CHAPTER XXXI.
How Dinis Diaz went to the land of the Negroes, and of the Captives that he took.
There was in Lisbon a noble squire, who had been a servant of the King Don John (the grandfather of the king Don Affonso, and father of this virtuous prince),[[BG]] who was called Dinis Diaz.
And he hearing news of that land,[[BH]] and how the caravels were already sailing so far from this coast;[[BI]] and also because he was a man desirous of seeing new things and of trying his strength (although he was now settled in that city,[[BJ]] which is one of the noblest in Spain, with profitable offices which had been given him in reward for his services), now went nevertheless to the Infant Don Henry to beg him to despatch him to that land. For considering that he was a servant of his father, and that all his rise was through him, and that he had both the courage and the youth to serve him withal, he had no mind to let his life slip away in the pleasures of repose.
The Infant thanked him for his good will, and had a caravel armed and got ready for the aforesaid Dinis Diaz to go and accomplish his purpose. And he, leaving Portugal with his company, never lowered sail till he had passed the land of the Moors and arrived in the land of the blacks, that is called Guinea.
And although we have already several times in the course of this history, called Guinea that other land to which the first[[BK]] went, we give not this common name to both because the country is all one; for some of the lands are very different from others, and very far apart, as we shall distinguish further on at a convenient place.[[93]] And as the caravel was voyaging along that sea, those on land saw it and marvelled much at the sight, for it seemeth they had never seen or heard speak of the like; and some of them supposed it to be a fish, while others thought it to be a phantom, and others again said it might be a bird that ran so on its journey over that sea. And after reasoning thus concerning the novelty, four of them were bold enough to inform themselves concerning this doubt; and so got into a small boat made out of one hollow tree-trunk without anything else being added thereto.
Now this I think must have been a kind of "coucho", like to some that are in use on the rapids of the Mondego and the Zezere, in which the labourers cross when they are obliged to do so in the depth of winter. And they came a good way out towards where the caravel was pursuing its course; and those in her could not restrain themselves from appearing on deck. But when the negroes saw that those in the ship were men, they made haste to flee as best they could; and though the caravel followed after them, the want of a sufficient wind prevented their capture. And as they[[BL]] went further on, they met with other boats, whose crews, seeing ours to be men, were alarmed at the novelty of the sight; and moved by fear they sought to flee, each and all; but because our men had a better opportunity than before, they captured four of them, and these were the first to be taken by Christians in their own land, and there is no chronicle or history that relateth aught to the contrary.[[94]]
And for certain this was no small honour for our Prince, whose mighty power was thus sufficient to command peoples so far from our kingdom, making booty among the neighbours of the land of Egypt; and Dinis Diaz ought to share in this honour, for he was the first who (by his[[BM]] command) captured Moors in that land. And now he pushed on till he arrived at a great cape, to which they gave the name of Cape Verde.[[95]]
And it is said that they met there with many people, but it is not related in what way they met with them; whether our men saw them from the sea while on board their ship; or whether[[BN]] as they were moving about in their little boats, busy with their fishing. It is enough that they did not capture any more on this voyage; except that it is said they landed on an island where they found many goats and birds, with which they greatly refreshed themselves; it is also said that they found many things there different from this land of ours, as will be related further on. And thence they turned back to this Kingdom; and although their booty was not so great as those that had arrived in the past, the Infant thought it very great indeed—since it came from that land. And so he gave to Dinis Diaz and his companions great rewards on account of it.
[BG] Henry.
[BH] Of Guinea.