were all good friends, and in about an hour four of our men, two
negroes, and the black prince, went to the river-side, where the white
man came to them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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