in great danger at that late season,
during their winter or _rossia_, not so called on account of cold, but
from the heat accompanied with close and cloudy air, alternating with
great tempests, during which the air was of so putrifying a quality as
to rot the clothes on their backs. He had formerly lingered by the way,
to prevent them arriving too soon on the coast, when the heat of the sun
is scorching and unbearable.

Thus constrained contrary to his wish, he brought the ships to anchor
off the mouth of the river Benin, whence the pinnace was sent 50 or 60
leagues up the river. They then landed, and Pinteado, with Francisco
another Portuguese, Nicholas Lambert a gentleman, and other merchants
were conducted to the kings court, ten leagues from the river, where
they were brought into the kings presence by a great company. The king
was a _black Moor_ or negro, though not quite so black as the rest, and
sat in a long wide hall having earthen walls without windows, roofed
with thin planks open in many parts to let in air. These people give
wonderful reverence to their king, even the highest of his officers
when in his presence never daring to look him in the face, but sit
cowering on their buttocks with their elbows on their knees, and their
hands on their faces, never looking up till the king commands them. When
coming towards the king they shew him the utmost reverence from as far
off as they can see him; and when they depart they never turn their
backs towards him. In the communication of our men with the king, he
used the Portuguese language, which he had learnt when a child.
Commanding our men to stand up, he inquired the reason of their coming
into his country; on which he was answered by Pinteado, that we were
merchants who had come from a distant country into his dominions, to
procure the commodities of the country in exchange for wares which we
had brought from our own country, to the mutual convenience of both
countries. The king had then 30 or 40 quintals or hundred weights of
pepper, which had long lain in a store-house, which he desired our
people to look at, and that they should exhibit to him such commodities
as they had brought for sale. He likewise sent some of his officers to
conduct our people to the water-side, and to carry our wares from the
pinnace to his residence. These things being done, the king engaged to
our merchants that in 30 days he would provide a sufficiency of pepper
to load all our shi