The six voyages of John Baptista Tavernier, Baron of Aubonne through Turky, into Persia and the East-Indies, for the space of forty years : giving an account of the present state of those countries, viz. of the religion, government, customs, and commerce of every country, and the figures, weight, and value of the money currant all over Asia : to which is added A new description of the Seraglio / made English by J.P. ; added likewise, A voyage into the Indies, &c. by an English traveller, never before printed ; publish'd by Dr. Daniel Cox

CHAP. XXVI. The Author embarks in a Dutch Vessel, to return into Europe.

THE next day I went aboard the Vice-Admiral, and the third day after we set sail, and as soon as we were out of the Streight, we discover'd the Islands of the Prince. From thence being in the Altitude of the Coco Islands, we beat about two days to discover them; but all to no purpose, thereupon we made directly for the Cape of good Hope.

The fourty-fifth day after our departure from Batavia, our Vice-Admiral neglected to put out his Lights; believing all the Fleet had been before at the Cape; so that it happen'd that one of the Fleet being behind, and not carry∣ing any Lights out neither, it being a dark night, fell foul upon us, which put every man to his prayers, all people believing the Vessel had been lost; and indeed had she not been a sound stanch Ship (for the Provinces were so ac∣counted) she could never have endur'd so terrible a shock. At length we clear'd our selves, by cutting off the Yards of the Maestricht that hung in our Cor∣dage.

The fifty-fifth we came within view of the Cape of good Hope; but were forc'd to keep the Sea, because the waves roll'd so that we were not able to come to an Anchor; not that the Wind was extream high, but because the South∣wind had blown so long that it had forc'd the Water to that part. When the Sea grew calm, we came to an Anchor.

But of all the people that ever I saw in all my travels, I never saw any so hideous nor so brutish as the Comoukes, of which I have spoken in my Persian Travels; and those of the Cape of good Hope, whom they call Cafres, or Ho∣sentotes. When they speak, they make a noise with their tongues, like the breaking of wind backward; and though they hardly speak articulately, yet they easily understand one another. They cover themselves with the Skins of wild Beasts, which they kill in the Woods; in Winter wearing the hairy part inner∣most, and in Summer outermost. But there are none but the best sort among them who are thus clad, the rest wear nothing but a nasty rag about their privy parts. The men and the women are lean and short; and when they bring forth a Male-child, the Mothers cut out his right Stone; and presently give him Water to drink, and Tobacco to eat. They cut out the right Testicle, because, say they, it makes them swifter to run. There are some of them that will catch a Roe-Buck running. They neither know what belongs to Gold nor Silver; and for Religion, they have none among them.

So soon as we cast Anchor, four women came aboard us, and brought us four young Ostriches; which were boil'd for some sick people that we had a∣board.

After that they brought great store of Tortoise-Shells, and Ostriches Eggs, and other Eggs as big as Goose Eggs; which though they had no Yolk, tasted very well. The Birds that lay these Eggs are a sort of Geese, and so fat that they are hardly to be eaten, tasting rather like Fish than Flesh. The wo∣men seeing our Cook throw away the Guts of two or three Fowl which he was dressing, took them up, and squeezing out the Ordure, eat them as they were; being hugely pleas'd with the Aqua Vitae which the Captain gave them. Nei∣ther men nor women are asham'd to shew their nakedness, for indeed they are but a sort of human Beasts.

So soon as the Ship arrives, they bring their Beeves to the shore, with what other Commodities they have, to barter for strong Water and Tobacco, Cry∣stal or Agat Beads; or any sort of old Iron work. If they are not satisfi'd with what you offer them, away they fly; and then giving a whistle all their Cat∣tel follow 'em; nor shall you ever see 'em again. Some, when they saw 'em fly, would shoot and kill their Cattel; but after that for some years they would never bring any more. 'Tis a very great convenience for the Vessels that touch there, to take in fresh Victuals; and the Hollanders did well to build a Fort there. It is now a good handsome Town, inhabited by all sorts, that live with the Hollanders; and all sorts of Grain, which are brought out of Europe or Asia and sow'd there, come to better perfection there then in other parts. The Coun∣try lies in thirty-five Degrees, and some few Minutes over, so that it cannot be said that either the heat or scituation of the Climate makes these Cafres so black. Being desirous to know the reason, and why they stunk so terribly, I learnt it from a Girl that was bred up in the Fort, who was tak'n from her Mother, as soon as she was born, and was white like our women in Europe; she told me, that the reason why the Cafres are so black is, because they rub themselves with a Greafe or Ointment compos'd of several sorts of Drugs; wherewith should they not anoint themselves very often, and as soon as they were born, they should be∣come Hydropsical, as the Blacks of Africa, and the Abyssins are; or like the people of Saba, that never live above forty years, and are always troubl'd with one Leg twice as big as the other. These Cafres, as brutish as they are, have yet some knowledg of Simples, which they know to apply to several Diseases; which the Hollanders have several times experienc'd. Of nineteen sick persons that we had in our Ship, fifteen were committed to the care of these Cafres, being troubl'd with Ulcers in their Legs, and old wounds which they had re∣ceiv'd in the wars; and in less then fifteen days they were all perfectly cur'd. Every one of these had two Cafres to look after him; and according to the con∣dition of the wound or Ulcer, they went and fetch'd Simples, which they bruis'd between two Stones, and apply'd to the sore. As for the other four, they were so far gone with the Pox, that they would not trust the Cafres with them, having been given over at Batavia, and so they all dy'd, between the Cape and St. He∣lens.

