A.D. 

 I555- 



Cloth made of 

 the barke of 

 trees. 



THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



The Negroes 

 race their 

 skinnes. 



Graines of 



Guinea. 



Elephants 



teeth. 



[II. ii. 26.] 



goe somewhat high, but being once within it, it is as 

 calme as the Thames. 



There are neere to the Sea upon this River divers 

 inhabitants, which are mighty bigge men and go al 

 naked except some thing before their privie parts, which 

 is like a clout about a quarter of a yard long made of 

 the barke of trees, and yet it is like a cloth : for the 

 barke is of that nature, that it will spin small after the 

 maner of linnen. Some of them also weare the like 

 upon their heades being painted with divers colours, but 

 the most part of them go bare headed, and their heads 

 are clipped and shorne of divers sorts, and the most part 

 of them have their skin of their bodies raced with divers 

 workes, in maner of a leather Jerkin. The men and 

 women goe so alike, that one cannot know a man from 

 a woman but by their breastes, which in the most part 

 be very foule and long, hanging downe low like the 

 udder of a goate. 



The same morning we went into the River with our 

 Skiffe, and caried certaine basons, manels, &c. And there 

 we tooke that day one hogs-head and 100. Ii. waight of 

 Graines, and two Elephants teeth at a reasonable good 

 reckoning. Wee solde them both basons, and Manelios, 

 and Margarits, but they desired most to have basons : 

 For the most part of our basons wee had by estimation 

 about 30. Ii. for a piece, and for an Elephants tooth of 

 30. Ii. waight, we gave them 6. 



The 16. day in the morning we went into the river 

 with our Skiffe, and tooke some of every sort of our 

 marchandize with us, and shewed it to the Negroes, but 

 they esteemed it not, but made light of it, and also of 

 the basons, Manellios and Margarits, which yesterday 

 they did buy : howbeit for the basons they would have 

 given us some graines, but to no purpose, so that this 

 day wee tooke not by estimation above one hundreth 

 pound waight of Graines, by meanes of their Captaine, 

 who would suffer no man to sell any thing but through 

 his hands, and at his price : he was so subtile, that for 



184 



