Page:Diuers voyages touching the discouerie of America - Hakluyt - 1582.djvu/61

dred paces frõ vs, sending a final boate to giue vs intelligẽce of their comming, saying they would come to see our shippe, this they did in token of safetye, and assoone as they had answere from vs they came immediatly, and hauing stayed a while to beholde it, they wondered at hearing the cryes and noyes of the marriners. The queene and her maids stayed in a very light boate, at an Iland a quarter of a leage off, while the king abode a long space in our ship vttering diuers conceites with geastures, viewing with great admiration, all the furniture of the shippe, demaunding the propertie of euerie thing perticularly. He tooke likewise great pleasure in beholding our apparell and in tasting our meates, and so courteously taking his leaue departed. And sometimes our men staying for two or three dayes on a litle Ilande nere the ship for diuers necessaries, (as it is y͏ͤ vse of seamen) he returned with 7. or 8. of his gentlemen to see what we did, and asked of vs oft times if wee meant to make any long aboade there, offering vs of their prouision: then the king drawing his bowe and running vp and downe with his gentlemen, made much sporte to gratifie our men, wee were oftentimes within the lande 5. or 6. leagues, which we found as pleasant as is possible to declare very apt for any kinde of husbandry of corne, wine and oyle: for that there are plaines 25. or 30. leagues broad, open and without any impediment of trees of such fruitfulnesse, that any seede being sowne therein, will bring forth most excellent fruite. We entred afterwards into the woods which wee found so great and thicke, that any armie were it neuer so great might haue hid it selfe therein, the trees whereof are okes, cipres trees, and other sortes vnknowen in Europe. We found Pomi appii, Damson trees, and Nutte trees, and many other sorts of fruits differing frõ ours: there are beasts in great abundance, as hartes, deares, leopardes, and other kinds which they take with their nets & bowes which are their chiefe weapons, the arrowes whiche they vse are made with great cunning, and in steade of iron, they head them with smeriglio, wͭ iasper stone, & hard marble & other sharp stones which they vse in stead of iron to cuttrees,