Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 16.djvu/31

 Iland, and neuer goeth on the ground vpon her feete: but holdeth it too base a thing for her: But when her pleasure is to take the ayre, or to goe abroad, shee is alwayes carried in a shadowe like vnto an horse-litter vpon foure mens shoulders, with a veile or canopie ouer her for the sunne or the winde, hauing her gentlewomen still attending about her with a great troope of the best men of the Iland with her. But both shee and the lorde of the Iland with all the Indians in the towne were newly fled out of the Iland before wee could get to an anker, by reason wee were becalmed before wee could get in, and where gone ouer vnto the maine lande, hauing carried away with them to the summe of 100000 crownes, which wee knew by a captaine of the Iland an Indian, which was left there with some other vpon the Iland vnder him, whom wee had taken at sea as wee were comming into the road, being in a balsa or canoa for a spie to see what wee were.

The 27 our General himselfe with certaine shot and some targettiers went ouer into the maine vnto the place where this foresayde Indian captaine which wee had taken had tolde vs that the Casique, which was the lord of all the Iland, was gone vnto, and had caried all his treasure with him: but at our comming to the place which wee went to lande at, wee found newly arriued there foure or fiue great balsas, which were laden with plantans, bags of meale, and many other kinds of victuals. Our Generall maruelled what they were and what they meant, asking the Indian guide and commanding him to speake the trueth vpon his life: being then bound fast, hee answered being very much abashed, as well as our companie were, that hee neither knewe from whence they should come, nor who they should bee: for there was neuer a man in any one of the balsas: and because hee had told our Generall before, that it was no easie matter to take the sayd Casique and all his treasure, and that there were but three or foure houses standing in a desert place and no resistance, and that if hee found it not so, hee should hang him.

Againe being demaunded to speake vpon his life what he thought these Balsas should bee, he answered that hee could not say from whence they should come, except it were to bring 60 souldiers, which hee did heare were to go to a place called Guaiaquil, which was about 6 leagues from the saide yland, where two or three of the kings shippes were on the stocks in