The People Likewise Dress Much In The Same Manner, Or Almost
Naked, But They Were Gentler In Their Manners And Better Looking.
They
chiefly coveted manillios and margarites, and cared very little for the
rest of our wares.
About 9 o'clock A.M. some boats came off to us from
both towns, bringing with them some elephants teeth, and having made me
swear by the water of the sea that I would do them no harm, three or
four of them came on board, and we entertained them with such things as
we had, of which they eat and drank as freely as ourselves. We then
bought all their teeth, of which they had 14, 10 being small. On going
away, they desired us to come to their towns next day. Not wishing to
trifle our time at this place, I desired the master to go on the 26th
with two of our merchants to one of the towns, while I went with one
merchant to the other town, the two towns being three miles asunder.
Taking with us to both places some of every kind of merchandise that we
had, the master got nine rather small teeth at one town, while at the
other I got eleven not large. Leaving on board with the [other] master
an assortment of manillios, he bought 12 teeth in our absence from
people who came to the ships. I bought likewise a small goat, and the
master bought five small hens at the other town. Finding that nothing
more was to be done here, as they had no more teeth, we went on board by
one o'clock, P.M. and immediately weighed anchor, continuing our
progress eastward, always within sight of land.
[Footnote 240: Between these two points is what is called the ivory
coast of Guinea: After which is the gold coast to Cape St Pauls; and
then the slave coast. - E.]
[Footnote 241: Forty leagues E.N.E. along the gold coast bring us to
Saccoom or Accra, in the country called Aquamboo. - E.]
The 28th, the wind turning contrary, we stood out to sea, and when the
wind changed from the seaward we again stood for the land, which we fell
in with at a great round red cliff, not very high, having to the
eastwards a smaller red cliff, and right above that towards the inland a
round green hummock, which we took to be covered with trees. In the last
24 hours we only made good about 4 leagues. The 29th coming near the
shore, we noticed the before mentioned red cliff to have a large tuft of
trees on its summit. All to the westwards as far as we could see was
full of red cliffs, and all along the shore, both on the tops of these
cliffs, and in the low intervals between them, was everywhere full of
wood. Within a mile of the great cliff to the eastwards there was a
river, and no cliffs that we could see beyond it, except one small cliff
very near its eastern side. At this place we had the wind in the night
at north off the land, and in the day south from the sea, which was not
usual, as we were assured by such of our people as had been there
before, being commonly N.W. and S.W. We ran this day and night 12
leagues. The 31st we went our course by the shore, which was everywhere
low and covered with wood, with no rocks. This morning many boats of the
negroes came out to fish, being larger than those we had seen hitherto
but of similar make, some of them having five men. In the afternoon,
about 3 o'clock we had sight of a town by the sea-side, which our pilots
judged to be 25 leagues west from Cape Three-points.
On the morning of the 3d January 1556, we fell in with Cape
Three-points, having passed during the night one of the Portuguese
castles, which is 8 leagues west from this point[242]. This is a very
high land all grown over with trees, and on coming nearer we perceived
three head-lands, having a kind of two bays between them, which open
directly westwards. The farthest out to sea is the eastern cape. The
middle cape is not above a league from the western cape, though the
chart we had laid them down as 3 leagues asunder. Right before the point
of the middle cape there is a small rock near it, which cannot be seen
from the cape itself, except one be near the shore, and on the top of
this cape there is a great tuft of trees. When abreast of this cape
there is seen close beside it a round green hummock rising from the
main-land. The eastern cape is about a league from the middle one, and
is high land like the other two, and between these there is a little
head or point of land, and several rocks close in shore. About 8 leagues
before we came to cape Three-points the coast trends S.E. by E., and
after passing the cape it runs N.E. by E. About two leagues after
passing Cape Three-points there is a low glade for about two miles in
length, after which the land becomes again high, with several successive
points or headlands, the first of which has several rocks out to sea.
The middle of the three capes runs farthest out to sea southwards, so
that it can be seen a great way off from the coast, when it appears to
rise with two small rocks. We ran this day 8 leagues, and anchored
before night, lest we might overshoot a town named St Johns[243]. In the
afternoon a boat with five men came off from the shore and ranged
alongside of us, as if looking at our flags, but would not come near,
and after looking at us for some time went back to the land.
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