English mile of the
shoare, and there we ankered in a maner before the mouth of the Riuer, and
then wee sent our boats into the Riuer for water, which went about a mile
within the Riuer, where they had very good water. [Sidenote: Riuer S.
Vincent.] This Riuer lieth by estimation 8. leagues beyond the Riuer de
Sestos, and is called in the Carde Riuer S. Vincent, but it is so hard to
finde, that a boat being within halfe a mile of it shall not be able to
discerne that it is a Riuer: by reason that directly before the mouth of it
there lyeth a ledge of rockes, which is much broader then the Riuer, so
that a boate must runne in along the shoare a good way betwixt the rockes
and the shoare before it come to the mouth of the Riuer, and being within
it, it is a great Riuer and diuers other Riuers fall into it: The going
into it is somewhat ill, because that at the entring the seas doe goe
somewhat high, but being once within it, it is as calme as the Thames.

[Sidenote: Cloth made of the barke of trees.] There are neere to the sea
vpon this Riuer diuers inhabitants, which are mighty bigge men and go al
naked except some thing before their priuie parts, which is like a clout
about a quarter of a yard long made of the barke of trees, and yet it is
like a cloth: for the barke is of that nature, that it will spin small
after the maner of linnen. [Sidenote: The Negroes race their skinnes.] Some
of them also weare the like vpon their heades being painted with diuers
colours, but the most part of them go bare headed, and their heads are
clipped and shorne of diuers sorts, and the most part of them haue their
skin of their bodies raced with diuers workes, in maner of a leather
Ierkin. The men and women goe so alike, that one cannot know a man from a
woman but by their breastes, which in the most part be very foule and long,
hanging downe like the vdder of a goate.

The same morning we went into the Riuer with our Skiffe, and caried
certaine basons, manels, &c. [Sidenote: Graines of Guinea.] And there we
tooke that day one hogs-head and 100 li. waight of Graines, and two
Elephants teeth at a reasonable good reckoning. We solde them both basons,
and Manellios, and Margarits, but they desired most to haue basons: For the
most part of our basons wee had by estimation about 30. li. for a piece,
and for an Elephants tooth of 30. li. waight, we gaue them 6.

The 16. day in the morning we went into the riuer with our Skiffe, and
tooke some o