Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 16.djvu/228

 at length there came a small barke from a place called Quito in Peru: this barke he tooke, and found in her 60000 pezos of golde, with much wine and bread: and not being content with this, he stayed a long while, before he would sende away his prize or any of his men. Shortly after he tooke another barke that came from Lima, wherein he found 100000 pezos of siluer in barres, which being all aboord his Pinnesse, he shaped his course toward the riuer from whence he came: but before his departure he landed on the foresaid Iland to finde pearles, and went to a small towne of the Iland inhabited by Negros, for the same purpose: where finding but small store, he returned to his Pinnesse, and comming neere vnto the riuer he sent away his two prizes, and with his Pinnesse entered vp the riuer. The Negros of the Iland of perles, so soone as the Englishmen, were departed, posted in their Canoas to Panama, to signifie vnto the Gouernour what they had done. Whereupon the Gouernour with two dayes after sent out foure barkes and an hundred souldiers, and Negros to rowe, the captaine of which souldiers was called Iuan de Ortega; who went first to the Iland of pearles, and there had knowledge which way the Englishmen did take, and in pursuing them he met with the two prizes taken by the Englishmen, which tolde him that they were going vp the riuer. But when he was come to the entrance of the riuer, he knew not which way to take, because the riuer ranne into the sea by three mouthes, and not all at one. Therefore being determined with himselfe to passe vp the greatest of the three, he saw comming downe with the streame many feathers of hens out of one of the lesser mouthes: which mouth he entered, and sayling foure dayes vp the same, hee descryed the Englishmens pinnesse lying vpon the sand, and comming to boord her, they found in her no more but sixe Englishmen, of which they killed one, and the other 5 fled, and hauing thoroughly ransacked the said pinnesse, they could finde nought in her, but victuals. The Spaniards seeing this, determined to seeke out the Englishmen by land, and leauing about twentie men to keepe their barks they marched with eightie shot vp into the countrey, and halfe a league from the riuer they found a little house made with boughes, where the Englishmen had left all their treasure; which the Spaniards tooke and carried backe to their barkes, meaning not to follow the Englishmen any further: but the English captaine with all his men, and aboue 200 Negros followed the