DISCOVERIES OF THE PORTUGUESE. 65 
familiarly on board, as if they had been long inti- 
mate with the Portuguese. In this state of affairs, 
Diego formed his resolution. At a moment, when 
several of the principal natives were on board, he sud- 
denly weighed anchor, and sailed for Portugal. He 
then intimated by signs to the people on shore, that 
he carried away their countrymen, merely to gratify 
his sovereign's desire of seeing and conversing with 
them ; that he would return in the space of fifteen 
moons ; and that, in the mean time, he left, as a se- 
curity in their hands, those of his countrymen who 
had gone as ambassadors to the king. In fact, his 
grand object in this manoeuvre appears to have 
been, to carry home these living trophies of his dis- 
covery 5 and he hoped, by teaching them the Por- 
tuguese language, while those left behind should 
acquire that of Congo, that a regular channel of 
communication might be opened. The king, on 
the arrival of this party, felt all the joy which his 
commander expected. In consequence of the in- 
struction which the Africans had received on the 
passage, they were able to converse with some de- 
gree of fluency, and gratified the king much by 
the intelligent answers which they returned to his 
inquiries. As the termination of the appointed 
period approached, Diego again set sail, in order 
to fulfil punctually his engagement. On arriving 
at the bar of the river of Congo, great was his joy 
to discover his countrymen whom he had left as 
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