Page 168
An.1684
St. Jago River. Hogs.
It was to this River that we were bound, to seek for Canoas, therefore the 26th supposing our selves to be abreft of it, we went from our Ships with 4 Canoas. The 27th day in the morning we entered at half Flood into the smaller Branch of that River, and rowed up 6 leagues before we met any inhabitants. There we found two small Huts thatched with Pal- meto Leaves. The Indians seeing us rowing towards their Houses, got their Wives and little ones, with their Household-stuff, into their Canoas, and paddled away faster than we could row; for we were forced to keep in the middle of the River because of our Oars, but they with their Paddles kept close under the Banks, and so had not the strength of the stream against them, as we had. These Huts were close by the River on the East side of it, just against the end of the Island. We saw a great many other Houses a league from us on the other side of the Ri- ver; but the main ftream into which we were now come, seemed to be so swift, that we were afraid to put over, for fear we should not be able to get back again. We found only a Hog, some Fowls and Plantains in the Huts: We killed the Hog and the Fowls, which were dreft presently. Their Hogs they got (as I suppose) from the Spaniards by some accident, or from some Neighbouring Indians who converse with the Spaniards; for this that we took was of their European kind, which the Spaniards have introduced them into America very plentifully, especially into the Islands Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Cuba above all, being very largely stored with them; where they feed in the Woods in the day time, and at night come in at the sounding of a Conch-shell, and are put up in their Crauls or Pens, and yet some turn wild, which nevertheless are often decoy- ed in by the other, which being all marked, when- ever they see an unmarked Hog in the Pen they know it is a wild one, and shoot him presently. These