ily believed it was the good pleasure of God
that they should attain to the discovery of the Indies.

Thus continuing the voyage till Christmas day, they had discovered
seventy leagues to the eastwards, and had arrived in the latitude in
which India was said to be in his instructions. The fleet continued to
sail for so long a time without going to land, as to be in want of water,
insomuch that they had to dress their provisions in sea water, and were
forced to reduce the allowance of drink to one pint of water per man each
day. But on Friday the 11th January 1498, drawing near the land, the
boats were sent out to view the coast, where they saw many Negroes, both
men and women, all of whom were of great stature, and followed our boats
along the coast. As these people appeared quiet and civil, the general
called Martin Alonzo, who could speak many of the Negro languages, and
desired him and another to leap on shore, which they immediately did.
Alonzo and his companion were well received by the natives, especially by
their chief, to whom the general sent a jacket, a pair of breeches, and a
cap, all of a red colour, and a copper bracelet, of which he was very
proud, and returned thanks to the general, saying, "that he might have
any thing he wished for or needed that his country produced." All which,
as Martin Alonzo understood their language[16], he reported to the
general, who was much pleased that by this means an intercourse could be
opened with the natives. Alonzo and another of our people were
accordingly permitted by the general to go for one night along with the
natives to their town, where the chief dressed himself out in his new
garments, and was beheld with much admiration by his people in his finery,
clapping their hands for joy. This salutation was repeated three or four
times on their way to the town, and when there, the chief made the
circuit of the whole village, that all the people might see and admire
his new and strange attire. When this ceremonial was ended, the chief
retired to his own house, where he commanded Alonzo and his companion to
be well lodged and entertained, and gave them for supper a hen exactly
the same as one of ours, and a kind of pap, or porridge, made of a yellow
grain called _Mylyo_[17], of which likewise they made bread. Many of the
Negroes repaired that night to their lodging to have a near view of the
strangers; and next day, the chief sent them back to the ships,
accompanied by som