Purchas his pilgrimes. part 2 In fiue bookes. The first, contayning the voyages and peregrinations made by ancient kings, patriarkes, apostles, philosophers, and others, to and thorow the remoter parts of the knowne world: enquiries also of languages and religions, especially of the moderne diuersified professions of Christianitie. The second, a description of all the circum-nauigations of the globe. The third, nauigations and voyages of English-men, alongst the coasts of Africa ... The fourth, English voyages beyond the East Indies, to the ilands of Iapan, China, Cauchinchina, the Philippinæ with others ... The fifth, nauigations, voyages, traffiques, discoueries, of the English nation in the easterne parts of the world ... The first part.

§. VI.

Of the Prouinces of Bongo, Calongo, Mayombe, Manikesocke, Motimbas: of the Ape-monster Pongo, their hunting, Idolatries; and diuers other obseruations.

TO the Eastward of Longeri is the Prouince of Bongo, and it bordereth vpon Mocoke, * 1.1 the Great Angeca is King. In this place is great store of Iron, and Palme-cloth, and [ 40] Elephants teeth, and great store of Corne. To the North-east, is the Prouince of Cango, an•• it is fourteene dayes iourney from the Towne of Longo. This place is full of Mountaines and rockie ground, and full of Woods, and hath great store of Copper. The Elephants in this place doe excell. Here are so many, that the people of Longo fetch great store of Elephants teeth, and bring them to the Port of Longo.

To the Northwards of Longo three leagues is, the Riuer Quelle: and on the North side is, the * 1.2 Prouince of Calongo. This Countrey is alwaies tilled, and full of Corne: and is all plaine and champaine ground, and hath great store of Honie. Here are two little Villages, that shew at Sea like two homocks: which are the markes to know the Port of Longo. And fifteene miles Northward is the Riuer Nombo: but it hath no depth for any Barke to goe in. This Prouince, toward the East, bordereth vpon Bongo; and toward the North, vpon Mayombe, which is nine∣teene [ 50] leagues from Longo, along the Coast.

This Prouince of Mayombe is all Woods and Groues; so ouergrowne, that a man may tra∣uaile * 1.3 twentie dayes in the shadow without any Sunne or heat. Here is no kind of Corne nor Graine: so that the people liueth onely vpon Plantanes, and Roots of sundrie sorts very good, and Nuts, nor any kind of tame Cattell, nor Hens. But they haue great store of Elephants flesh, which they greatly esteeme; and many kind of wild Beasts; and great store of Fish. Here is a great sandy Bay, two leagues to the Southward of Cape Negro, which is the Port of Mayombe. * 1.4 Sometimes the Portugals lade Logwood in this Bay. Here is a great Riuer, called Banna: in the Winter it hath no barre, because the generall winds cause a great Sea. But when the Sunne [ 60] hath his South declination, then a Boat may goe in: for then it is smooth because of the raine. This Riuer is very great and hath many Ilands, and people dwelling in them. The Woods are so couered with Baboones, Monkies, Apes, and Parrots, that it will feare any man to trauaile in them alone. Here are also two kinds of Monsters, which are common in these Woods, and very dangerous.

The greatest of these two Monsters is called, Pongo, in their Language: and the lesser is cal∣led, * 1.5 Engeco. This Pongo is in all proportion like a man, but that he is more like a Giant in sta∣ture; then a man: for he is very tall, and hath a mans face, hollow eyed, with long haire vpon his browes. His face and eares are without haire, and his hands also. His bodie is full of haire, but not very thicke, and it is of a dunnish colour. He differeth not from a man, but in his legs, for they haue no calfe. Hee goeth alwaies vpon his legs, and carrieth his hands clasped on the nape of his necke, when he goeth vpon the ground. They sleepe in the trees, and build shelters for the raine. They feed vpon Fruit that they find in the Woods, and vpon Nuts, for they eate no kind of flesh. They cannot speake, and haue no vnderstanding more then a beast. The Peo∣ple of the Countrie, when they trauaile in the Woods, make fires where they sleepe in the [ 10] night; and in the morning, when they are gone, the Pongoes will come and sit about the fire, till it goeth out: for they haue no vnderstanding to lay the wood together. They goe many together, and kill many Negroes that trauaile in the Woods. Many times they fall vpon the Elephants, which come to feed where they be, and so beate them with their clubbed fists, and pieces of wood, that they will runne roaring away from them. Those Pongoes are neuer taken aliue, because they are so strong, that ten men cannot hold one of them; but yet they take ma∣ny of their young ones with poisoned Arrowes. The young Pongo hangeth on his mothers bel∣lie, with his hands fast clasped about her: so that, when the Countrie people kill any of the femals, they take the young one, which hangeth fast vpon his mother. When they die among themselues, they couer the dead with great heapes of boughs and wood, which is commonly [ 20] found in the Forrests.

