f 
798 The Voyages and Obfervations of j. A. de Mandeifioe, Book I, 
it at eighty Fathom. We faw alfo the fame Day abun- 
dance of Black- Birds, with a final! Spot of white on their 
Breads : Thefe, according to the Opinion of the Englifh 
Seamen, always foreboded Tempeft, which proved true ; 
for, before Night, a Storm arofe from the W. M. W . 
with a very rough Sea, which took our Carpenter from the 
Deck, but he was faved by Means of a Rope. The 
Ground, which {tuck tothePlummet,beingblack at eightFa- 
thom Depth, we concluded we were not far from the Cape 
t l* Aguilas , which is fixty Leagues diftant from that of Good- 
Heps. The 25th the Tempeft encreafmg in 36° 20 beyond 
the Line, we were in great Danger of being loft, being 
forced by the Currents towards the Shore ; but the Tem- 
peft being fomewhat allayed, we efcaped the Danger, but 
were foon after threatened by another, occafioned by a 
Lamp in the Prefident’s Room, which had fet Fire to the 
Wainfcot. The 26th the Storm continued till two in the 
Afternoon, when the Pefcepuereos coming in great Num- 
bers about our Ships, were the Forerunners of fair Wea- 
ther, and the N. W. Wind which enfued. On the 27th, 
in the. Morning, it was calm ; but, in the Afternoon, we 
made two Leagues an Hour with a N. W. Wind, taking 
our Courfe to the N. N. W. As we faw that Day abun- 
dance of T rombas, or a kind of Canes, three or four Foot 
long, and of the Bignefs of a Man’s Arm, which float upon 
the Water, and are met with no where but near this Cape 
we concluded that we were not far from the Cape 
of Good-Hope , and the 28th difcovering the Coaft from 
N. to W. fome thought it had been the Cape •, but finding 
Ground at forty Fathom, and in 34° 40', we were foon 
convinced it muft be the Cape d* Aguilas. 
The 29th the Wind turning S. E. we fleered our Courfe 
N. W. along the Coaft, and the Wind turning to the 
N. W. we could advance but a little : We then found our- 
felves in 34 0 27', and confequently twenty- four Leagues 
from Cape d* Aguilas. On the 30th the Wind continued 
againft us ; but the next Day the Wind turning to the 
N. E. by E. we failed along the Coaft, and, at lad difco- 
vered the high Shore, known by the Name of Cabo Falfo 
(becaufe it refembles a Promontory) within feven Leagues 
of the Cape of Good-Hope. May the 2d the N. E. Wind 
continued, we got Sight of the Cape of Good-Hope ; but 
foon after turning about to the N. W. we could not get 
into the Bay, fo were forced to ftand out to Sea, fleering 
our Courfe to the South. The 3d the Wind ftill at N. W. 
brought along with it a moft furious Tempeft; notwith- 
ftanding which we made the beft of our Way to the Coaft ; 
the 4th doubled one of the Points of the Cape of Good- 
Hope. Ten Leagues diftant from the Bay we difcovered 
the Mountain, called by the Hutch the Table-Mountain , 
from it Flatnefs and fquare Figure, in 34 0 4', within fif- 
teen Leagues of the Cape. Our Intention was to have got 
in there, but the Wind proving contrary, we kept along 
the Coaft as well as we could : But the 5th, at Sun-rifing, 
we were out of Sight of the Shore, which made us change 
our Courfe to the N. E. fo that we difcovered Land again 
about Noon, and in two Hours after, by palling the Ifle 
of St. Elizabeth , got into the Bay by Night, where we call 
Anchor at feven Fathom Water. 
19. This Cape of the Continent of Africa , extending to 
the South into the Sea, in 36° beyond the Line, received 
the Name of Cabo de Bona Efperanza in 1493, from 
John II. King of Portugal , when the Portugueze firft went 
in Quell of the Paflage by Sea to the Indies, lying as it 
were at a nearer Diftance of about 2500 Leagues, betwixt 
Europe and the moft Raftern Coafts of the Indies ; ever 
fmce which Time this has been the Place where Ships 
bound to thofe Parts, take in their Refrefhments, Water 
being very excellent here, and Cattle very cheap, their 
Oxen being very large, with Bunches on their Backs like 
thofe -of the Indies , and their Sheep very good, with long 
hanging Ears, and Tails as big and weighty as a good 
..Quarter of Mutton: Neither do they want Wild-Fowl, 
Deer, Wild-Boars, Partridge, Quails, and, among the 
reft, a kind of Geefe, with Stumps inftead of Wings, 
but their Flefti is not eatable. They have alfo Dogs, or 
rather Sea-Bears, Camels, Tigers, Lions and Lynxes. 
The Hutch are tiled to leave Letters here under a certain 
Stone near the Harbour, acquainting their Countrymen 
that come ■after them, with all the remarkable Taftages in 
their Voyages, and what Courfe they intended to fleer. 
