In
all the rest of the island the native language called _Buqua_ is spoken.
[Footnote 6: On this bay is a town called New Massah to distinguish it
from Old Massah on the bay of Massali, somewhat more than half a degree
farther north. Masialege or Meselage is a town at the bottom of the bay
of Juan Mane de Cuna, about half a degree farther south. - E.]
[Footnote 7: They were here on the bank of Pracel, which seems alluded
to in the text from the shallowness of the water; though the district
named Casame in the text is not to be found in modern maps - E.]
[Footnote 8: Probably the island of the bay of St Andrew in 17 deg. 30' is
here meant; at any rate it must be carefully distinguished from Spiritu
Santo, St Esprit, or Holy Ghost Island, one of the Comoros in lat. 15 deg.
S. - E.]
[Footnote 9: Perhaps those now called _barren isles_ on the west coast,
between lat. 18 deg. 40' and 19 deg. 12' S. The river Sadia of the text may be
that now called _Santiano_ in lat. 19 deg. S. - E.]
Continuing towards the south they came to the country of the _Buques_,
a poor and barbarous people feeding on the spawn of fish, who are much
oppressed by the kings of the inland tribes. Passing the river
_Mane_[10], that of _Saume_[11] in 20 deg. 15'; _Manoputa_ in 20 deg. 30', where
they first heard of the Portuguese; _Isango_ in 21 deg.; _Terrir_ in 21 deg.
30'; the seven islands of _Elizabeth_ in 22 deg.; they came on the 11th of
July into the port of _St Felix_[12] in 22 deg., where they heard again of
the Portuguese of whom they were in search, from _Dissamuta_ the king of
that part of the country. On offering a silver chain at this place for
some provisions, the natives gave it to an old woman to examine if it
was genuine, and she informed the Portuguese that at the distance of
three days journey there was an island inhabited a long while before by
a white people dressed like the Portuguese and wearing crosses hanging
from their necks, who lived by rapine and easily took whatever they
wanted, as they were armed with spears and guns, with which information
the Portuguese were much gratified. Continuing their voyage past the bay
of _St Bonaventura_ and the mouth of the river _Massimanga_, they
entered the bay of _Santa Clara_, where _Diamassuto_ came to them and
entered into a treaty of friendship, worshipping the cross on his knees.
They were here told that white people frequented a neighbouring port,
and concluded that they were Hollanders. Going onwards they found banks
of sand not laid down in any chart, and entered a port in lat.
