8co 
Abe Voyages and Obfervations of J. A. de Mandelfloe, Book I. 
to our Tent, unto one of whom the Prefident prefented 
one of my Shirts, defiring her to wear it for my Sake. 
She made not the leaft Difficulty to receive it, and wore it 
two Days, after which, fhe tore it to Pieces, for feme 
otjler ufe. Their Men are brave, addicted to martial Ex- 
ercifes, and very dextrous in the Management of their 
Lances, Darts, and Pikes, which always lie near them, 
even when they are at work in the Field, being trained up 
to the ufe of Arms in their Infancy : Perfons of Note fel- 
dom ftir abroad without having twenty-five or thirty Darts, 
or fmail Pikes, carried after them, tied up in a Bundle. 
Their Bows are four or five Feet long, and the Strings 
loofe. They have a flight of Shooting with great Strength 
and Activity, and as to their Javelins, they dart them' 
with fo miraculous a Dexterity* that they will hit a Bird at 
forty Paces Diftance. 
They are divided into feveral Tribes, or Clans of one 
hundred, two hundred, or three hundred, each under his 
own Lord, whom they call Tfehick. Two of thefe had 
their Refidence in a Wood not far from our Tent. Their 
Wars among themfelves are commonly occafioned by the 
want of Pafturage for their Cattle, and the Prince Majfar told 
us, that he had joined with two neighbouring Lords, and that 
they intended to attack fome on the other Side the Mountains 
with five hundred Men, to drive them from their Pafture 
Grounds, which they flood in need of for their Cattle. 
This Dignity is not Hereditary, but they govern, whilft 
they are in, the Poffeffion of it, with an abfolute Authority. 
It is not eafily determined what Religion they profefs. As 
far as I was able to learn, they believe one God, Crea- 
tor of Heaven and Earth, who will reward their good, 
and punifh their bad Addons. I remember I faw one among 
them, whom I fuppofed to be their Prieft, getting up on 
a Tree, and making his Oration to the People ; but as I 
had not the leaft Knowledge of their Language, I could 
not be fatisfied ofwhat hefaid, neither what Difference there 
was in the outward Appearance of their Priefts and Laicks, 
except that I obferved fome of them to carry a Piece of a 
Cow’s Tail at the End of a Cane; and 1 faw one whofe 
Nails on the two Fore- fingers of his Righthand, were as 
long as the Talons of an Eagle. Each Tribe has its own 
Prieft, who' pretends alfo to Incantations. 
2 1 . The Ifle of Mozambique is not above half a League 
from the Continent of Africa, and remain in the Poffeffion 
of the Portugueze. This Email Ifland is fo beneficial to 
the Governor thereof, that what with the Trade to Mada- 
gafear , and that of Soffola , he commonly amaffes a Trea- 
fure of 1 50,000 Pounds Sterling during his three Years 
Government. This Ifland was firft difeovered by the Por- 
tugueze in 1 50 6,. when a whole Boat of Negroes coming 
on Board the Portugueze Yeffel s, they were very civilly en- 
tertained by the Captain, who alfo gave them diverfe little 
Prefents, but they requited his Kindnefs with a Shower of 
Arrows, as foon as they were got into their Boat, till the 
Captain, by a Volley of fmail Shot, and fome Cannon 
Ball, made them foon give over that Sport. Another Por- 
tugueze Captain, named Rodriguez Per era, being in the fame 
Year driven upon that Coaft by Diftrefs of Weather, fent 
a certain African Negroe, who had fome Knowledge of 
their Language, to flgnify unto them, that he was come 
thither to fettle a good Correfpondence and Commerce 
with them. They feemed to approve of this Propofal, 
but were no fooner got at fome Diftance from the Portu- 
gueze, than they fell upon the Moor , with Intention to 
kill him, which they had certainly done, if the Portugueze 
had not difeharged their Fire-Arms upon them, which ob- 
liged them to leave the Negroe, and to betake themfelves 
to their Heels, leaving feveral of their Companions dead 
upon the Spot. 
