Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 16.djvu/331

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A fortresse builded in Socotora. and from thence they crost ouer to the Island of Socotora, where they built a fortresse, and made one Don Antonio de Noronia captaine thereof.

The Cape of Rosalgate. In the yeere 1507. in the moneth of August Tristan de Acunna tooke shipping for India, and Alfonso de Albuquerque remained there with fiue or sixe ships to keepe the coast and entrie of the Streight;[1] but being not therewith satisfied he tooke his course ouer vnto Arabia, and running along that coast he doubled the Cape of Rosalgate standing vnder the Tropicke of Cancer.

The Isle of S. Laurence. In the yeere 1509. one Diego Lopez de Sequeira went out of Lisbon with fower sailes vnto the Island of Saint Laurence, and continued in his voiage almost a yeere,[2] and in the moneth of May the same yeere he arriued in Cochin, where the Viceroy gaue him one ship more:

The Islands of Nicubar. and in the beginning of the moneth of September he tooke his course vnto Malacca passing betweene the Islands of Nicubar, and many others:

Samatra. He went also to the land of Samatra to the cities of Pedir and Pacem, and all along by all that coast vnto the Island of A Poluoreira, and the flats of Capacia:

Malacca. and from thence he went ouer vnto Malacca standing in 2. degrees of latitude towards the north: but in that citie the people killed and tooke as prisoners some of his men: and thereupon he turned backe againe into India, hauing discouered in this voiage fiue hundred leagues.

Rarities in Samatra. This Island of Samatra is the first land wherein we knew mans flesh to be eaten by certaine people which liue in the mountaines called Bacas, who vse to gilde their teeth. They hold opinion that the flesh of the blacke people is sweeter then the flesh of the white. The buffes, kine, and hennes which are in that countrey are in their flesh as blacke as any inke.

People hauing tailes like sheepe. They say that there are certaine people there called Daraqui Dara, which haue tailes like vnto sheepe; and some of their welles yeeld oile.

The king of Pedir is reported to haue a riuer in his land running with oile: which is a thing not to be maruelled at, seeing it is found written, that in Bactria there is also a well of oile: it is farther said that there groweth here a tree, the iuice

  1. Barros decad. 2. lib 2. cap 1.
  2. Barros decad. 2. lib 4. cap 3.