the face, but sit cowring, as we vpon our knees, so they vpon
their buttocks, with their elbowes vpon their knees, and their hands before
their faces, not looking vp vntil the king command them. And when they are
comming toward the king, as far as they do see him, they do shew such
reuerence, sitting on the ground with their faces couered as before.
Likewise when they depart from him, they turn not their backs toward him,
but goe creeping backward with like reuerence.

[Sidenote: The communication between the king of Benin and our men.] And
now to speake somewhat of the communication that was between the king and
our men, you shall first vnderstand that he himselfe could speake the
Portugall tongue, which he had learned of a child. Therefore after he had
commanded our men to stand vp, and demanded of them the cause of their
comming into that countrey, they answered by Pinteado, that they were
marchants trauelling into those parties for the commodities of his
countrey, for exchange of wares which they had brought from their
countries, being such as should be no lesse commodious for him and his
people. The king then hauing of old lying in a certaine store house 30 or
40 kintals of Pepper (euery kintall being an hundred weight) willed them to
looke vpon the same, and againe to bring him a sight of such marchandizes
as they had brought with them. [Sidenote: The kings gentlenes towards our
men. ] And thereupon sent with the captaine and the marchants certaine of
his men to conduct them to the waters side, with other to bring the ware
from the pinnas to the court. Who when they were returned and the wares
seen, the king grew to this ende with the merchants to prouide in 30 dayes
the lading of al their ships with pepper. And in case their merchandizes
would not extend to the value of so much pepper, he promised to credite
them to their next returne, and thereupon sent the country round about to
gather pepper, causing the same to be brought to the court: So that within
the space of 30 dayes they had gathered fourescore tunne of pepper.

In the meane season our men partly hauing no rule of themselues, but eating
without measure of the fruits of the countrey, and drinking the wine of the
Palme trees that droppeth in the night from the cut of the branches of the
same, and in such extreme heate running continually into the water, and
vsed before to such sudden and vehement alterations (then the which nothing
is more dangerous) were