Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 16.djvu/382

 which was so poore, that they could get nothing to eate but onely fruits and herbes. From that place forward they found a people of some reason, wearing certaine clothing made of cotton wooll, where they made a brigandine, and there they found also certaine Canoas, wherein they put their sicke men, and their treasure and best apparell, giuing the charge of them to one Francis de Orellana: and Gonsaluo Pizarro went by land with the rest of the companie along by the riuers side, and at night went into the boates, and they trauailed in this order two hundred leagues as it appeereth. When Pizarro came to the place where he thought to finde the brigandine and Canoas, and could haue no sight of them nor yet heare of them, he thought himselfe out of all hope, because he was in a strange countrey without victuales, clothing or any thing else: wherefore they were faine to eate their horses, yea and dogs also, because the countrey was poore and barren, and the iourney long, to goe to Quito. Yet notwithstanding taking a good hart to themselues they went on forwards in their iourney, trauailing continually 18. monethes, and it is reported, that they went almost 5. hundred leagues, wherein they did neither see sunne nor any thing else whereby they might be comforted, wherefore of two hundred men which went foorth at the first, there returned not backe past ten vnto Quito, and these so weake, ragged, and disfigured that they knew them not. Orellana went fiue hundred or sixe hundred leagues downe the riuer, seeing diuers countreyes and people on both sides thereof, among whom he affirmed some to be Amazones. He came into Castile, excusing himselfe, that the water and streames draue him downe perforce.

This riuer is named The riuer of Orellana, and other name it the riuer of the Amazones, because there be women there which liue like vnto them.

In the yeere 1540. Cortes went with his wife into Spaine where he died of a disease seuen yeeres after.

In the yeere 1541. it is recorded that Don Stephan de Gama gouernour of India sailed toward the streit of Mecca. He came with al his fleete vnto an anker in the Island of Maçua, and from thence vpwards in small shipping he went along the coast of the Abassins and Ethiopia, till he came to the Island of Suachess, standing in 20. degrees towardes the north, and from thence to the hauen of Cossir, standing in 27. degrees, and so he crossed ouer to the citie of Toro standing on the shore of Arabia,