The Inhabitants are favage, uncouth, and ill-fhaped : 
They greafe their Bodies with Train-Oil, and eat their 
Flefti raw ; nay, they feldom kill any Beall, but feed upon 
them when they die of any Difeafe, Both Men and Wo- 
men go naked, covering their priyy Parts only with a 
Piece of Skin fattened round their Waift with a Leather- 
Girdle ; fome wrap a Lion’s Skin, or Ox Hide, round their 
Buttocks, drawing their Tail between their Legs : Some 
wear them over their Shoulders down to their Waift only, 
expofing all the reft to publick View, and disfiguring their 
Arms, Thighs, and Legs, by making Chara&ers in them 
by way of Incifion. The Women adorn their Arms and 
Legs with broad Rings of Iron or Brafs. Thofe living 
farther up in the Country are no lefs favage than the reft, 
with this Difference only, that they live a little better ; 
thofe near the Sea-fide living upon Oifters, Fifh, and ef~ 
pecially Whales ; for they know not what Hulbandry is, 
though their Grounds are excellent. They live in the fame 
Huts with their Cattle, and fcarce ever come to the Sea- 
fiiore, except when upon the Arrival of foreign Ships, 
they are to truck their Commodities, which are Ox-hides, 
Lions, Leopards, Tigers Skins, and Oftriches Feathers, 
for Knives, Looking-Glaffes, Nails, Hammers, and Pieces 
of Iron. They know not what Religion is, both God 
and the Devil being equally beyond their Comprehension „ 
On the 10th we were ready to fet fail again out of the 
Bay ; but the Wind proving contrary, we did not get to 
Sea till the 12th, with a N. E. Wind, fleering our Courfe 
to the Weft ; but the Wind varying that Day through moft 
of the Points of the Compafs, we could not get out of 
Sight of the Coaft, and at Night were furprized by a Tem- 
peft, which continued till the 17th with fuch Violence 
that our Ship had much ado to refill it. The 18th the Sky 
began to clear up, and the Fury of the Wind being allayed, 
we found ourfelves in 34 0 40' ; whence we conjectured that 
the Tempeft had forced us back 25 or 30 Leagues, between 
CaboFalfo, and the Cape of Good-Hope. TheNight following, 
there arofe fuch a dreadful Hurricane that we gave ourfelves 
over for loft, being by the contrary Winds forced to Sea. 
The 19th were not much better; and the 20th we found 
but little Alteration, though we hoped for fome from the 
Change of the Moon, which happened that Day ; but the 
Storm continued till the 2 2d, when the Rains having fome- 
what abated the Fury of the Winds, we made ufe of our. 
Sails, fleering our Courfe to the Weft, as well as we could. 
On the 23d we were becalmed in Sight of the Coaft to the 
N. E. of us, and finding ourfelves in 37° 6', we fuppofed 
ourfelves on the Coaft between Cabo Falfo and that of 
Aguilas ; but another Tempeft arifing the fame Evening 
from the W. N. W. we were forced out again to Sea. 
The 24th the Wind held ftill contrary, which grew 
tempeftuous at Night. The 25th in 36° Lat. we' fleered 
our Courfe with a W. Wind to the S. The 26th the 
Wind blowing N. E. we made all the Sail we could to the 
W. but in the Evening the Wind turning to the N. W, 
brought along with it a moft violent Storm, which conti- 
nued the 28th and 29th ; fo on the 30th it wasrefolved, 
that feeing our Ships were not in a Condition to profecute 
the Voyage to England without manifeft Danger, to pul 
into the Ifle of Madagafcar : Purfuant to this Refolution, 
we tacked about at two in the Afternoon, in ftormy 
Weather, and a very rough Sea, which continued the 
next Day till about Noon. June the jft we made forty 
Leagues in twenty-four Hours, with a Weft- Wind, fleer- 
ing our Courfe to the Eaft. The 2d, about eleven at 
Night, the Wind veering about to the S. S. E. the beft 
Wind we could wifh for the Profecution of our Voyage to 
England , we refolved to return to the Cape of Good-Hope , 
and to take in frefti Water at the Ifle of St. Helens. The 
third we got with the fame Wind to 3 5 ° 8 f . On the 4th 
the abundance of Birds, called Mangas de V aludos, and the 
Trombas or Canes, floating upon the Sea, gave us great 
Hopes that we were not far from the Cape of Good-Hope . 
The 6th we were becalmed at forty-three, forty-eight, 
fifty-four, and fixty-three Fathom Water, and in the 
Evening the Wind was N. W. but turned the 7th to the 
W. which, .by .Night, turned to a violent Storm, and 
continued the 8th till Midnight, when coming about to 
the N. we took our Courfe to the N. W, The 9th the 
Winds 
