From there we went for a whole month further a distance of one hundred miles, and came to a place called Schelebethueba,[274] where we remained three days, for we were exceedingly tired and had no longer anything to eat, our principal food being honey. We were all consequently very weak, and everyone can imagine what dreadfully poor and miserable lives we passed in such a journey, especially as regards eating and drinking and sleeping. The bed which every one of us took with him weighed four or five pounds; it was of cotton, and made like a net. It is tied to two trees, and one man lies down in it. This is done in the forest, under the blue sky; for if there are not many Christians travelling overland together in India, it is better and safer to remain in the forest than to enter the houses and villages of the Indians.
[274] No place of this name in all Brazil.
We next came to a place which belongs to the Christians, whose chief was called Johann Reinmelle.[275] Fortunately for us he was not at home, for this place certainly appeared to me to be a robbers’ haunt. The said chief was at this time gone to another Christian at Vicenda[276] in order to make an agreement. Both are (with eight hundred Christians living in the two villages) subjects of the King of Portugal, and the aforesaid Johann Reinmelle has, according to his own account, lived, ruled, made war, and conquered in India for a period of four hundred (forty) years. Therefore, he may legitimately claim to rule the land for another. And because the Portuguese will not recognise his authority, they wage war. This said Reinmelle can, in one single day, gather around him five thousand Indians, whereas the king is not able to bring two thousand together, so much power and consideration has he got in the country.
[275] Juan Ramallo. This man was an exiled outlaw, left probably by Juan Diaz de Solis and Vicente Yañez Pinzon on the first voyage of discovery, which was made as far as 40° S., in 1508. Many travellers of that time met Ramallo on the coast of San Vicente, living there as a cacique with a large tribe of his children. The travellers called him the bachiller. Hans Staden speaks of two of his sons, calling them Diego de Praga and Domingo de Praga, because Staden made mistakes in all names of persons and places, just as Schmidt did. The translators of his book into Latin interpret Ramallo’s name as Reinuelle, and M. Ternaux Compans makes it French, and spells it Reinvielle. Ramallo’s family was the founder of Piratininga, the origin of the city of San Paulo, in Brazil.
[276] San Vicente, on the coast of the province of San Paulo. It was founded in 1531 by Martin Affonzo de Souza, and was the first Portuguese colony in Brazil.
When we came to the village, the son of the said Reinmelle was there, and he received us very well, though we had to look closer after him than after the Indians. But all went well, and no harm happened to us; therefore we thank God, the eternal Creator, through Jesus Christ, His only Son, who helped us so mercifully there and everywhere.
We then went farther to a little town called S. Vicenda at twenty miles distance, where we arrived on July[277] 13th, 1553, St. Anthony’s day, and found there a Portuguese ship laden with sugar, Brazilian wood and wool, belonging to Erasmus Schetzen. His factor is at Lisbon, and is called Johann von Hulsen, and he has another factor in Vicenda whose name is Peter Rössel.[278]
[277] June.
[278] Peter Rossel, or Rösel, is mentioned by Hans Staden; cf. The Captivity of Hans Staden (Hakl. Soc.), p. 169.
Messrs. Schetzen and Johann von Hulsen own a good number of villages and sugar factories in that place, where sugar is made all the year round.