A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 06 eBook

Robert Kerr (writer)
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 750 pages of information about A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 06.

A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 06 eBook

Robert Kerr (writer)
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 750 pages of information about A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 06.
good harbour, in which we remained till the 25th July.  While there, we saw many of the savages fishing for mackerel, of which they caught great numbers.  They had about 40 boats or canoes, and after some time they became so familiar with us as to come with their canoes to our ships in perfect confidence receiving knives, combs, glass-beads, and other trifles from us, for which they were exceedingly thankful, lifting up their hands to heaven, and dancing and singing in their boats.  These people may truly be called savages, as they are the poorest wretches that can be imagined; as the value of every thing they had among them all, besides their canoes and nets, was not worth five farthings.  They go entirely naked, except their parts of shame, over which they had small pieces of skin; besides which they only had a few old pieces of skin to shelter their bodies from the weather.  They differ entirely both in language and appearance from those we had seen before.  Their heads are close shaven, except one lock on the crown, as long as a horse tail, which they bind up into a knot with leather thongs.  Their only dwelling-places are their boats or canoes turned keel upwards, under which they sleep on the bare ground.  They eat their fish and flesh almost raw, only heating it a little on the embers.  We went freely on shore among these people, who seemed much pleased with our company, all the men singing and dancing around, in token of joy; but they made all their women retire into a wood at some distance, two or three excepted, to each of whom we gave a comb and a small tin bell, with which they were much delighted, shewing their gratitude to our captain by rubbing his breast and arms with their hands.  The reception of these presents occasioned all the other women to return from the wood, that they likewise might participate; for which purpose they surrounded the captain, to the number of about twenty, touching and rubbing him with their hands, as soliciting him for such trinkets as he had given the others.  He accordingly gave each of them a small bell, on which they all fell a singing and dancing.  We here found great quantities of mackerel, which they take on the shore by means of nets which they construct of a species of hemp.  This grows in the part of the country where they principally reside, as they come only to the sea side during the fishing season.  So far as I could understand, they have likewise a kind of millet, or grain, as large as pease, like the maize which grows in Brasil, which serves them instead of bread.  Of this they have great abundance, and it is called kapaige in their language.  They have also a kind of damsin plumbs, which they call famesta.  They possess likewise, figs, nuts, apples, and other fruits, and beans which they call sahu; their name for nuts is cahehya.  When we shewed them any thing which they had not or were unacquainted with, they used to shake their heads, saying nohda! nohda! implying their ignorance or want of that article.  Of those things which they had, they explained to us by signs how they grew, and in what manner they used to dress them for food.  They use no salt, and are very great thieves, stealing every thing they could lay their hands on.

Copyrights
Project Gutenberg
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 06 from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.