Selected quad for the lemma: water_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A45661
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The defence of the Scots settlement at Darien answer'd paragraph by paragraph / by Philo-Britan.
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Harris, Walter, 17th/18th cent.; Fletcher, Andrew, 1655-1716.; Foyer, Archibald.
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1699
(1699)
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Wing H881; ESTC R9419
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58,491
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93
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and resemble them in shape They have a Bill like a Hawk and a bushy Tail with 2 or 3 long stragling Feathers either red or blue but those of the Body are of a lovely blue green and red The Indians tame those Birds and them to speak and then letting them go into the Woods amongst the wild ones they will return of their own accord to the Houses They exactly imitate the Voices and Singing of the Indians and call the Chicaly in its own Note It is one of the pleasantest Birds in the World and its flesh sweet and well tasted They have also Wâ—odpeckers which are pâ—ed like our Magpies and have long Claws that they climb up Trees with they are not pleasant to Eâ—t They have plenty of Dunghil fowl resembling those of Eâ—â—â—pe and their Flesh and Eggs as well tasted as ours About the Sambaloes theâ— hâ—ve great store of Sea-fowl and particularly Pelicans which are large Birds having Legs and Feet like a Goose and a Neck like a Swan the Feathers are grey It has a Bag under its Throat which when fill'd is as large as a Man's two Fists and when dry will hold a pound of Tobacco they feed upon Fish and the young ones are good Meat They have also Cormorants resembling Ducks for size and shape are of a black Colour have a white spot on the Breast and pitch sometimes on Trees and Shrubs by the water side They are too rank to be eaten They have abundance of Sea-Gulls and Pies which are pretty good meat but eat fishy which is cur'd by burying 'em 8 or 10 hours in the Sand with their Feathers on They have flying Insects too and among others Bees which form their Hives on Trees and it 's observ'd That they never sting any body The Natives mix the Honey with Water and so drink it but know not the use of the Wax They have shining Flies which in the night time resemble Glow-worms Their Fish are the Tarpom which eats like Salmon some of 'em weigh 50 or 60 pound They afford good Oil. They have Sharks and another Fish that resembles a Sâ—ark but much better Meat The Câ—vally is much of the size of a Maccarel and very good Meat They have a Fish call'd Old Wives which is also very good to Eat Their Paracoods are as large as a well-grown Pike and very good Meat but in some particular places poisonous which are distinguished by the Liver Their Gar-Fish is good Meat they have a long Bone on their Snout with which they will sometimes pierce the side of a Canoe They have also Sculpins a prickly Fish which when strip'd is very good Meat They have likewise String rays Parrotfish Snooks Conger-Eels Conchs Periwinkles Limpits Sea-Crabs and Craw Fish and other sorts whose Names we know not that Eat very well The Inhabitants are most numerous on the North of the Istâ—â—us the Men usually 5 or 6 foot high streight clean limb'd big-bon'd handsomely shap'd nimble active and run well The Women are short and thick and not so lively as the Men the young Women plump well-shap'd and have a brisk Eye Both Sexes have a round Visage short bottle Noses large and grey Eyes high Forehead white even Teeth thin Lips pretty large Mouths well proportion'd Cheeks and Chins and in general handsome but the Men exceed the Women Both Sexes have streight long lank black Hair which they generally wear down to the middle of their Back All other Hair but that of their Eye-brows and Eye-lids they pull up by the Roots cut off the Hair of their Heads and paint themselves black by way of Triumph when they kill a Spaniard Their natural Complexion is a Copper colour and their Eye-brows black as Jet There are some among them of both Sexes which bear the proportion of 2 or 3 to a hundred who are milk white and have all their Bodies cover'd over with a milk white Down their Hair is of the same Colour and very fine about 6 or 8 Inches long and inclining to curl They are less in Stature than the other Indians and their Eye-lids point downwards in form of a Crescent they don't see well in the Sun their Eyes being weak and running with Water if the Sun shine upon them therefore they are call'd Moon-eye'd They are weak and sluggish in the day time but in Moon-shiny nights all life and activity and run as fast through the Woods by night as the other Indians do by day They are not so much respected as the other Indians but look'd upon as monstrous The Natives go naked both Men and Women only the Men have a thing like an Extinguisher of silver or gold Plate tied round their middle to cover their Yard and the Women tie a piece of Cloth before them which comes as low as their Knee but they use none of those Precautions till they come to the years of Puberty the Men that have not those Extinguishers make use of a piece of a Plantain-Leaf of a Conick Figure They are in general a modest and cleanly People and have a value for Cloths if they had them The better sort have long Cotton Garments shap'd like Carmens Frocks which they use on solemn Occasions as attending the King or Chief c. For an Ornament to the Face besides their general painting and daubing the Men wear a piece of Plate hanging over their Mouths and the Chief of them have it of Gold It is of an Oval Form and gently pinching the Bridle of the Nose with its points hangs dangling from thence as low as the under Lip and instead of this the Women wear a Ring through the Bridle of the Nose They lay them aside at their Feasts They likewise wear Chains of Teeth Shells Beads or the like the heavier they be they reckon them the more Ornamental Their Houses lie mostly scattering and always by a River side but in some places they are so many as to form a Town or Village Their Walls are made up of Sticks and daub'd over with Earth The Fire is in the middle of the House and the Smoke goes out at a Hole in the Roof They are not divided into Stories or Rooms but into Hovels every one has a Hammock for a Bed in one of those Hovels They have no Doors Shelves or Seats other than Logs of Wood. Every Neighbourhood has a Warr-house of 130 foot long the Sides and Ends full of Holes whence they shoot their Arrows on the approach of the Spaniards In their Plantations they set so much Plaintain Maiz c. as serves their occasions They likewise make Drink of Maiz which they ferment by Grains of the same chewed in their Mouths They have also another sort of Drink which they make of Plantains Most of the Drudgery is perform'd by the Women with great cheerfulness being very well condition'd and dutiful to their Husbands who are otherwise very indulgent to them and their Children The Women wash the Mother and Child in a