A.D. 



1595- 



Al our actions 

 betray d by 

 dangerous 

 spies out of 

 England. 



THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



litle meale, or 2 or 3 tunnes of wine, which by reason of 

 some disorder amongst the company overcharging them- 

 selves with the wine, our general for the most part caused 

 to be spilt. While we remained here, some of our 

 company ranging the woods, found the governor of the 

 fort where he lay asleepe, brought him to our general : 

 who examined him touching the state of the citie of S. 

 lago de Leon. Who declared unto us that they had 

 newes of our comming a moneth before, and that they 

 of the towne had made preparation for our comming : 

 and that if we did go the common beaten way, it was 

 never possible for us to passe, for that they had made 

 in the midst of the way betweene this fort and the said 

 city, an exceeding strong baricado on the top of a very 

 high hil, the passage being not above 25 or 30 foot in 

 bredth, & on each side marveilous steep-upright, and 

 the woods so thicke that no man could passe for his life : 

 which indeed at our returning backe we found to be true. 

 Upon which speeches our general demanded of him if 

 there were not any other way : who answered, there is 

 another way marveilous bad and very ill to travel, which 

 the Indians do commonly use : but he thought that the 

 Spaniards had stopt the same, by cutting downe of great 

 trees and other things, as indeed they had. This Spaniard 

 was a very weake and sickly man not able to travel, so 

 our generall sent him abord his ship, & there kept him. 

 In the taking of our 3 small Caravels at Cumana, we 

 had a Spaniard in one of them that had traveiled these 

 wayes to the citie of S. lago. He told us he would 

 cary us thither by any of both these wayes, if 

 afterward we would set him at libertie : the which was 

 granted. While we remained at the fort by the waters 

 side, the Spaniards came downe unto us by the great 

 & beaten way on horsebacke, who being discovered, our 

 generall sent out to meete them captaine Roberts with 

 some 40 or 50 musketeirs, who came to skirmish with 

 them, but they would not stay. The same day in the 

 afternoone we marched forth toward S. lago, & tooke 



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