Page:Diuers voyages touching the discouerie of America - Hakluyt - 1582.djvu/53

not very long, which they tye togeather in a knot behinde & weare it like a taile. They are wel featured in their limbs, of meane stature and commonly somewhat bigger then we, brode breasted, strong armes, their legges and other partes of their bodies well fashioned, and they are disfigured in nothing sauing that they haue somewhat brode visages, and yet not all of them: for wee sawe many of them well fauoured hauing blacke and great eyes, with a cheerefull and stedie looke, not strong of body yet sharpe witted, nymble and great runners, as farre as we coulde learne by experience, and in those two last qualities they are like to the people of the East partes of the worlde, and especially to them of the vttermost partes of China, wee coulde not learne of this people their manner of liuing, nor their particuler customes by reason of y͏ͤ short abode we made on the shore, our companie being but small, and our ship ryding farre of in the Sea. And not farre from these we founde an other people, whose liuing wee thinke to bee like vnto theirs, (as heereafter I will declare vnto your Maiestie,) shewing at this present the situation and nature of the foresaide lande: The shore is all couered with small sande, and so ascendeth vpwardes for the space of fifteene foote rising in forme of little hilles about fiftie paces broade. And sayling forwards wee founde certaine small Riuers and armes of the Sea, that enter at certain creekes, washing the shore on both sides as the coast lyeth. And beyonde this wee sawe the open Countrie rising in height aboue the sandie shore with many fayre fieldes and plaines, full of mightie great woods, some verie thicke and some thinne, replenished with diuers sortes of trees, as pleasaunt and delectable to beholde as is possible to imagine. And your Maiestie may not thinke that these are like the woodes of Hercinia or the wilde Desertes of Tartary, and the Northerne Coastes full of fruitelesse trees: But full of Palme trees, Bay trees, and high Cypresse trees, and many other sortes of trees vnknowne in Europe, which yeeld most sweete sauors farre from the shore, the propertie whereof wee coulde not learnefor