Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 15.djvu/136

 thus talking with them, whereby he made them to holde their hands, hee willed the marriners to rowe away, so that at last he gat out of their danger: and then asking for Peter de Ponte, one of his sonnes being Sennor Nicolas de Ponte, came forth, whom hee perceiuing, desired to put his men aside, and he himselfe would leape a shoare, and commune with him, which they did: so that after communication had betweene them of sundry things, and of the feare they both had, master Hawkins desired to haue certaine necessaries prouided for him. In the meane space, while these things were prouiding, hee trimmed the maine mast of the Iesus which in the storme aforesayd was sprung: here he soiourned 7. dayes, refreshing himselfe and his men.

In the which time Peter de Ponte dwelling at S. Cruz, a citie 20. leagues off, came to him and gaue him as gentle intertainment as if he had bene his owne brother.

To speake somewhat of these Ilands, being called in olde time Insulæ fortunatæ, by the meanes of the flourishing thereof, the fruitfulnesse of them doeth surely exceede farre all other that I haue heard of: for they make wine better then any in Spaine, they haue grapes of such bignesse, that they may bee compared to damsons, and in taste inferiour to none: for sugar, suckets, raisins of the Sunne, and many other fruits, abundance: for rosine and raw silke, there is great store, they want neither corne, pullets, cattell, nor yet wilde foule: they haue many Camels also, which being young, are eaten of the people for victuals, and being olde, they are vsed for caryage of necessaries: whose propertie, is as hee is taught to kneele at the taking of his loade, and vnlading againe: his nature is to ingender backward contrary to other beastes: of vnderstanding very good, but of shape very deformed, with a little bellie, long misshapen legges, and feete very broad of flesh, without a hoofe, all whole, sauing the great toe, a backe bearing vp like a molehill, a large and thin necke, with a little head, with a bunch of hard flesh, which nature hath giuen him in his breast to leane vpon. This beast liueth hardily, and is contented with strawe and stubble, but of force strong, being well able to carrie 500. weight.

In one of these Ilands called Fierro, there is by the reports of the inhabitants, a certaine tree that raineth continually, by the dropping whereof the inhabitants and cattell are satisfied with water, for other water haue they none in all the Iland. And it raineth in such abund