An old man who saw me, and suspected my design,
called to me as loud as he could to return; but, instead of
obeying him, I redoubled my pace, and, quickly got out of sight.
At that time there was none but an old man about the houses, the
rest being abroad, and not to come home till night, which was
pretty usual with them. Therefore, being sure that they could not
come time enough to pursue me, I went on till night, when I
stopped to rest a little, and to eat some of the provisions I had
taken care of; but I speedily set forward again, and travelled
seven days, avoiding those places which seemed to be inhabited,
and lived for the most part upon cocoa nuts, which served me both
for meat and drink. On the eighth day I came near the sea, and
saw all of a sudden white people like myself gathering pepper, of
which there was great plenty in that place; this I took to be a
good omen, and went to them without any scruple. The people who
gathered pepper came to meet me, and, as soon as they saw me,
asked me in Arabic, who I was, and whence I came? I was overjoyed
to hear them speak in my own language, and willingly satisfied
their curiosity by giving them an account of my shipwreck, and
how I fell into the hands of the blacks. Those blacks, replied
they, eat men; but by what miracle did you escape their cruelty?
I told them the same story I now told you, at which they were
wonderfully surprised.
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