Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 15.djvu/203

 The voyage of Iohn Oxnam of Plimmouth, to the West India, and ouer the straight of Dariene into the South Sea. Anno 1575. Written by the foresaid Lopez Vaz in the said discourse.

There was another Englishman, who hearing of the spoyle that Francis Drake had done vpon the coast of Nueua Espanna, and of his good aduenture and safe returne home, was thereby prouoked to vudertake the like enterprise, with a ship of 140 tunnes, and 70 men, and came thither, and had also conference with the foresaide Negros: and hearing that the golde and siluer which came vpon the Mules from Panama to Nombre de Dios, was now conducted with souldiers, he determined to do that which neuer any man before enterprised: and landed in that place where Francis Drake before had had his conference with the Negros. This man couered his ship after he had brought her aground with boughes of trees, and hid his great Ordinance in the ground, and so not leauing any man in his ship, he tooke two small pieces of ordinance, and his caliuers, and good store of victuals, and so went with the Negros about twelue leagues into the maine land, to a riuer that goeth to the South sea, and there he cut wood and made a Pinnesse, which was fiue and fortie foote by the keele, and hauing made this Pinnesse, he went into the South sea, carrying sixe Negros with him to be his guides, and so went to the Iland of Pear[*=r]les, which is fiue and twentie leagues from Panama, which is in the way that they come from Peru to Panama, and there he was ten dayes without shewing himselfe to any man, to see if he might get any ship that came from Peru: At last, there came a small Barke by, which came from Peru from a place called Quito, which he tooke and found in her sixtie thousand pezos of golde, and much victuals. But not contenting himselfe with this prize, hee stayed long without sending away his prize or any of the men, and in the ende of sixe dayes after, hee tooke another Barke which came from Lima, in which he tooke an hundred thousand pezos of siluer in barres, with the which hee thought to haue gone, and entred the riuer, but first he went into the Islands to see if he could find any pearles: where he found a few, and so returned to his pinnesse againe, and so sailing to the riuer from whence he came, and comming neere to the mouth of the sayd riuer, hee sent away the