70 DISCOVERIES OF THE PORTUGUESE. 
Diego Cam ; on his left arm he wore a bracelet of 
brass, and on his shoulder a horse's tail, accounted 
here a peculiar ensign of royalty. His head was 
covered with a bonnet of very fine cloth, made 
from the palm tree, with works in alto and basso 
relievo, resembling the texture of our velvet satin. 
Ruy de Sousa then did courtesy after the Euro- 
pean manner, which the king returned in his own, 
by placing his hand on the ground, and making a 
semblance of taking up dust, then pressing it to 
the breast of the ambassador, and afterwards to his 
own. He then expressed a desire to see the holy 
things which they had brought along with them, 
which being taken out and exhibited one by one, 
were viewed with the utmost attention and re- 
verence by the whole assembly. In this occupation 
they spent the day and part of the night, when the 
Europeans were shewn to the place appointed for 
their residence. Next day Ruy de Sousa requested 
that a church should be immediately erected ; a 
task to which the king applied himself in the most 
zealous manner. There being no stone in the 
neighbourhood, it was sent for from a great dis- 
tance ; and every individual was obliged to labour, 
that the work might be finished with the greater 
expedition. Hence, though the Portuguese ar- 
rived only upon the 29th April, the first stone was 
laid on the 3d of May, and the whole was com- 
pleted on the 1st of June. The intended splen- 
