A.D. 



1557- 



Hanta. 



Five sailes of 



Poriingals 



descried. 



THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



the rest all well appoynted, with foure trumpets, a 

 drumme and a Fife, and the boate all hanged with 

 streamers of Silke and pendants very faire, and went into 

 the river and traffiqued, our man of warre lying off and 

 on in the river to waft us, but we heard no more of the 

 Portugals. This day the Negros told us that there were 

 certain ships come into Hanta, which towne is about 2 

 leagues to the Westward of this place. 



This 21 day we manned our boats againe & went to 

 a place a league from this to the Westwards, and there 

 found many Negros with another Captaine, and sold at 

 the same rate that wee had done with the others. 



The 22 day we went a shore againe and traffiqued in 

 like sort quietly, and I tooke 4 pound and six ounces 

 of gold. 



The 23 day about night the Negros with their captaine 

 came to us and told us that the king of Portugals ships 

 were departed from the Castle, meaning the next day to 

 plie to the windward to come to us, giving us warning 

 to take heed to our selves : we told them againe that 

 wee were very glad of their comming, and would be 

 ready at all times to meet them, and to assure them that 

 we were glad of it, wee sounded our trumpets, and shot 

 off certaine bases whereof the Negros were very glad, and 

 requested us that if the Portugals sought to hinder our 

 traffique, to shew them all the extremitie that we could, 

 promising us that if they came by land, they would 

 advertise us thereof. 



The 24 we went a shore with our trumpets and 

 drummes, and traffiqued, and I bade the captaine of the 

 towne to dinner. 



The 25 day we being a shore, our ships had descried 

 five sailes of the king of Portugals, & our ships shot off 

 ordinance to call us away, and we threw every man his 

 caske a shore for water, and went to our ships, and by 

 that time we had weighed and given order one to another 

 what to do, it was night, so y l that night nothing was 

 done. We set saile and lay close all night to get the 



