DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION a.d. 



i5;'8. 



The tree beareth no leaves nor branches, but at the 

 very top the fruit groweth in clusters, hard at the top 

 of the stemme of the tree, as big every severall fruite 

 as a mans head : but having taken off the uttermost 

 barke, which you shall find to bee very full of strings 

 or sinowes, as I may terme them, you shall come to a 

 hard shell which may holde of quantitie in liquor a 

 pint commonly, or some a quart, and some lesse : 

 within that shell of the thicknesse of halfe an inch 

 good, you shall have a kinde of hard substance and 

 very white, no lesse good and sweete then almonds : 

 within that againe a certaine cleare liquor, which being 

 drunke, you shall not onely finde it very delicate and 

 sweete, but most comfortable and cordiall. 



After wee had satisfied our selves with some of these 

 fruites, wee marched further into the Island, and saw 

 great store of * Cabritos alive, which were so chased * Or goatcs. 

 by the inhabitants, that wee could doe no good towards 

 our provision, but they had layde out as it were to 

 stoppe our mouthes withall, certaine olde dryed Cabritos, 

 which being but ill, and small and few, wee made no 

 account of. 



Being returned to our ships, our Generall departed 

 hence the 31. of this moneth, and sayled by the Island The Isle of S. 

 of S. lago, but farre enough from the danger of the ^^S^- 

 inhabitants, who shot and discharged at us three peeces, 

 but they all fell short of us, and did us no harme. 

 The Island is fayre and large, and as it seemeth, rich 

 and fruitfull, and inhabited by the Portugals, but the 

 mountaines and high places of the Island are sayd to 

 be possessed by the Moores, who having bin slaves to 

 the Portugals, to ease themselves, made escape to the 

 desert places of the Island, where they abide with 

 great strength. 



Being before this Island, we espied two ships under [in. 732.] 

 sayle, to the one of which wee gave chase, and in the end 

 boorded her with a ship-boat without resistance, which 

 we found to be a good prize, and she yeelded unto us 



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