One they caught as he was gathering honey on the fide of a mountain, and brought him to the fhips. He expreffed the greatest indifference for the gold and fine clothes which they fhewed him, but was greatly delighted with fome glasses and little brafs bells. These with great joy he accepted, and was fet on fhore; and foon after many of the blacks came for, and were gratified with the like trifles; and for which in return they gave great plenty of their best provisions. None of Gama's interpreters, however, could understand a word of their language, or receive any information of India. And the friendly intercourfe between the fleet and the natives was foon interrupted by the imprudence of Velofo *, a young Portuguese, which occafioned a fcuffle, wherein Gama's. life was endangered. Gama and fome others were on fhore taking the altitude of the fun, when in confequence of Velofo's rashness they were attacked by the blacks with great fury. Gama defended himself with an oar, and received a dart in his foot. Several others were likewife wounded, and they found their safety in retreat. The fhot from the hips facilitated their escape, and Gama esteeming it imprudent to waste his strength in attempts entirely foreign to the defign of his voyage, weighed anchor, and steered in search of the extremity of Afric. In this part of the voyage, fays Oforius, the heroism of Gama was greatly difplayed. The waves. fwelled like mountains in height, the fhips feemed now heaved up to * See the note, p. 58. vol. ii. the the clouds, and now appeared as precipitated by gulphy whirlpools to the bed of the ocean. The winds were piercing cold, and fo boisterous that the pilot's voice could feldom be heard, and a dismal, almost continual darkness, which at that tempeftuous season involves these feas, added all its horrors. Sometimes the ftorm drove them fouthward, at other times they were obliged to stand on the tack, and yield to its fury, preferving what they had gained with the greatest difficulty. With fuch mad feas the daring Gama fought THOMSON. During any gloomy interval of the ftorm, the failors, wearied out with fatigue, and abandoned to despair, furrounded Gama, and implored him not to fuffer himself, and those committed to his care, to perish by fo dreadful a death. The impoffibility that men fo weakened should ftand it much longer, and the opinion that this ocean was torn by eternal tempefts, and therefore had hitherto been, and was impaffable, were urged. But Gama's refolution to proceed was unalterable. A formidable confpiracy was then formed against his life; but his brother discovered it, and the courage and prudence of Gama defeated its defign. He put the chief confpirators and all the pilots in *The voyage of Gama has been called merely a coafting one, and therefore much less dangerous and heroical than that of Columbus, or of Magalhaens. But this, it is prefumed, is one of the opinions haftily taken up, and founded on ignorance, Columbus and Magalhaens undertook to navigate unknown € 3 in irons, and he himself, his brother, Coello, and fome others, stood night and day to the helms, and directed the unknown oceans, and fo did Gama; with this difference, that the ocean around the Cape of Good Hope, which Gama was to encounter, was believed to be, and had been avoided by Diaz, as impaffable. Prince Henry fuggefted that the current of Cape Bojador might be avoided by ftanding to fea, and thus that cape was first paffed. Gama for this reafon did not coast, but ftood to fea for upwards of three months of tempestuous weather. The tempefts which afflicted Columbus and Magalhaens, are by their different hiftorians defcribed with circumstances of less horror and danger than thofe which attacked Gama. All the three commanders were endangered by mutiny; but none of their crews, fave Gama's, could urge the opinion of ages, and the example of a living captain, that the dreadful ocean which they attempted was unnavigable. Columbus and Magalhaens always found means, after detecting a confpiracy, to keep the rest in hope; but Gama's men, when he put the pilots in irons, continued in the utmost despair. Columbus was indeed ill obeyed; Magalhaens fometimes little better: but nothing, fave the wonderful authority of Gama's command, could have led his crew through the tempeft which he furmounted ere he doubled the Cape of Good Hope. Columbus, with his crew, muft have returned. The expedients with which he used to foothe them, would, under his authority, have had no avail in the tempeft which Gama rode through, From every circumstance it is evident that Gama had determined not to return, unless