Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 15.djvu/321

 *house, where we tooke twentie sowes of siluer, two barres of gold, some money in coyne, besides other pillage.

The towne was situated in a waterie soile, and subiect much

to raine, very vnhealthly as any place in the Indies, hauing great store of Orenges, plantans, cassauy-roots, and such other fruits; but very dangerous to be eaten for breeding of diseases.

To the eastwarde of the towne within the bay runneth out a fresh riuer of excellent good water, with houses, and all about it gardens: halfe a league from hence due East into the countrey was an Indian towne, whither as we marched a little before our comming away with an hundred men they had broken downe a bridge to hinder our passage, where they lay in ambush with some twentie or thirtie small shot, and bowes and arrowes, set vpon vs, and killed Lieutenant Iones, hurt three or foure and so fled into the woods, ranne before vs and fired their owne towne, and then fled farther into the woods: our men fired diuerse other houses in pursuing them and so returned again: our Generall with Sir Thomas being in the Riuers mouth with thirtie or fortie men filling water about some myle from vs.

The road of Nombre de Dios is a faire road: but on each side, as you come to ride before the towne, lyeth a ledge of rockes, but there is no danger because they are in sight. You may ride betweene them in three or foure fadome water, and without if you will in eight or ten fadomes, where neither Castle nor Fort can annoy you. The name of Nombre de Dios was greater then their strength. For they had no Castle nor Fort, but onely the little fort aforesaid standing on the top of an hill, although they might haue made it stronger if they would.

The 29 sir Thomas Baskeruil with 750 armed men, besides Chirurgians and prouand boyes, went for Panama.

The last of December the Generall burned halfe the towne, and the first of Ianuarie burnt the rest, with all the Frigats, Barks and Galiots, which were in the harbour and on the beach on shore, hauing houses built ouer them to keepe the pitch from melting.

The second of Ianuary sir Thomas returned with his souldiers both weary and hungry, hauing marched more then halfe the way to the South sea. The Spaniards played diuers times vpon vs both outward and homeward in the woods, the way being cut out of the woods and rockes both very narrow, and full of myre and water. The march was so sore as neuer Englishman marched