A.D. 

 1568. 



Dominica. 



Rio de la 

 Hacfia taken. 



THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



faine to content us with those few which we had gotten 

 our selves. 



Now had we obtained between foure and five hundred 

 Neo-ros, wherwith we thought it somewhat reasonable 

 to seeke the coast of the West Indies, and there, for 

 our Negros, and other our merchandize, we hoped to 

 obtaine, whereof to countervail our charges with some 

 gaines, wherunto we proceeded with all diligence, 

 furnished our watering, tooke fuell, and departed the 

 coast of Guinea the third of Februarie, continuing at 

 the sea with a passage more hard, then before hath bene 

 accustomed till the 27 day of March, which day we 

 had sight of an Hand, called Dominica, upon the coast 

 of the West Indies, in fourteene degrees : from thence 

 we coasted from place to place, making our traffike 

 with the Spaniards as we might, somewhat hardly, because 

 the king had straightly commanded all his Governors 

 in those parts, by no meanes to suffer any trade to be 

 made with us : notwithstanding we had reasonable trade, 

 and courteous entertainement, from the He of Margarita 

 unto Cartagena, without any thing greatly worth the 

 noting, saving at Capo de la Vela, in a towne called 

 Rio de la Hacha (from whence come all the pearles) 

 the treasurer who had the charge there, would by no 

 meanes agree to any trade, or suffer us to take water, 

 he had fortified his towne with divers bulwarkes in 

 all places where it might be entered, and furnished 

 himselfe with an hundred Hargabuziers, so that he 

 thought by famine to have in forced us to have put a 

 land our Negros : of which purpose he had not 

 greatly failed, unlesse we had by force entred the towne : 

 which (after we could by no meanes obtaine his favour) 

 we were enforced to doe, and so with two hundred 

 men brake in upon their bulwarkes, and entred the 

 towne with the losse onely of two men of our partes, 

 and no hurt done to the Spaniards because after their 

 voley of shot discharged, they all fled. 



Thus having the town with some circumstance, as 



66 