he found India. Nothing less than such refolution to perish or attain his point could have led him on. But Columbus, ill obeyed indeed, returned from the mouth of the river Oronoko, before he had made a certain discovery whether the land was ifle or continent. When Gama met a ftrong current off Ethiopia, he bore on, though driven from his course. Columbus fteering southward in search of continent, met great currents. He imagined they were the rifing of the fea towards the canopy of heaven, which for aught he knew, fay the authors of the Univerfal Hiftory, they might touch towards the fouth. He therefore turned his courfe, and steered to the weft. The paffing of the straits of Magellan, however hazardous, was not attended with fuch danger as Gama experienced at the Cape. The attempt to cross the Pacific was greatly daring, but his voyage in that fea was happy. The navigation of the ftraits of Magellan and the Pacific are in this country little known; but the course of Gama is at this day infinitely more hazardous than that of Columbus. If Columbus found no pilots to conduct him, but encountered his greatest dangers in founding his courfe among the numerous western iflands, Gama, though in the Indian ocean affifted by pilots, had as great trials of his valour, and much greater ones of his prudence. The warlike itrength, and deep treacherous 1 the course. At laft, after having many days, with unconquered mind, withstood the tempest and an enraged mutiny, (molem perfidia,) the storm suddenly ceased, and they beheld the Cape of Good Hope, On November the 20th all the fleet doubled that promontory, and steering northward, coafted along a rich and beautiful fhore, adorned with large forefts and numberless herds of cattle. All was now alacrity; the hope that they had furmounted every danger revived their spirits, and the admiral was beloved and admired. Here, and at the Bay, which they named St. Blas, they took in provifions, and beheld those beautiful rural scenes, defcribed by Camoëns. And here the store-floop, now of no farther fervice, was burnt by order of the admiral. On December the 8th a violent ftorm drove the fleet from the * fight of land, and carried them to that dreadful current which made the Moors deem it impoffible to double the Cape. Gama, however, though unhappy in the time of navigating thefe feas, was fafely carried over the current by the violence of a tempeft; and having recovered the fight of land, as his safest course, he fteered northward along treacherous arts of the Moors, were not found in the weft. All was fimpli. city among the natives there. The prudence and forefight of Gama and Columbus were of the highest rate; Magalhaens was in thefe fometimes rather inferior. He loft his own, and the lives of the greatest part of his crew, by hazarding a land engagement at the advice of a judicial aftrologer. See the note on this line; To match thy deeds fhall Magalbaens afpire. LUSIAD X. This current runs between the cape from thence named Corrientes, and the fouth-west extremity of Madagascar. along the coaft. On the 10th of January they defcried, about 230 miles from their last watering place, fome beautiful islands, with herds of cattle frisking in the meadows. It was a profound calm, and Gama ftood near to land. The natives of this place, which he named Terra de Natal, were better dreffed and more civilized than those they had hitherto feen. An exchange of presents was made, and the black king was so pleased with the politenefs of Gama, that he came aboard his fhip to see him. On the 15th of January, in the dusk of the evening, they came to the mouth of a large river, whose banks were fhaded with trees loaded with fruit. On the return of day they faw feveral little boats with palm-tree leaves making towards them, and the natives came aboard without hesitation or fear. Gama received them kindly, gave them an entertainment, and some filken garments, which they received with visible joy. Only one of them however could speak a little broken Arabic. From him Fernan Martinho learned, that not far diftant was a country where fhips, in fhape and fize like Gama's, frequently reforted. Hitherto Gama had found only the rudeft barbarians on the coasts of Africa, alike ignorant of India and of the naval art. The information he here received, that he was drawing near to civilized countries, gave the ad, venturers great spirits, and the admiral named this place The River of Good Signs, Here, while Gama careened and refitted his ships, the crews were attacked with a violent fcurvy, which carried off feveral of his men. Having taken in fresh provifions, од |