In the year 1661, a Gentleman of Britanny being at Batavia, was so bit by the Gnats in the night, that his Leg exulcerated presently in such a manner, as to puzzle all the art and skill of the Chirurgeons in that Town. When he came to the Cape of good Hope, the Captain of the Ship sending him ashore, the Cafres came about him, and after they had beheld him, they told him if he would trust to them they would cure him. The Captain thereupon committed him to their care, who cur'd him and made him a sound man in less then fifteen days.

When a Ship comes to an Anchor in the Cape, it is the fashion for him that commands the Ship, to give leave to some part of the Mariners and Souldiers to go ashore to refresh themselves. The sickly have first leave by turns, and go to the Town, where they are dyeted and lodg'd for seven or eight Sous a day, and are very well us'd.

It is the custom of the Hollanders, when they stay here, to send out parties of Souldiers upon the discovery of the up-land Country, and they that go farthest are best rewarded. With this design a party of Souldiers, under the Command of a Serjeant, far advanc'd in the Country; and night coming on, they made a great fire, as well to keep themselves from the Lions, as to warm them∣sèlves, and so lay down to sleep round about it. Being asleep, a Lion came and seiz'd

one of the Souldiers Arms, which the Serjeant perceiving, immediately shot the Lion with his Carbine; but when he was dead, they had much ado to open the Lions mouth, to get out the Souldiers Arm. Thus it appears a vulgar error, to believe that Lions will not come near the fire. As for the Souldier, the Ca∣fres cur'd his Arm in twelve days. There are in the Fort abundance of Lions and Tigers Skins; among the rest, there was the Skin of a Horse which the Ca∣fres had kill'd; it was white, cross'd with black streaks, spotted like a Leopard, without a Tail. Two or three Leagues from the Hollanders Fort, there was a Lion found dead, with four Porcupines Quils in his body, the third part where∣of had pierc'd his flesh. So that it was judg'd, that the Porcupine had kill'd the Lion. The Skin, with the Quils in it, is kept in the Fort.

A League from the Fort, is a fair Town, that grows bigger and bigger every day. When the Holland Company arrives there with their Ships, if any Soul∣dier or Mariner will live there, they are very glad of it. They have as much ground as they can mannage; where they have all sorts of Herbs, and Pulse, and as much Rice, and as many Grapes as they can desire. They have also young Ostridges, Beef, Sea-fish, and sweet water. To catch the Ostridges when they please, they got their Nests when they are young, and driving a stake in the ground, tye the Birds by one Leg to the stake, and when they are old enough they come and take them out of the Nest, from whence it is impossible to fly away.

When the Hollanders began to inhabit the Cape, they took a young Girl from her Mother, as soon as she was born; she is white, only her Nose is a little flat. A French man got her with Child, and would have marry'd her; but the Com∣pany were so far from permitting him, that they took away above a hundred Livres of the Maids wages from her, to punish her for the misdemeanour, which was somewhat hard.

There are great numbers of Lions and Tigers, which the Hollanders have a pretty invention to take; they fasten a Carbine to a stake, driv'n into the Earth, and lay meat round about the Gun, which meat is fasten'd with a string to the Trigger. So that when the Beast snatches the meat, the string pulls the Trig∣ger, and the Gun going off, hits the Lion either in the throat or the breast.

The Cafres feed upon a Root like our Skerrets, which they roast and make bread of. Sometimes they grin'd it into flower, and then it tasts like a Wal∣nut. For their food they eat the same Root raw, with raw Fish; with the En∣trails of Beasts, out of which they only squeeze the ordure. As for the bowels of the wild Beasts, the women wear them dry'd about their Legs, especially the bowels of those Beasts which their Husbands kill, which they look upon as a kind of Ornament. They also feed upon Tortoises, when they have so far heat∣ed them at the fire, as to make the Shells come off. They are very expert in darting their Azagaya's; and those that have none, make use of pointed sticks, which they will lance a great way. With these they go down to the Sea-side, and as soon as ever they spy a Fish near the top of the water, they will not fail to strike him.

As for their Birds, which are like our Ducks, whose Eggs are without any Yolk; they breed in such great quantities in the Countrey, that in a Bay about eighteen Miles from the Cape, you may knock them on the head with a stick.

The Hollanders once carried a young Cafre to the General at Batavia, who bred him carefully up, teaching him to understand the Dutch and Portugal Lan∣guages perfectly well. At length being desirous to return into his Country, the General gave him very good Cloaths, and good Linnen, hoping that he would have liv'd among the Hollanders, and bin serviceable to them in the discovery of the Country; but so soon as he got home, he flung his Cloaths i' the Sea, and return'd wild among his fellow Natives, eating raw flesh as he did before, and quite for∣getting his Benefactors.

When the Cafres go a hunting, they go a great number together, and make such a prodigious howling and yelling, that they fright the very Breasts them∣selves, and in that affright with ease destroy them; and I have been assur'd, that their cries do terrifie the Lions themselves.

The women are of so hot a constitution of Body, that at the times that their

monthly customs are upon 'em, they happen to make water, and that an Euro∣pean chances to set his feet upon it, it causes an immediate Head-ach and Fea∣ver, which many times turns to the Plague.