Chap. III. 



A M E%1 C A. 



*i 



of them Prifoners to Spain , where they fafely arriv'd the 15. of November, Anno 



1498. 



This good fuccefs fo encourag'd Vejputius, that having ftay'd fcarce feven 

 Moneths afliore , he obtaining the Command over fix Ships, with which he 

 fet Sail from Cadi^, and touching upon the Qanaries , Steer'd from thence 

 Southerly 5 and having Sail'd five hundred Leagues, he difcover'd a Countrcy 

 overflowed and made Mariffiy by great Rivers, and abounding with Trees, but 

 faw no fign of any Inhabitants - y yet not long after, coming before an Ifland,he 

 took a Boat with two Prifoners , newly guelt , and fetit as a Prefent to feaft 

 the Cannibals, which refus'd to Treat on any other account whatfoever ; where- 

 fore he Sail'd eighty Leagues forward along the Shore of an unknown Ifland, 

 where he Barter'd for fome Gold, and got five hundred Pearls for one fingle 

 Shell 5 thefe Pearly the Inhabitants faid were not found there, but taken from 

 their Neighboring Enemies , which liv'd Weftward, and had abundance of 

 them. 



Nothing worthy of remark happened in this Voyage, onely the ftrange con* 

 ftitutions of a wild People, living on a barren Ifle,deferve to be mentioned. 



About their Necks hung two hollow Veflels , the one full of white ftamp'd 

 Worts, and Herbs • and the other, full of Grafs, which they greedily cram'd 

 into their Mouths, feeding like Cattel • then a Stick wetted with Spittle, they 

 put into the bruis'd Herbs , taking upon the end of it, as upon the point of a 

 Knife,fomc of the bruis'd to their Mouths,which (as if chawing the Cud) turn- 

 ing therein,then taking out again, and ftrowing more of the fame Herbs out of 

 the Veflel upon it, fwallow'd it down. No frelh Water was to be had amongft 

 them, but what they gather'd from the Dew in great Leaves : Neither had 

 they any Houfes, but dwelt under great Trees, and fed on dry'd Fifli. 



The next remark in this Voyage, was the difcovery of an Ifland not far from 

 the former, where he found the Footfteps of a Gigantick People, upon which ***&**> 

 nine Spaniards went a League to fearch the Countrey, where they faw five 

 great Huts, {landing in a fpacious Valley , and in them two old, and three 

 young Wpmen , each of them being twice as tall as an ordinary Man : The 

 old ones invited the Spaniards to eat , who when they were fat down, confut- 

 ing how they might take and carry one of thefe Giantefles to Spam r there to 

 fhew her for Money, thirty fix Giants came in to them, ( never did the Sun 

 fhine on a more terrible People) which fo amaz'd the Spaniards, that their Hair 

 feem'd to ftand an end at the fear thereof: Every Giant was arm'd with a 

 Bow and Arrows, and a Club : They wondering at the nine ftrangers, flood 

 talking very earneftly one to another , which gave the Spaniards time to think 

 of making their efcape . fome judg'd it convenient to difcharge their Guns up* 

 on them, and in the Smoke to run away . others thought, that it would be bet- 

 ter to take a milder courfe, which they all agreed on ; and taking their leave, 

 went out of the Hut, but were followed by the Giants, who kept a Stones caft 

 behind them, and went fafter or flower, as the Spaniards flacken'd or mended 

 their pace - y who at laft getting to the Shore, and from thence into their Boats, 

 they fuddenly put off; but the Giants then purfu'd them with eager fpeed, all 

 of them leaping into the Water, and Swimming, (hot abundance of Arrows 

 after them ; but frighted by the Thunder of two great Guns that were dif- 

 charged from the Ships, return'd afliore , and fled intc the neighboring 

 Hills. 



Yeffutim fecond Expedi- 

 tion. 



Strange confiitUtion of, ft 

 falyage people. 



Strange adve'n'ure of nine 

 Spaniards , meeting with 