Perera fail’d thence to another Place upon the fame 
Coaft, where having furprized one of their Princes, he 
carried him on Board, and gave him fuch kind Entertain- 
ment, that in requital for his Gourtefy, he offered to Ihew 
him a very good Harbour ; accordingly he conducted them 
to a great Bay, at the Entrance of which was a frnali, but 
populous Ifland ; but the Inhabitants being terrified at the 
Sight of jhefe foreigners, fled into another adjacent Ifland; 
io. that the Portugueze , being become Matters of the fmail 
Ifle without the leaft Opposition, they fent to the Inhabi- 
tants, defiring them to return to their Habitations, the 
Gccafion of their coming thither being to fettle a good 
Correfpondence with them. Upon this, moft of them re- 
turned, and as a Mark of their Good-will, prefented Pe- 
rera with fifty Oxen, and twenty Goats; but being never- 
thelefs willing to be rid of the Strangers, they tempted, 
the Captain with the Hopes of great Riches, which they 
faid he might meet with in the Port of Matatana ; which 
was fo well approved by him, that he was preparing to 
thither, but one of his Ships being foon after forced upon 
the Coaft of the Ifle, he retired with the other to Mozam- 
bique : Another Ship of the fame Fleet being driven by 
tempeftuous Weather into the Port of Matatana , a Boat 
of the Country came immediately aboard them, in which 
tne Captain fent the Mafter of the Veflel, who was well 
verfed in the African Language. 
The Moor making more than ordinary Hafte to 
afhoie with the Mafter, and the Portugueze conceiving 
fome Jealoufy at their Behaviour, they purfued them with 
eighty hden,. m their Shallop, but too late, the Negroes 
having reached the Shore before them. However, ^after 
they were landed, they got Sight again of the Mafter, 
who told them, he had been treated with much Kindnefs’ 
by their Prince, who was defirous to fee the Captain him- 
felf, in order to enter into a ftridl Correfpondence with 
him ; which the Captain not unwilling to comply with., 
.went accordingly aftiore, where he was kindly received* 
and magnificently treated by the Prince, according to the 
Fafhion of that Country ; but, in the Evening, being ready 
to return aboard in the Shallop, there arofe a violent Tem- 
ped, that he durft not venture to commit himfelf to the 
mercilefs Waves in fo fmail a Boat, which continued for 
four Days fueceffiyely, and there being no Poffibility to get 
on Board, his Ship’s Crew imagining that he had been 
maffacred by thefe Barbarians, thought it moft advisable to 
fave themfelves, and to return to Mozambique , which they 
did accordingly. The Captain finding the Ship gone was 
fo difeontented, that he died not Jong after, as did eio-ht 
others of his Retinue. The reft thinking it better to run 
the rifque of the Sea, than to perifh without the leaft Hopes 
of Relief, embarqued in the Shallop, and having by good 
Fortune met with a Portugueze Veffel, commanded by 
John fonfeca , he carried them to the next Portugueze Port 
in Africa. The firft Time of the landing of the Butch in 
the Ifte of Madagafcar happened rather by Chance than 
any Defign, for their Seamen being miferably in felted with 
the Scurvy, fo that they were no longer able to manage 
the Ship, they were forced to feek for Refrefhment in this 
Ifland, but loft feventy Men out of the four Veffels, of 
which their Fleet confifted, before they could get at any. 
Thefe Men were buried in a fmail Ifland, which to this Day 
is called the Butch Church-yard. Some will have the Mada - 
gafearians to be Mohammedans ; but certain it is, that in 
their outward Demeanour they don’t Anew the leaft Sign 
of it. 
22. The Winter Seafon being pretty well over* we be- 
gan to think of our Voyage ; for which purpofe having 
bought, Auguji the 19th, of Prince Majfar , and fome 
other neighbouring Lords, twenty-five Oxen, and a hun- 
dred Sheep, we embarqued our Baggage the 20th, and the 
the 2 1 ft fet Sail out of the Bay of Saint Augujline with a 
South- weft Wind, which proving favourable all that Night, 
we foon loft Sight of Madagafcar. 
The 2 2d, being rejoined by the Monfoon, or Wind of 
the Seafon, which happened fooner than ordinary, we 
brifldy purfued our Courfe to Weft-South-Weft, and the 
23d the Wind blowing a brifk Gale from the Eaft in our 
Stern, we failed brifldy a little more to the South, with an 
Intention to avoid the Cape of Good-Hope. The 24th and 
25th the Wind was not fo brifk, but being feconded by a 
freih Gale, the 2 6th we advanced bravely, and found our- 
felves that Day in 27 0 2j s Latitude, and on the 28th in 
28° 12k The 29th we were furprized by the Tra- 
vados, or Whirl-winds, in 31 0 15' ; but they did not con- 
tinue long. The 30th it blew aftern ; notwithftanding 
which we made the belt of our way, and the laft of Auguji 
found ourfelves in 33 0 34k On the ift of September we 
made fifty Leagues in twenty-four Hours, tho’ the Wind 
blew very hard ; and the 2d we got thirty Leagues far- 
1 ther* 