The Morombes vse to hunt with their Countrie Dogs, and kill many kinds of little beasts, and great store of Pheasants. But their Dogs be dumbe and cannot barke at all. They hang woodden clappers about their neckes, and follow them by the ratling of the clappers. The Huntsmen haue Petes, which they whistle their Dogs withall. These Dogs in all this Coun∣trie are very little, with prickt eares, and are for the most part red and dunne. The Portugall ma∣stie Dog, or any other great Dog are greatly esteemed, because they doe barke. I haue seene a Dog sold vp in the Countrie for thirtie pounds.

In the Towne of Mani Mayombe is a Fetisso, called Maramba: and it standeth in an high bas∣ket made like an Hiue, and ouer it a great house. This is their house of Religion: for they be∣leeue [ 30] onely in him, and keepe his lawes, and carrie his Reliques alwaies with them. They are for the most part Witches, and vse their witchcraft for hunting and killing of Elephants, and fishing, and helping of sicke and lame men: and to fore-cast iourneyes, whether they shall speed well or euill. By this Maramba are all thefts and murthers tried: for in this Countrie they vse sometimes to bewitch one another to death. And when any dieth, their neighbours are brought before Maramba: and if it be a great man that dieth, the whole Towne commeth to sweare. The order is, when they come before Maramba, to kneele and claspe Maramba in their armes, and to say; Emeno, eyge bembet Maramba: that is, I come to be tried, O Maramba. And if any of them be guiltie, they fall downe starke dead for euer. And if any of them that sweare hath killed any man or child before, although it be twentie yeeres past, hee presently [ 40] dieth. And so it is for any other matter. From this place as farre as it is to Cape De lopo Gon∣salues, they are all of this superstition. I was twelue moneths in this place, and saw many die after this sort.

These people be circumcised, as they be through all Angola, except the Kingdome of Congo, for they are Christians. And those that will be sworne, to Maramba, come to the chiefe Gan∣gas, which are their Priests, or Men-witches; as Boyes of twelue yeeres of age, and men and women. Then the Gangas put them into a darke house, and there they remaine certaine dayes with very hard diet: after this they are let abroad, and commanded not to speake for certaine dayes, what iniurie soeuer they be offered: so that they suffer great penurie before they bee sworne. Lastly, they are brought before Maramba, and haue two markes cut vpon both their [ 50] shoulders before, like an halfe Moone; and are sworne by the bloud that falleth from them, that they shall be true to him. They are forbidden some one kind of flesh, and some one kind of fish, with many other toyes. And if they eate any of this forbidden meate, they presently sicken and neuer prosper. They all carrie a relique of Maramba in a little boxe, and hang it about their necks, vnder their left armes. The Lord of this Prouince of Mayombe, hath the Ensigne or shape of Maramba carried before him, whithersoeuer he goeth; and when he sitteth downe, it is set before him; and when he drinketh his Palme-wine, the first cup is powred at the foote of the Mokiso, or Idoll; and when he eateth any thing whatsoeuer, the first piece he throweth to∣ward his left hand, with enchanting words. * 1.6

From Cape Negro Northward is a great Lord, called Mani Seat; which hath the greatest [ 60] store of Elephants teeth of any Lord in the Kingdome of Longo: for, his people practise no∣thing else but to kill Elephants. And two of those Negroes will easily kill an Elephant with their darts. And here is great store of Logwood. * 1.7

There is another Lord to the Eastward, which is called Mani Kesock, and he is eight dayes

iourney from Mayombe. Heere I was with my two Negro Boyes, to buy Elephants haires * 1.8 and tayles; and in a moneth I bought twentie thousand, which I sold to the Portugals for thir∣tie Slaues, and all my charges borne. From this place I sent one of my Negro Boyes to Mani Seat with a Looking-glasse: he did esteeme it much, and sent me foure Elephants teeth, (very great) by his owne men; and desired me to cause the Portugals, or any other shippe, to come to the Northward of the Cape Negro, and hee would make fires where his landing place is: For there was neuer yet any Portugall, or other stranger in that place.

To the North-east of Mani Kesock, are a kind of little people, called Matimbas; which are no bigger then Boyes of twelue yeares old, but are very thicke, and liue onely vpon flesh, which they kill in the Woods with their Bowes and Darts. They pay tribute to Mani Kesock, and [ 10] bring all their Elephants teeth and tayles to him. They will not enter into any of the Marom∣bos houses, nor will suffer any to come where they dwell. And if by chance any Maramba, or people of Longo passe where they dwell, they will forsake that place, and go to another. The Women carry Bow and Arrowes as well as the Men. And one of these will walke in the Woods alone, and kill the Pongos with their poysoned Arrowes. I haue asked the Marombos, whether the Elephant sheddeth his teeth or no? And they say no. But sometimes they finde their teeth in the Woods, but they find their bones also.

