A.D. THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



1540. 



entered into a valley : for (as I said) all this countrey 

 was full of high and bare hils, of such qualitie as I 

 mentioned before : and in this and other small valleys 

 we found some water which was brackish, and not farre 

 from thence certaine cottages made of shrubs like unto 

 broome ; likewise we found the footings of Indians both 

 small and great, whereat we much marvelled that in 

 so rough and wilde a countrey (as farre as we could 

 discerne) there should be people. Here we stayed all 

 day, making foure or five pits to take in water which we 

 wanted, which though it were bad, and in small quantitie 

 we refused not ; and so the evening being come, we 

 returned to our boates, and so came unto our ships 

 which rode a good league from the shore. The next 

 day being Wednesday the fourteenth of the said moneth 

 our Generall commanded us to set saile, and we sailed 

 about the said Hand on the same side which we coasted 

 when we came from Nueva Espanna : for when we 

 arrived on the coast we saw five or sixe fires ; wherefore 

 he desired to see and learne whether it were inhabited ; 

 and at the farthest ende of this inlet or bay where we 

 rode there came out before us a Canoa, wherein were 

 foure Indians which came rowing with certaine small 

 oares, and came very neere us to see what we were : 

 whereupon we tolde our Generall, that it were best to 

 send some of us out with our boates to take these Indians 

 or some one of them to give them something that they 

 might thinke us to be good people : but hee would not 

 consent thereto, because he minded not to stay, having 

 then a prety gale of winde, whereby he might saile 

 about this Hand, hoping that afterward we might finde 

 and take some others to speake with them, and give 

 them what we would to carry on shore ; and as we 

 sayled neere the land, we saw a great hill full of 

 goodly trees of the bignesse of the trees and Cypresses 

 of Castile. We found in this Hand the footing of 

 wilde beasts and conies, and saw a peece of pine 

 tree-wood, whereof we gathered, that there was store 



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