V 
8 ' 7he V O Y 
. They were all ftark naked as they were born, Men and 
Women, and moil of them young, or not above thirty 
Years of age. They wore their Hair down to their Ears, 
and fome few to their Necks, tied with a String. They 
had good Faces and Features, though their extraordinary 
high Foreheads fomewhat disfigured them. They were 
of a middle Stature, well fhaped, and their Skins of an 
Olive Colour, like the Natives of the Canaries-, fome 
of them were painted with black, and others white, and 
others red ; moft of them on their Bodies, and fome on 
their Faces and Eyes, or only the Nofe. They were 
not acquainted with our "Weapons, for when they fhewed 
them naked Swords, they fimply laid hold on the Edges. 
They knew nothing of Iron, and wrought Wood with 
Fard fharp Stones found in Rivers. Some of them having 
Scars about them, and being afked by Signs, anfwered, 
that People, from other Lands, came to make them Pri- 
foners^ and they received thofe Wounds in their Defence. 
They feemed to be ready of Tongue, and ingenious j for 
they eafily pronounced the Words they once heard. No 
other Sort of Creatures were feen there but Parrots. 
On the 1 3th many Indians came aboard the Ships in 
their Canoes, moft of which carried forty five Perfons j 
yet fome were fo fmall that they held but one. They 
rowed with an Oar like the Peel of an Oven, as if they had 
dug with a Spade; and their Boats are fo artificially made, 
that though they over-fet, the Indians fwimming turn 
them up again, and empty the Water with dried Gourds 
they had for that Purpofe. They carried Cotton to bar- 
ter, and fome for three Ceutis of Portugal (worth about 
a Farthing) gave as many Bottoms of Cotton as weighed 
a quarter of an hundred Weight. They wear no Jewels 
or other things of Value, except fome little Plates of 
Gold they had hanging at their Nofes. They were aflc- 
ed whence they had that Gold, and fignified it came 
from the Southward, where a King had much of it. 
The Admiral underftanding that there were other Lands, 
refolved to go in queft of them. The Ships were never 
clear of Indians ; the whole Day was fpent in bartering ; 
their Generofity not extending to give what they had, 
but for the Value they put upon what they received in re- 
turn; looking upon the Spaniards as Men come from 
Heaven, and therefore they would have fomething to 
keep as a Memorial of their being there. 
7. On the 14th, in the Morning, the Admiral, with 
the Boats, took a View of the Coaft to the North-weft. 
The Natives followed by Land, promifing Proviftons, 
and calling others to fee the People come from Heaven, 
who, wondring, lifted up their Hands, and fome fwim- 
ming, and others in Canoes, went to afk them by Signs, 
whether they came from Heaven, and praying them to 
go and reft in their Country. The Admiral gave them 
all Glafs Toys, Pins, and other Baubles, being well pleafed; 
at length he came to a Ridge of Rocks, where there was a 
fafe and fpacious Harbour, and where aftrong Caftle might 
have been erebled, becaufe it was almoft encompafled with 
the Sea. In that Place were fix Houfes, with many Trees 
about them ; and becaufe the Men were tired with rowing, 
and he perceived the Country was not proper to make any 
long ftay in, he took feven Indians to learn the Spanijh 
Tongue, and returning to the Caravels, fet out in queft 
of the other Elands ; about an hundred appearing flat, 
green, and inhabited, the Indians telling the Names of 
them. 
On the 1 5th, he came to one that was feven Leagues 
from the Firft, which he called St. Mary of the Concep- 
tion. The Side whereof next to St. Saviour extends 50 
Leagues along the Coaft ; but the Admiral took the Coaft 
that lies Eaft and Weft, being eighteen Leagues in 
Length ; anchored on the Weft, and went afhore. The 
Natives flocked thither in great Numbers, with much 
Amazement, and he perceiving all alike thought fit to pro- 
ceed no farther ; a Canoe 'being aboard the Caravel Nina, 
one of the feven Indians of San Salvador, or St. Saviour, 
threw himfelf over-board and went his Way, and though 
the Boat purfued, they could not overtake him ; the Night 
before another made his Efcape. Another Indian came in 
a Canoe, to exchange Cotton ; the Admiral ordered a 
red Cap to be put upon his Head, and Hawks-Bells on 
AGES of Book I. 
his Arms and Legs, and fo fent him av/ay very joyful, 
without taking his Cotton. The next Day he failed av/ay 
Weft to another Hand, the Coaft whereof ftretched along 
1 8 Leagues North-weft and South-eaft, where he arrived 
on the 17th, in the Afternoon, by reafon of theCalm. 
