WILLIAM TOWERSON ad. 



1557- 

 the countrey. They have about this Towne great store 



of the wheate of the Countrey, and they judge, that on 

 one side of the towne there were one thousand rikes of 

 Wheate, and another sort of Corne which is called Mill, 

 which is much used in Spaine. About this towne they 

 keepe good watch every night, and have to warne the 

 watchmen certaine cordes made fast over their wayes, 

 which lead into the towne, and certaine bels upon them, A pretie 

 so that if any man touch the cordes, the bels ring, and , se . t0 , 



' . o descrte the 



then the watchmen runne foorth of their watch houses enem \ e 

 to see what they be : and if they be enemies, if they passe 

 the cord, they have provision with certaine nets hanged 

 over the wayes, where they must passe, to let fall upon 

 them, and so take them, and otherwise then by the 

 wayes it is not possible to enter the towne, by reason of 

 the thickets and bushes which are about the same, and 

 the towne is also walled round about with long cords, 

 and bound together with sedge and certaine barkes of 

 trees. 



When our men came to the towne, it was about five 

 of the clock in the morning, for there they travell alwayes 

 in the night by reason of the heate of the day : and about 

 nine of the clocke, the king sent for them, for there may 

 no man come to him before he be sent for, and then 

 they would have caried their present with them : but the 

 Negros told them, that they must bee three times 

 brought before him, before they might offer their gift : 

 and when they came to him, he talked with them, and The kings 

 received them very friendly, and kept them about halfe f n ?ndly enter- 

 an houre, and then they departed, and after that sent for ^ men 

 them againe three times, and last of all, they brought 

 him their present, which he received thankfully, and then 

 caused a pot of wine of Palme to be brought foorth, and 

 made them drinke : and before they drinke, both here 

 and in all the Countrey, they use certaine ceremonies. 



First, they bring foorth their pot of drinke, and then Their cere- 

 they make a hole in the ground, & put some of the w°nies in 

 drinke into it, and they cast the earth upon it, which Ci ms ' 



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