to finde any Port, wee cast anchor vpon the
coast, and sent our Boate to shore, where we saw great store of people
which came to the sea side: and seeing vs approch, they fled away, and
sometime would stand still and looke backe, beholding vs with great
admiration: but afterwards being animated and assured with signes that we
made them, some of them came hard to the Sea side, seeming to reioyce very
much at the sight of vs, and marueiling greatly at our apparel, shape and
whitenesse, shewing vs by sundry signes where we might most commodiously
come aland with our Boat, offering vs also of their victuals to eat. Now I
wil briefly declare to your Maiestie their life and maners, as farre as we
could haue notice thereof: These people goe altogether naked, except only
that they couer their priuie parts with certaine skins of beastes like
vnto Martens, which they fasten vnto a narrow girdle made of grasse very
artificially wrought, hanged about with tayle of diuers other beastes,
which round about their bodies hang dangling downe to their knees. Some of
them weare garlands of byrdes feathers. The people are of colour russet,
and not much unlike the Saracens: their hayre blacke, thicke and not very
long, which they tye together in a knot behind and weare it like a litle
taile. They are well featured in their limbes, of meane stature, and
commonly somewhat bigger then we: broad breasted, strong armed, their legs
and other parts of their bodies well fashioned, and they are disfigured in
nothing, saving, that they have somewhat broade visages, and yet not all
of them: for we saw many of them wel favoured, having blacke and greate
eyes, with a cheerefull and steady looke, not strong of body, yet sharpe
witted, nymble and exceeding great runners, as farre as we could learne by
experience, and in those two last qualities they are like to the people of
the East partes of the world, and especially to them of the uttermost
parts of China. We could not learne of this people their maner of living,
nor their particular customs, by reason of the short abode we made on the
shore, our company being but small, and our ship ryding farre off in the
Sea. And not farre from these we found another people, whose living wee
thinke to be like unto theirs; (as hereafter I wil declare unto your
Majestie) shewing at this present the situation and nature of the foresayd
land. The shore is all covered with small sand, and so ascendeth upwards
for the space o