On their W ay they met an Indian in a Canoe, carrying 
a Piece of fuch Bread as they eat, and a Calabafli or 
Gourd with W ater ; a little black Earth with which they 
paint themfelves, and dry Leaves of an Herb they very 
much value, becaufe it is wholefome, and has a ftweet 
Scent, and in a little Baflcet a String of Glafs-Beads and 
two Vintems, a fmall Portugal Coin, by which they 
knew he came from St. Salvador, had pafled by the 
Conception, and was going to this Hand, which the 
Admiral named Fernanda, in Honour of the King. They 
underftocd that the faid Indian was going to carry Advice 
of the Spaniards, but the Way being very long, and he 
tired with rowing, he went aboard the Ships, where the 
Admiral ordered him fome Bread and Honey to eat, and 
Wine to drink, and as foon as he arrived at the Ifland 
he ordered him to be fet afliore with fome Toys he gave 
him. The good Account he gave, caufed the People to 
go aboard, and barter for fuch Things as they had met 
with in the other Hands, the Inhabitants of them being 
of one Nation. When the Boat went afhore for Water, the 
Inhabitants readily fhewed it, and carried the little Tubs to 
fill the Pipes ; but they feemed to be a more underftand- 
ing People than the former; for they managed better in 
exchange of Commodities. Thefe had Cotton Cloths in 
their Houfes, and the married Women covered their Pri- 
vities with a little Cotton Cloth, which the Maids did 
not. 
This Hand appeared to abound in Water, having many 
Meadows and Groves, and fome agreeable little Hills, 
which there was not in the others; with an infinite Vari- 
ety of Birds that fung fweetly, and flew in flocks, moft 
of them different from what Spain affords ; there were 
alfo many Lakes, and near one of them they faw a Crea- 
ture like a Crocodile, feven Foot long, and they throw- 
ing Stones at him, he ran into the Water, where they 
killed him with their Spears, admiring its Largnefs and 
frightful Shape ; but Time afterwards made it appear, that 
thefe Animals being fcaled and flead, are good Meat: 
the Flefh of them being white, and much valued by tf. 
Indians-, and in the Ifland of Hifpaniola they call them 
Tavanas ; in that Hand they faw Trees that looked as if 
they had been grafted, as having Leaves and Branches of 
four or five different Sorts, and yet they were natural : 
They alfo faw Fifhes of fine Colours, but no Land Crea- 
tures appeared, except large and tame Snakes, and Par- 
rots, Alligators, and a Sort of little Rabbits, in Shape 
like Mice, but bigger, which they call Utias. Proceed- 
ing towards the North-weft, taking a View of this Ifland, 
they anchored in the Mouth of a fine Harbour, that had 
an Ifland before it; but they went not in, becaufe it had 
not Water enough; nor would the Admiral go far from 
a Tov/n that had covered them ; whereas they had not 
yet feen, in any Hands, any bigger than of ten or twelve 
Houfes like Tents, fome round and others long, with an 
open Portal before them, as is ufual in the Low Countries ; 
covered with Leaves of Trees, well fitted for the Rain and 
Weather, with Vents for the Smoak, Ridges at the Top, 
handfomely made ; and within them there was no other 
Houfhold Stuff or Ornament, than what they carried 
aboard the Ships to barter. But their Beds were a Net, 
made faft to two Pofts, which are called Hamocks. 
They alfo faw fome little Dogs that did not bark. 
They found an Indian who had a Bit of Gold in his 
Nofe, v/ith fome Charadlers on it that looked like Let- 
ters ; and the Admiral would have it taken from him, be- 
lieving it had been a Coin, but it afterwards appeared there 
had never been any in the IVefi Indies. Finding nothing 
more in Fernanda, than in St. Salvador and the Concep- 
tion ; he proceeded to the others that were neareft. The 
fourth Ifland he came to was called Safmoto, and he named 
it Ifahella, in Honour of the Queen ; and took PofTefilon 
on it before AVitneffes, and the Notary, as he had done 
in the others. He perceived the Land was beautiful as the 
reft, and the People like the former. They killed another 
Alligator, 
