Page:The Captivity of Hans Stade of Hesse.pdf/202

IN EASTERN BRAZIL. 83

sider these statements as lies, and some time or other when in anger they might kill me.

And I made him an admonition in their savage language, and I asked if he had not a Christian heart in his bosom, or had thought that after this life there was no other, when he had so strongly advised that I should be killed? Thereupon he began to repent and said, he had believed me to be no other than one of the Portuguese, who were such great villians, that if they were ever to catch any of them (the French) in that province of Brazil they would hang them at once which is true; also, said he, that they had to give way to the savages, and were obliged to be satisfied with the manner in which they proceeded with their enemies, for they were the hereditary enemies of the Portuguese.

According to my request, he told the savages that he had not well recognised me the first time, but that I was from Germany, and belonged to their friends, and that he wanted to take me with him to where the ships generally arrived. Then my masters said, "No;" they would give me up to nobody unless my own father or brother came there, and brought them a ship-load of goods, namely, hatchets, mirrors, knives, combs, and scissors, and gave these to them; for they had found me in the enemy's country, and I belonged to them.

When the Frenchman heard this, he told me that he well heard they would not part with me. Thereupon, I begged him, for God's sake, that he might send for me and take me to France in the first ship that might arrive. This he promised me, and he told the savages that they were to take care of, and not to kill me, for my friends would come soon to fetch me. With this he went away.

Now when the Frenchman departed, one of my masters, named Alkindar Miri (not he who was sick), asked me what Karwattuwara (which was the name of the Frenchman in the savage language) had given to me: if he was one of

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