A.D, 



1540. 



Granates, 

 Chrlstall. 



Excellent and 

 very great 

 Guinle cocks. 



[III. 378.] 



Gomara hist. 

 gen.Cap.zi'^. 

 saph that the 

 colde is by rea- 

 son of the high 

 mountaines. 



A wood of 

 Cedars. 

 Excellent 

 grasse. 



Deere, hares, 

 and conies. 



THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



what like Granates very bad, and other stones of Christall, 

 which I gave one of my servaunts to lay up to send 

 them to your lordship, and hee hath lost them as hee 

 telleth me. Wee found heere Guinie cockes, but fewe. 

 The Indians tell mee in all these seven cities, that they 

 eate them not, but that they keepe them onely for their 

 feathers. I beleeve them not, for they are excellent good, 

 and greater then those of Mexico. The season which 

 is in this countrey, and the temperature of the ayre is 

 like that of Mexico : for sometime it is hotte, and 

 sometime it raineth : but hitherto I never sawe it raine, 

 but once there fell a little showre with winde, as they 

 are woont to fall in Spaine. 



The snow and cold are woont to be great, for so say 

 the inhabitants of the Countrey : and it is very likely 

 so to bee, both in respect to the maner of the Countrey, 

 and by the fashion of their houses, and their furres and 

 other things which this people have to defend them from 

 colde. There is no kind of fruit nor trees of fruite. 

 The Countrey is all plaine, and is on no side moun- 

 tainous : albeit there are some hillie and bad passages. 

 There are small store of Foules : the cause whereof is 

 the colde, and because the mountaines are not neere. 

 Here is no great store of wood, because they have 

 wood for their fuell sufficient foure leaugues off from 

 a wood of small Cedars. There is most excellent grasse 

 within a quarter of a league hence, for our horses as well 

 to feede them in pasture, as to mowe and make hay, 

 whereof wee stoode in great neede, because our horses 

 came hither so weake and feeble. The victuals which the 

 people of this countrey have, is Maiz, whereof they have 

 great store, and also small white Pease : and Venison, 

 which by all likelyhood they feede upon, (though they 

 say no) for wee found many skinnes of Deere, of Hares, 

 and Conies. They eate the best cakes that ever I sawe, 

 and every body generally eateth of them. They have 

 the finest order and way to grinde that wee ever sawe 

 in any place. And one Indian woman of this countrey 



156 



