Indeed, as the winds blew fresh at west, as before, we had a smooth sea,
and we found it pretty good going before it, and so, taking our smallest
canoe in tow, we stood in for the shore with all the sail we could make.
This was a terrible adventure, for, if the least gust of wind had come,
we had been all lost, our canoes being deep and in no condition to make
way in a high sea.
This voyage, however, held us eleven days in all; and at length, having
spent most of our provisions, and every drop of water we had, we spied
land, to our great joy, though at the distance of ten or eleven leagues;
and as, under the land, the wind came off like a land-breeze, and blew
hard against us, we were two days more before we reached the shore,
having all that while excessive hot weather, and not a drop of water or
any other liquor, except some cordial waters, which one of our company
had a little of left in a case of bottles.
This gave us a taste of what we should have done if we had ventured
forward with a scant wind and uncertain weather, and gave us a surfeit
of our design for the main, at least until we might have some better
vessels under us; so we went on shore again, and pitched our camp
as before, in as convenient manner as we could, fortifying ourselves
against any surprise; but the natives here were exceeding courteous,
and much more civil than on the south part of the island; and though we
could not understand what they said, or they us, yet we found means to
make them understand that we were seafaring men and strangers, and that
we were in distress for want of provisions.
The first proof we had of their kindness was, that as soon as they saw
us come on shore and begin to make our habitation, one of their captains
or kings, for we knew not what to call them, came down with five or six
men and some women, and brought us five goats and two young fat
steers, and gave them to us for nothing; and when we went to offer them
anything, the captain or the king would not let any of them touch it,
or take anything of us. About two hours after came another king, or
captain, with forty or fifty men after him. We began to be afraid of
him, and laid hands upon our weapons; but he perceiving it, caused two
men to go before him, carrying two long poles in their hands, which they
held upright, as high as they could, which we presently perceived was
a signal of peace; and these two poles they set up afterwards, sticking
them up in the ground; and when the king and his men came to these
two poles, they struck all their lances up in the ground, and came on
unarmed, leaving their lances, as also their bows and arrows, behind
them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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