Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 16.djvu/359

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yeere: and then rowed further till they came to the mouth of another riuer called Paragioa, and perceiuing that the countrey yeelded gold and siluer they kept on their course, and sent a brigandine before; but those of the countrey tooke it: and Cabote vnderstanding of it thought it best to turne backe vnto their forte, and there tooke in his men which he had left there, and so went downe the riuer where his ships did ride, and from thence he sailed home to Siuill in the yeere 1530. leauing discovered about two hundred leagues within this riuer, reporting it to be very nauigable, and that it springeth out of a lake named Bombo.

It standeth in the firme lande of the kingdome of Peru, running through the vallies of Xauxa, and meeteth with the riuers Parso, Bulcasban, Cay, Parima, Hiucax, with others which make it very broad and great. It is said also, that out of this lake runneth the riuer called Rio de San Francesco; and by this meane the riuers come to be so great.

For the riuers that come out of lakes are bigger then those which proceede from a spring.

In the yeere 1527. one Pamphilus de Naruaez went out of S. Lucar de Barmeda to be generall of the coast and land of Florida as farre as Rio do las Palmas, and had with him fiue ships, 600. soldiers, 100. horses, besides a great summe and quantitie of victuailes, armour, clothing and other things.

He could not goe on land where his desire was, but went on land somewhat neere to Florida with three hundred of his companie, some horses, and some victuailes, commanding the ships to goe to Rio de las Palmas; in which voiage they were almost all lost: and those which escaped passed great dangers, hunger and thirst in an Island called Xamo and by the Spaniards Malhada being very drie and barren, where the Spaniards killed one another, and the people also of the countrey did the like. Naruaez and those which went with him sawe some golde with certaine Indians, and he demanded of them where they gathered it: and they answered that they had it at Apalachen. They therefore searched this gold, and in searching came to the saide towne, where they found no gold nor siluer: they saw many Bay trees, and almost all other kinde of trees with beasts, birds, and such like: The men and women of this place are high and strong, very light and so swift runners, that