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.