Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 16.djvu/239

 some seuen hundred Spaniards, it being a great maruell how he could get so many, amongst whom were many Gentlemen and old souldiers of Peru, who caused diuers mutinies and insurrections, as hereafter I will more at large declare, which mutinous souldiers were the cause of their captaines death. Howbeit with all these men captaine Pedro de Orzua came vnto the head of the riuer: but you must vnderstand, that this riuer is nourished not onely with the waters and freshets that come from the mountaines of Peru, but also by all the riuers betweene the Equinoctiall and sixteene degrees of Southerly latitude, which fall thereinto and cause it to be so great. Nowe at the head of this riuer the sayde Captaine Pedro de Orzua made fifteeene Pinnesses with many Canoas, wherein he caried aboue two thousand Indians to helpe him, with many horses and other prouision, as meaning to inhabite there: for it was not possible for him to carry all his prouision by lande, because the mountaines be very great, there being also betweene them many small riuers which fall into this great riuer aboue twentie leagues out of the land. So this captaine hauing all his things in good order went downe the riuer with his whole company, and at length from among the mountaines to a plaine countrey where the Indians dwelt: and there he held a councell, determining in the same place to build a towne and to fortifie it very strongly, to the end he might leaue all his stuffe there, and such men as were not souldiers. And so they began to build the said towne, and wrought vpon it all the winter: where because it raineth much, and withall is very hot, sicknes and want of victuals began to to preuaile amongst them, whereupon the souldiers fell a murmuring among themselues. For comming out of Peru, which is one of the fruitfullest and richest countries of the world, they were more inclined to haue their fill of bread and meat then to apply their bodies to labour: which was the cause that albeit the countrey in which they now were, was exceeding fruitfull, and that they saw with their eyes most euident apparances of golde, and also that vp into the countrey it seemed to be much better; yet for all this they murmured and would needes returne for Peru from whence they came.

In the company of these men there was a souldier of Biskay called Lopez de Agira, a very little man of bodie and lame of one of his legs, but very valiant and of good experience in the warres. This man hauing been one of the principall mutiners