Page:The Scientific Monthly vol. 3.djvu/40

 34 THE SCIENTIFIC MONTHLY

. . . Here they all rested themselves upon the grass about these fountains, enjoy- ing the charming fragrance of the flowers, and the melody of the song of birds, so many and so sweet, and the shade of the palm trees, so tall and so beautiful, that the whole was a wonder. ... As the number of islands in this region was so great that he could not give to each a separate name, the Admiral called them all by the common name of the Queen's Gardens.

On the day following, the Admiral being very desirous to fall in with some natives with whom he might parley, there came a canoe to hunt for fish: — ^for they call it hunting, and they hunt for one fish with others of a particular kind. They have certain fishes which they hold by a line, fastened to their tails, and which are like conger-eels in shape, and have a large mouth [t. e., head] com- pletely covered with suckers, like the octopus. They are very fierce, like our ferrets, and when they are thrown into the water they fly to fasten themselves upon whatsoever fish they may espy, and sooner die than let go their hold till they are drawn out of the water.

The hunting fish is very light, and as soon as he has taken hold, the Indians draw him by the long cord attached to his body, and in this manner they take a fish each time on drawing both to the surface of the water.

As these hunters were at a distance from the caravel, the Admiral sent his boats to them with armed men, contriving it so that they should not escape to the land. As the boats came up to them, these hunters called out to the men in mildest manner and as unconcernedly as if they had known them all their lives, to hold off, because one of the fishes had fastened upon the under side of a large turtle, and they must wait till they had got it into the canoe. This our men did, and afterwards they took the canoe, and thoFe in it, together with four turtles, each of which was three cubits in length, and brought them to the ships of the Admiral; and there they gave some account of these islands, and of their cacique who was close at hand, and had sent them to hunt. They asked the Ad- miral to go on shore, and they would make for him a great feast and would give him all of the four turtles they had caught.

Clearly the description just given refers to the ^* eel-like Eeversus'' or Eemora, and so far as the description goes it is a more dependable sketch than the portrayal which Peter Martyr has preserved for ua in the pioneer collection of •voyages,' published in 1504, and "De Kebua Oceania" of 1511. The following narrative is taken from the fifteenth chapter of the " Libretto " :

Continuing [along the coast of Cuba] they found further onward some fishermen in certain of their boats of wood excavated like eopoli, who were fish- ing. In this manner they had a fish of a form unknown to us, which has the body of an eel and larger: and upon the head it has a certain very tender skin which appears like a large purse. And this fish they drag, tied with a cord to the edge of the boat, because it can not endure a breath of air. And when they see any large fish or reptile, they loosen the noose and this fish at once darts like an arrow at the fish or other' creature, throwing over them this skin which he has upon his head; which he holds so firmly that they are not able to escape, and he does not leave them if they are not taken from the water ; but as soon as he feels the air be leaves his prey and the fishermen quickly seize it. And in the presence of our people they took four large turtles which they gave our people for a very delicate food.

8 ''Libretto de Tutta la Navigatione de Re de Spagna, de le Isole at Ter- reni Novamente Trovati. '' The text for this libretto was written some time previous to the summer of 1501, and was reproduced in the fourth book of the "Paesi Novamente Betrovati," first published at Vicenza in 1507.

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