d afterwards into the woods, which we found
so great and thicke, that any army were it neuer so great might haue hid
it selfe therein, the trees whereof are okes, cipresse trees, and other
sortes vnknowen in Europe. We found Pomi appii, damson trees, and nut
trees, and many other sort of fruit differing from ours: there are beasts
in great abundance, as harts, deere, luzerns, and other kinds which they
take with their nets and bowes which are their chiefe weapons: the arrowes
which they vse are made with great cunning, and in stead of yron, they
head them with flint, with iasper stone and hard marble and other sharp
stones which they vse in stead of yron to cut trees, and to make their
boates of one whole piece of wood, making it hollow with great and
wonderful art, wherein 10 or 12 men may sit commodiously: their oares are
short and broad at the end, and they vse them in the sea without any
danger, and by maine force of armes, with as great speedines as they list
themselues. (M339) We saw their houses made in circular or round forme, 10
or. 12 paces in compasse, made with halfe circles of timber separate one
from another without any order of building, couered with mattes of straw
wrought cunningly together, which saue them from wind and raine; and if
they had the order of building and perfect skil of workmanship as we haue
there were no doubt but that they would also make eftsoones great and
stately buildings. (M340) For all the sea coasts are ful of cleare and
glistering stones, and alablaster, and therefore it is full of good hauens
and harboroughs for ships. They mooue the foresaid houses from one place
to another according to the commodity of the place and season wherin they
wil make their abode, and only taking of the mattes, they haue other
houses builded incontinent. The father and the whole family dwell together
in one house in great number: in some of them we saw 25 or 30 persons.
They feed as the other doe aforesaid of pulse which grow in that Countrey
with better order of husbandry then in the others. They obserue in their
sowing the course of the Moone and the rising of certaine starres, and
diuers other customes spoken of by antiquity. Moreouer they liue by
hunting and fishing. (M341) They liue long, and are seldome sicke, and if
they chance to fall sicke at any time, they heale themselues with fire
without any phisitian, and they say that they die for very age. They are
very pitifull and charitable towards t