Luni a tre d'octobre a meza nocte se dete le velle
aL Camino deL austro in golfandone neL mare occeanno
passando fra capo verde et le sue ysolle in
14 gradi et mezo et cussi molti giorni
nauigassimo þ La costa de la ghinea houero
ethiopia nela qalle he vna montagnia detta siera leona
in 8 gradi de latitudine con venti contrari calme et piogie senza venti
fin a la lignea equinotialle piouendo sesanta giornj de
continuo contra la opignione de li anticqi Jnanzi ɋ
ajungessemo ali legnea a 14 gradi molte gropade de venti
inpetuosi et corenti de acqua ne asaltaronno contra el viagio
nō possendo spontare Jnansi et acio ɋ
le naue nō periculasseno. Se calauano tute le velle et
de qƺsta sorte andauamo de mare in trauerso fin
ɋ passaua la grupada þche veniua molto furiosa.
Quando pioueua nō era vento. Quando faceua solle era
bonnasa. veniuano aL bordo de le naue certi pessi grandi
ɋ se quiamano tiburoni ɋ anno denti teribilli et
se trouano hominj neL mare li mangiano. pigliauamo molti cō
hami de fero benche nō sonno bonni da mangiare se non
li picoli et anche loro maL bonny.
Jn queste fortune molte volte
ne aparse il corpo sancto cioe sancto elmo in lume fra
le altre in vna obscurissima nocte de taL splendore
come e vna facella ardente in cima de La magiore gabia et ste
circa due hore et piu cō noi consolandone ɋ
piangevāo quanto questa bennedeta lucese
volse partire da nuy tanto grandissimo splendore
dete ne li hocqi nosti ɋ
stesemo piu de mezo carto de hora tuti cieqi
chiamando misericordia et veramēte credendo essere
morti el mare subito se aquieto.
Viti molte sorte de vcelli tra le
qalle vna ɋ nō haueua culo. vn
altra quando la femina vol far li oui li fa soura la squena
deL maschio et iui se creanno nō anno piede et
sempre Viueno neL mare. vn altra sorte ɋ viueno deL
stercho de li alti vcelli et nō de
alto Si como viti molte volte questo vcello
qaL chiamamo Cagassela corer dietro ad
alti vcelli fin tanto qelli sonno
constrecti mandar fuora eL stercho subito Lo piglia et
Lassa andare lo vcello anchora viti molti
pessi ɋ volauano et molti alti congregadi
insieme ɋ pareuano vna ysola.
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At midnight of Monday, October three, the sails were trimmed toward the south, and we took to the open Ocean Sea, passing between Cape Verde and its islands in 14 and one-half degrees. Thus for [39]many days did we sail along the coast of Ghinea, or Ethiopia, where there is a mountain called Siera Leona, which lies in 8 degrees of latitude, with contrary winds, calms, and rains without wind, until we reached the equinoctial line, having sixty days of continual rain. Contrary to the opinion of the ancients, before we reached the line many furious squalls of wind, and currents of water struck us head on in 14 degrees. As we could not advance, and in order that the ships might not be wrecked, all the sails were struck; and in this manner did we wander hither and yon on the sea, waiting for the tempest to cease, for it was very furious. When it rained there was no wind. When the sun shone, it was calm. Certain large fishes called tiburoni [i.e., sharks] came to the side of the ships. They have terrible teeth, and whenever they find men in the sea they devour them. We caught many of them with iron hooks, although they are not good to eat unless they are small, and even then they are not very good.
During those storms the holy body, that is to say St. Elmo, appeared to us many times, in light – among other times on an exceedingly dark night, with the brightness of a blazing torch, on the maintop, where he stayed for about two hours or more, to our consolation, for we were weeping. When that blessed light was about to leave us, so dazzling was the brightness that it cast into our eyes, that we all remained for more than an eighth of an hour blinded and calling for mercy. And truly when we thought that we were dead men, the sea suddenly grew calm.
I saw many kinds of birds, among them one that had no anus; and another, [which] when the female wishes to lay its eggs, it does so on the back of the male and there they are hatched. The latter bird has no feet, and always lives in the sea. [There is] another kind which live on the ordure of the other birds, and in no other manner; for I often saw this bird, which is called Cagassela, fly behind the other birds, until they are constrained to drop their ordure, which the former seizes immediately and abandons the latter bird. I also saw many flying fish, and many others collected together, so that they resembled an island.
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