Then I showed him our baggage, which was very heavy, particularly our
powder, shot, lead, iron, carpenters' tools, seamen's instruments, cases
of bottles, and other lumber. He took some of the things up in his hand
to feel the weight, and shook his head at them; so I told our people
they must resolve to divide their things into small parcels, and make
them portable; and accordingly they did so, by which means we were fain
to leave all our chests behind us, which were eleven in number.
Then he made signs to us that he would procure some buffaloes, or young
bulls, as I called them, to carry things for us, and made signs, too,
that if we were weary, we might be carried too; but that we slighted,
only were willing to have the creatures, because, at last, when they
could serve us no farther for carriage, we might eat them all up if we
had any occasion for them.
I then carried him to our bark, and showed him what things we had here.
He seemed amazed at the sight of our bark, having never seen anything
of that kind before, for their boats are most wretched things, such as
I never saw before, having no head or stern, and being made only of the
skins of goats, sewed together with dried guts of goats and sheep, and
done over with a kind of slimy stuff like rosin and oil, but of a most
nauseous, odious smell; and they are poor miserable things for boats,
the worst that any part of the world ever saw; a canoe is an excellent
contrivance compared to them.
But to return to our boat. We carried our new prince into it, and helped
him over the side, because of his lameness. We made signs to him that
his men must carry our goods for us, and showed him what we had; he
answered, "Si, Seignior," or, "Yes, sir" (for we had taught him that
word and the meaning of it), and taking up a bundle, he made signs to
us, that when his arm was well he would carry some for us.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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