Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 16.djvu/366

 armes, and priuie members to be cut off, so iealous was he. Here Pisarro aboue sixe hundred men prisoners belonging to the king Attabalipa, who waged warre against his eldest brother Guascar to winne reputation. These he set at libertie and sent them to the citie of Tombez, who promised to be a meane that he should be well receiued in those partes. But when they saw themselues out of bondage, they forgat their promise, and incited the people against the Spaniards. Then Pisarro sent three Spaniards to Tombez to treate for peace, whome they tooke and slew and sacrificed, and their priestes wept not for pitie but of custome. Pisarro hearing of this cruell fact, passed ouer to the maine, and set vpon the citie one night suddenly and killed many of them, so that they presented him with gifts of gold and siluer and other riches, and so became friends.

This done, he builded a towne vpon the riuer of Cira, and called it Saint Michael of Tangarara, which was the first towne inhabited by Christians in those parts; whereof Sebastian de Benalcazar was appointed captaine.

Then he searched out a good and sure hauen for his ships, and found that of Payta to be an excellent harbour.

In this same yeere 1531. there went one Diego de Ordas to be gouernour in the riuer of Maragnon, with three ships, sixe hundred soldiers, and 35. horses. He died by the way, so that the intention came to none effect. After that in the yeere 1534. there was sent thither one Hierome Artal with 130. soldiers, yet he came not to the riuer, but peopled Saint Michael de Neueri, and other places in Paria.

Also there went vnto this riuer Maragnon a Portugall gentleman named Aries Dacugna, and he had with him ten ships, nine hundred Portugals, and 130. horses.

He spent much, but he that lost most was one Iohn de Barros. This riuer standeth in three degrees toward the South, hauing at the entrance of it 15. leagues of breadth and many Islands inhabited, wherein grow trees that beare incence of a greater bignes then in Arabia, gold, rich stones, and one emeraud was found there as big as the palme of a mans hand. The people of the countrey make their drinke of a kinde of dates, which are as big as quinces.