306 isLfis OP suMMEit. 



" They came to the ship in canoes, formed from the trunk of 

 a tree, as long as a boat, and all from one log, curiously worked 

 after their own fashion, and large enough to carry forty or fifty 

 persons. Others they have, also, sufRciont to contain cue per- 

 son. They are propelled by a paddle shaped like a baker's shovel, 

 and glide al)out rapidly. They overturn and right them again 

 when on the water, emptying them with calil)ashes which they 

 have always with them.- They bring balls of cotton thread, and 

 other things too numerous to mention, and would exchange them 

 for anything in return. I watched them very narrowly, to see 

 if they had any gold, but could only see that they had a little 

 piece hanging from the nose." 



In a subsequent letter he writes: •'' They swam out to our boats, 

 bringing parrots and balls of cotton thread, with spears and sev- 

 eral other things, all of which they exchanged for what we chose 

 to give them — glass beads and hawk's bills. In fact we traded 

 together most amicably, but they appeared to be a very poor race 

 of people, deficient in many things. They go about naked as 

 they were born, the women also, although I did not see but one 

 [old] young one. Cndeed every one that I saw was young; every 

 one appeared to be under thirty years of age. 



''The hair of some was thick and long, like the tail of a horse. 

 The hair of some was short, brought forward over the eye-brows; 

 some wearing it long and never cutting it. Some again are 

 painted, and the hue of their skin is similar in color to the Cana- 

 ries — not black nor white. Some are painted white, and some 

 red, or any other color. Some paint only their faces, and others 

 their whole person, and some only their eyes and noses. 



"They have no weapons and appear to know of none, for I 

 showed them swords, and they took them by the blade and cut 

 themselves from sheer ignorance. They have no iron. Their 

 spears are long, and instead of iron are pointed with the teeth of 



