202 ELDORADO 



themselves — sending off a man with great expedition 

 to us in a canow. Who being yet but a little from the 

 shoare and a great way from our ship, spoke to us 

 continually as he came rowing on After that our bus- 

 inesses were all dispatched, our Generall with his gen- 

 tlemen and many of his company made a journey up 

 into the land to see the manner of their dwelling and 

 to be better acquainted with the nature and commodi- 

 ties of the country. The inland we found to be far dif- 

 ferent from the shoare, a goodly country and fruitful 

 so3de, stored with many blessings fit for the use of 

 man ; infinite was the company of very large and fat 

 deere (elk) which we saw by thousands as we sup- 

 posed in a heard, besides a multitude of strange kinde 

 of conies by far exceeding them in number ; their heads 

 and bodies in which they resembled other conies are 

 but small ; his tayle like the tayle of a rat exceedingly 

 long and his feet like the paws of a want or moale; 

 under his chinne on either side he hath a bagge into 

 which he gathereth his meate when he hath filled his 

 belly abroade that he may with it either feed his young 

 or feed himself when he lists not to travail from his 

 borough. The people eat their bodies and make great 

 account of their skinnes, for their kings holidaies coate 

 was made of them. This country our General named 

 New Albion and that for two causes ; one in respect to 

 the white banks and cliffs which lie towards the sea, 

 the other that it might have some affinity even in 

 name also with our own country which was sometimes 

 so called. Not far within this harborourgh did lye cer- 

 tain Islands (we called them the Hands of Saint 



