SIR JOHN HAWKINS a.d. 



1565. 

 have their heads of silver, othersome that have want of 

 these, put in a kinde of hard wood, notched, which 

 pierceth as farre as any of the rest. In their fight, 

 being in the woods, they use a marvellous pollicie for 

 their owne safegard, which is by clasping a tree in 

 their armes, and yet shooting notwithstanding : this 

 policy they used with the French men in their fight, 

 whereby it appeareth that they are people of some 

 policy : and although they are called by the Spanyards 

 Gente triste, that is to say. Bad people, meaning there- 

 by, that they are not men of capacity : yet have the 

 French men found them so witty in their answeres, 

 that by the captaines owne report, a counseller with us 

 could not give a more profound reason. 



The women also for their apparell use painted skinnes, 

 but most of them gownes of mosse, somewhat longer 

 then our mosse, which they sowe together artificially, 

 and make the same surplesse wise, wearing their haire 

 downe to their shoulders, like the Indians. In this 

 river of May aforesayd, the captaine entring with his 

 pinnesse, found a French ship of fourescore tun, and 

 two pinnesses of fifteene tun a piece, by her, and speak- 

 ing with the keepers thereof, they tolde him of a fort T^he French 

 two leagues up, which they had built, in which their fi'''^- . 

 captaine Monsieur Laudonniere was, with certeme soul- laudonniere 

 diers therein. To whom our captaine sending to under- 

 stand of a watering-place, where he might conveniently 

 take it in, and to have licence for the same, he straight, 

 because there was no convenient place but up the river 

 five leagues, where the water was fresh, did send him 

 a pilot for the more expedition thereof, to bring in one 

 of his barks, which going in with other boats provided 

 for the same purpose, ankered before the fort, into the 

 which our captaine went ; where hee was by the Generall, 

 with other captaines and souldiers, very gently enter- 

 teined, who declared unto him the time of their being 

 there, which was fourteene moneths, with the extremity 

 they were driven to for want of victuals, having brought 



