ere secured and led away. More than twenty women of the
captives were taken with their own consent, and other women, natives of
the island, were surprised and carried off; several of the boys, who were
captives, came to us fleeing from the natives of the island who had taken
them prisoners. We remained eight days in this port in consequence of the
loss of the aforesaid captain, and went many times on shore, passing
amongst the dwellings and villages which were on the coast; we found a
vast number of human bones and skulls hung up about the houses, like
vessels intended for holding various things.[289-1] There were very few
men to be seen here, and the women informed us that this was in
consequence of ten canoes having gone to make an attack upon other
islands. These islanders appeared to us to be more civilized than those
that we had hitherto seen; for although all the Indians have houses of
straw, yet the houses of these people are constructed in a much superior
fashion, are better stocked with provisions, and exhibit more evidences
of industry, both on the part of the men and the women. They had a
considerable quantity of cotton, both spun and prepared for spinning, and
many cotton sheets, so well woven as to be no way inferior to those of
our country. We inquired of the women, who were prisoners in the island,
what people these islanders were; they replied that they were Caribbees.
As soon as they learned that we abhorred such people,[289-2] on account
of their evil practice of eating human flesh, they were much delighted;
and, after that, if they brought forward any woman or man of the
Caribbees, they informed us (but secretly) that they were such, still
evincing by their dread of their conquerors, that they belonged to a
vanquished nation, though they knew them all to be in our power.

We were enabled to distinguish which of the women were Caribbees, and
which were not, by the Caribbees wearing on each leg two bands of woven
cotton, the one fastened round the knee, and the other round the ankle;
by this means they make the calves of their legs large, and the
above-mentioned parts very small, which I imagine that they regard as a
mark of elegance: by this peculiarity we distinguished them.[289-3] The
habits of these Caribbees are brutal. There are three islands: this is
called Turuqueira; the other, which was the first that we saw, is called
Ceyre; the third is called Ayay:[290-1] all these are alike as if they
were