When any man is suspected for any offence, he is carried before the King, or before Mani Bomma, which is as it were a Iudge vnder the King. And if it be vpon matter that hee deny∣eth, and cannot be proued but by their oath; then the suspected person is thus sworne. They [ 20] haue a kind of roote which they call Imbondo. This roote is very strong, and is scraped into * 1.9 water. The vertue of this roote is, that if they put too much of it into the water, the person that drinketh it cannot voyd vrine: and so it striketh vp into the braine, as though hee were drunke, and he falleth downe as though he were dead. And those that fall are counted as guiltie, and are punished.

In this Countrey none of any account dyeth, but they kill another for him: for they be∣leeue they dye not of their owne naturall death, but that some other hath bewitched them to death: And all those are brought in by the friends of the dead which they suspect, so that ma∣ny times there come fiue hundred men and women to take the drinke, made of the foresaid root, Imbonda. They are brought all to the High-streete or Market place, and there the master of the [ 30] Imbonda sitteth with his water, and giueth euery one a cup of water by one measure: and they are commanded to walke in a certaine place till they make water, and then they be free: But he that cannot vrine, presently falleth downe, and all the people great and small fall vpon him with their kniues, and beate and cut him into pieces. But I thinke the Witch that giueth the water is partiall, and giueth to him whom he will haue to dye the strongest water, but no man * 1.10 can perceiue it that standeth by. And this is done in the Towne of Longo, almost euery week in the yeare.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Bongo.
• * 1.2

  Calongo.
• * 1.3

  Mayombe.
• * 1.4

  Cape Negro is in sixteene de∣grees to the South of the Line. Banna Riuer.
• * 1.5

  The Pongo, or Giant-ape. He told me in conference with him, that one of these Pongos tooke a Negro Boy of his, which li∣ued a moneth with them. For they hurt not those which they surprise at vnawares, ex∣cept they look on them, which hee auoyded. He said, their highth was like a mans, but their bignesse twice as great. I saw the Ne∣gro Boy. Their strength. What the o∣ther Monster should be, he hath forgotten to relate: and these papers came to my hand since his death, which otherwise in my often con∣ferences I might haue learned. Per∣haps he mea∣neth the Pig∣mey Pongo-kil∣lers, mentio∣ned. A Dog sold for thirtie pounds. The Towne of Mani Mayombe. The author was twelue moneths in this Countrie. All Angola cir∣cumcised.
• * 1.6

  His trauaile to Mani Kesock. Mani Seat.
• * 1.7

  Great store of Logwood. Mani Kesock.
• * 1.8

  Twentie thou∣sand Ele∣phants tailes. A Trade a litle North ward of Cape Negro, which is about sixteene de∣grees to the South of the line. The Matimbas a people of ve∣ry smal sta••ure, a kind of Pig∣meys. Women vsing Bowes and Ar∣rowes. Elephants, whether they shed their teeth.
• * 1.9

  The vertue of the roote Im∣bondo. He told me that this root makes the wa∣ter as bitter as Gall (he tasted it) and one root will serue to try one hun∣dred. They which haue drunke and made water after are clea∣red, before which if dizzi∣nes take them, they cry, Vn∣doke, Undoke, and presently execute them. See my Relat. l. 7. c. 10. which I writ from his mouth. Neither may this be ascribed to the vertue of the herbe, but to the vice of the Deuill, a murtherer and his Instruments. The Ganga or Priest.
• * 1.10

  And therefore that coniecture seems vnprobable. For how could an ordinary tryall of life where are so many so perilous; and therefore curious (more then) spe∣ctators, [ 40] not perceiue this in so long and frequent experience, which costs so many their dearest friends their dearest life? I thinke rather that this was the transcribers coniecture. I remember no such scruple in his Narrations to me, who knowes not the Deuils ambition of Deity, and cruell Misanthropie or man-hating? This is his Apish imitation of Diuinity, and those Rites prescribed for triall in case of Iealousie, Num. 5. In Guinea like triall is made by Salt, and also by the Fetisseroes pot. In Benomotapa, by a water also: in the Moramba triall before, and Motamba triall by hot Iron in Angola; the Plough-shares in old times with vs: and the tryall of Witches still in the East parts by water, &c. were not vnlike in deceiueable superstition.