Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 15.djvu/306

 vs by the great and beaten way on horsebacke, who being discouered, our generall sent out to meete them captaine Roberts with some 40 or 50 musketeirs, who came to skirmish with them, but they would not stay. The same day in the afternoone we marched forth toward S. Iago, and tooke the Indians way called The vnknowen way. In our march we came to diuers Indians houses, which we neuer hurt, but passed by and left them vntouched: but the Indians were all fled into the woods, and other places, we know not whither. We marched vntil it was night ouer such high mountaines, as we neuer saw the like, and such a way as one man could scarse passe alone. Our general being in the forward, at length came whereas a riuer descended downe ouer the mountaines, and there we lodged all that night. Here in going this way, we found the Spanish gouernors confession to be true: for they had baricadoed the way in diuers places with trees, and other things in such sort, that we were driuen to cut our way through the woods by Carpenters, which we caried with vs for that purpose. The next day being the 29 of May early in the morning we set forward to recouer the tops of the mountaines: but (God knoweth) they were so extreeme high and so steep-vpright, that many of our souldiers fainted by the way: and when the officers came vnto them, and first entreated them to goe, they answered, they could goe no further. Then they thought to make them goe by compulsion, but all was in vaine: they would goe a little and then lie downe, and bid them kill them, if they would for they could not nor would not goe any further. Whereby they were enforced to depart, and to leaue them there lying on the ground. To be short, at length with much ado we gat the top of the mountaines about noone: there we made a stand til all the company was come vp, and would haue stayed longer to haue refreshed our men: but the fogge and raine fell so fast, that wee durst not stay. So wee made hast to descend towards the towne out of the fogge and raine: because that in these high mountaines by report of the Spaniards themselues, it doeth almost continually raine. Assoone as we were descended downe neere halfe the way to the towne the raine ceased, and going downe a little further, on the toppe of a hill we saw the towne not farre distant from vs. Here we all cleared our muskets: and when our colours came in sight, we discharged a second volee of shot to the great discouragement of the enemie. Thus we marched