Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 16.djvu/242

 and got good store of golde and victuals.

Now also did they find that to be true which Orellana had reported, namely that there were Amazones, that is to say, women that fight in the warres with bowes and arrowes: but these women fight to aide their husbands, and not by themselues alone without the companie of men, as Orellana reported. There were of the women vpon diuers partes of this riuer, who seeing the Spaniardes fighting with their husbandes came in succour to them, and shewed themselnes more valiant then their husbandes; for which cause it was named, The riuer of Amazones.

The Spaniardes intent was onely to passe downe the riuer, neither sought they at all to discouer the Inland, and yet they tooke good store of golde, putting it into one of their Pinnesses, where Lopez de Agira himselfe was embarked, which Pinnesse at the mouth of the riuer was cast away, but he himselfe escaped, because he had not as yet fulfilled his bloodie minde.

And when he was come to the Ilande of Margarita, the Gouernour thereof supposing he had beene one of the kings loyall captaines, receiued him with pinnesses, and brought good store of victuals vnto him. But he putting the sayd Gouernour immediatly to death, landed on the Iland, and tooke it and two shippes that were there, and constrained likewise an hundred and fiftie men, which he there found, to goe with him, besides others that went voluntarily, carrying from thence good store of victuales, and many horses also. And then he returned to the maine land, saying, that with his small forces hee would subdue the whole Indias: imagining belike that all the olde souldiers and poore people, at the first sight of him, would turne to his side and take his part. Howbeit he was foulely deceiued: for before he had marched two dayes iourney vp into the land, the Gouernour of Nueua Granada came against him with a power of men: but Lopez de Agira hoping that other souldiers would haue ioyned themselues vnto him, whereby his strength might haue beene the more, was quite frustrate of his expectation: for euen his owne men left him, and tooke part with the kings Captaine. Nowe seeing himselfe thus left destitute of his souldiers, and voide of all helpe, he committed a more vnnaturall bloody act then euer Nero the tyrant did, for he murthered his owne daughter being but sixeteene yeeres of age, which he had brought with him out of