On holding a consultation among the commanders of the three caravels, we came to a resolution of proceeding about an hundred miles up the river, in hopes of meeting with a less ferocious, and better disposed people in the interior, than those we had encountered at the mouth of this river:  But the sailors were impatient to return home, without incurring any farther dangers, and unanimously and loudly refused their consent to our determination, declaring that they had already done enough for the present voyage.  Upon this being made known to us, and being well aware that seamen are of headstrong and obstinate dispositions, we conceded to their clamours, and steered next day for Cape Verd, on our return to Portugal[12].

[1] Cape Verd is about 100 miles from the southern mouth of the river
    Senegal; so that the voyagers probably anchored every night within
    sight of the scarcely known coast.—­E.

[2] This is erroneous, as it was discovered in 1446 by Denis Fernandez,
    nine years before.—­Clarke.

[3] It is necessary to be cautious with respect to these early voyages,
    which, having gone through various transcriptions and translations,
    are liable to numerous errors.  In our best charts, this sand bank,
    intermixed with sunk rocks, extends two miles out to sea.—­E.

[4] Called the Birds islands, or the Magdalens.—­Clarke.

[5] In Ramusio these fish are called Orate vecchis, and in Grynaeus
    Ostreas veteres.—­Astl.

[6] This appears to indicate the gulf between Cape Emanuel, near the isle
    of Goree, and the Red Cape.—­E.

[7] The river named Barbasini is above eighty-five miles S.S.E. from Cape
    Verd, measuring to its northern entrance, and forms a small island or
    delta at its mouth, having another entrance about eighteen miles
    farther south.  There is a small island named Fetti, off its northern
    entrance, of which no notice is taken by Cada Mosto.  The natives on
    this part of the coast, to the north of the Gambia, are now called
    Barras.—­E.

[8] From the sequel, I am apt to conclude that this second river is the
    Barbasini of our charts; and that the river named Barbasini in the
    text of Cada Mosto, is that named Joall in modern charts.—­E.

[9] Cada Mosto betrays strange ignorance of the previous discoveries of
    the Portuguese, considering that he had resided some time with Don
    Henry at Sagres.  This fine river was discovered in 1447, nine years
    before, by Nuno Tristan, who ascended it some way, and was slain there
    by the poisoned arrows of the Negroes.  Perhaps even Don Henry was
    misled by the name of Rio Grande which it then received, and confused
    the Venetian in his search for the Gambia.—­Clarke.

[10] From this it would appear, that Gambra or Gambia is the name of the
    country, not of the river.  Johnson says that the natives always call
    it Gee, which merely signifies the river.—­Astl.