A.D. 

 1540. 



Cez'ola tenne 

 dayes distant 

 from this place. 

 A desert of 

 ten dayes jour- 

 ney. 



[III. 436.] 



THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



Chap. 7. 



It is tolde him that they are ten dayes journey distant 

 from Cevola, and that there be Christians there, 

 which make warre against the lords of that countrey. 

 Of the Sodomie which those Indians use with foure 

 yong men appoynted for that service, which weare 

 womens apparel. Seeing they could not send newes 

 of their being there to them of Cevola, they went 

 backe againe downe the river to their ships. 



THen I prayed them to tel me how many dayes that 

 kingdom of Cevola, which they sp^ke of, was distant 

 from that river : and that man answered, that there was 

 the space of tenne dayes journey without habitation, 

 and that he made none accompt of the rest of the way, 

 because there were people to be found. Upon this 

 advertisement I was desirous to certifie Captaine Francis 

 Vazquez of my being there, and imparted my mind 

 with my souldiers, among whom I found none that was 

 willing to goe thither, although I offered them many 

 rewards in your lordships name, onely one Negro slave 

 though with an evil wil oifred himselfe unto me to go 

 thither : but I looked for the comming of those two 

 Indians which they told me of, and herewithall we went 

 on our way up the river against the streame in such sort 

 as we had done before. Here that olde man shewed 

 me as a strange thing a sonne of his clad in womans 

 apparel, exercising their office : I asked him how many 

 there were of these among them, and he told me there 

 were foure ; & that when any of them died, there was 

 a search made of all the women with child which were 

 in the country, and that the first sonne which was borne 

 of them, was appoynted to doe that duetie belonging unto 

 women, and that the women clad him in their apparell, 

 saying, that seeing he was to doe that which belonged 

 to them, he should weare their apparel : these yong men 

 may not have carnall copulation with any woman : but 

 all the yong men of the countrey which are to marrie, 



308 



