1690.] ISLES OF CAPE VERB. 11 



nothing but continual Dangers, and in which tlie Weak 

 commonly fall a Victim to the Strong. 



Our Ship wanting Balast, we put into the Island of Salt, 

 one of the Isles of Ccqje Vcrcl^ which we discover'd the 29th 

 of October, and arriv'd the next Day in the Eoad, where we 

 cast Anchor in a Creek to the Southward of the Island, in 

 eight Fathom Water. A great Number of Sea-Birds came 

 to visit our Vessel, and perching on our Yards, let us take 

 them by hand : we eat some of them, but we did not like 

 them. We caught Fools, Frigates, Longtails, and other 

 Birds. Perhaps I shall have room to speak of these Animals 

 hereafter. We had a Swallow ever since we came from the 

 Canaries, which we let go every Morning, and it return'd to 

 us at Xight ; 'tw^as kill'd here by an Accident. 



The 31st we went ashoar, early in the Morning, with our 

 Arms and Dogs to hunt ; we found presently a prodigious 

 Quantity of Goats ; we cou'd easily see them, tho' at a great 

 distance, for the Island is extreamly dry, without Tree or 

 Bush, producing nothing but a sort of short Grass, at least 

 in the greatest part of what we saw : we kill'd some of them, 

 and left 'em on a Bank, to take them with us when we came 

 back, for we went farther into the Island, and search'd about 

 two or three Hours for fresh Water, but all that we met 

 with was brackish ; by which means we were almost dead 

 with Thirst. The Sun shines very hot in this Isle, and 

 there being no Shade, the Heat was very troublesome to us ; 

 we therefore return'd to our Goats, and thence to the Sea- 

 side, where we arriv'd about Sun-set. When we came back 



1 The Cape Verde islands are a group of fourteen islands, situated 

 about 320 miles west of Cape Verde. Sal island is the north-eastern- 

 most of the islands ; it is seventeen miles long, north and south, and about 

 five miles broad, -with rocky shores and mountains, the most northern of 

 which — Pico Martinez — is 1,340 feet high. The only production of this 

 island is salt, which is now brought to the sea-coast on tramways. 

 South Bay or Porte Santa INIaria, where Leguat landed, is the only 

 inhabited settlement on the ishmd. 



