In The
Morning Of The 31st, The French Admiral Sent His Boat For Me, And I Went
On Board His
Ship accompanied by our masters and some of our merchants.
He had provided a noble banquet for us, and treated
Us excellently,
requesting us to keep him company, promising to part with us what
victuals were in his ship, or any other things that could serve us,
even offering to strike his flag and obey my commands in all things. Not
being able to find water at that place, we set sail on the 1st January
1557, and anchored off the mouth of a river, where on the two following
days we procured water, and bought a few small elephants teeth.
On the 4th of January we landed with 30 men, well armed with arquebuses,
pikes, long-bows, cross-bows, partizans, long swords, and swords and
bucklers, meaning to seek for elephants. We found two, which we wounded
several times with our fire-arms and arrows, but they both got away from
us and hurt one of our men. We sailed on the 5th, and next day fell in
with the river St Andrew, [in long. 6 deg. 4' W.] The land is somewhat high
to the westward of this river, having a fine bay likewise to the
westward, but to the east the land is low. This is a great river, having
7 fathoms water in some places at its mouth. On the 7th we went into the
river, where we found no village, and only some wild negroes not used to
trade. Having filled our water casks here, we set sail to the eastward.
On the 10th we had a conference with Captain Blondel, the admiral of the
French ships, Jerome Baudet his vice-admiral, and Jean de Orleans,
master of the ship of 70 tons. We agreed to traffic in friendly accord,
so as not to hurt each others market, certain persons being appointed to
make a price for the whole, and then one boat from every ship to make
sales on the agreed terms. On the 11th, at a place called _Allow_[262],
we got only half an angel weight and 4 grains of gold, which was taken
by hand, the natives having no weights.
[Footnote 262: Rather Lu how or La hu. - Astl. I 163. b. - The river
called Jack Lahows river, in Long. 4 deg. 14' W. - E.]
On the 14th we came within _Saker_ shot of the castle of Mina, whence an
Almadia was sent out to see what we were, but seeing that we were not
Portuguese, she went immediately back to the large negroe town of
_Dondou_ close by the castle. Without this there lie two great rocks
like islands, and the castle stands on a point resembling an island. At
some distance to the westwards the land for 5 or 6 leagues was high, but
for 7 leagues from thence to the castle the land is low, after which it
becomes high again. The castle of Mina is about 5 leagues east from Cape
Three-points[263]. Here I took the boat with our negroes, and, went
along the coast till I came to the cape, where I found two small towns
having no canoes, neither could we have any trade. At these places our
negroes understood the natives perfectly, and one of them went on shore
at all the places, where he was well received by his countrymen. At a
place called _Bulle_, about 3 leagues east from the eastermost point of
Cape Three-points, we learnt from the natives by means of our negro
George, that about a month before there had been an engagement at this
place, in which two ships had put one to flight; and that some time
before, one French ship had put to flight four Portuguese ships at the
castle of Mina.
[Footnote 263: Mina is in Long. 1 deg. 60', Cape Three points in 2 40' both
west, the difference of Longitude therefore is about 50 minutes, or
nearly 17 leagues. - E]
On the 16th we went to a place called _Hanta_, 12 leagues beyond the
cape, but did no good, as the natives held their gold too dear. We went
thence to _Shamma_[264], where we landed with 5 boats well armed with
men and ordnance, making a great noise with our drums and trumpets,
suspecting we might have found Portuguese here, but there were none. We
sent our negroes first on shore, after which we followed and were well
received. The 18th we agreed to give the negroes 2 yards and 3 nails of
cloth, as a _fuffe_, to exchange for an angel-ducat weight; so we took
in all 70 ducats, of which the Frenchmen had 40 and we 30. The 19th I
took 4 libs. 2-1/2 oz. of gold, and the boat of the Hart had 21 oz. This
night we were informed by the negroes that the Portuguese meant to
attack us next day either by sea or land, and as we were about to return
on board we heard several shots in the woods, but they durst not come
near us. The 20th we went on shore well armed, but heard no more of the
Portuguese, and this day the negroes informed us there were some ships
come to _Hanta_, a town about 2 leagues to the west. The 21st we went in
our boats to a town a league to the west, where we found many negroes
under another chief, with whom we dealt on the same terms as at Shamma.
The 22d we went again on shore, and I got 1 lib. 4 oz. of gold. The 23d
the negroes told as that the Portuguese ships had departed from the
Mina, intending to ply to windward and then come down to fight us,
giving us warning to be on our guard. The 24th we went again on shore to
trade, and I invited the chief of the town to dinner.
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