SIR ANTHONY SHERLEY ad. 



1597- 

 trees, which if they were gone, yet there is no climbing 



up the hill, only having one narrow lane to go into 

 the towne; at the end whereof is a great gate very 

 strongly fortified, so that it is not to be approched unto, 

 so that with the losse of some few men, we retired from 

 this enterprise, being altogether impossible to be atchieved 

 by our few and weake men. 



We departed from Truxillo the second of April and Puerto de 

 went for Puerto de Cavallos lower down in the bay, ^^^^^^°^ 

 stil nourishing our hope of good successe : and com- 

 ming thither found it reasonably fortified, but wee 

 presently prevailed and tooke it the 7 of April, being 

 the most poore and miserable place of all India. Now 

 our hopes were all frustrate and no likelihood remayn- 

 ing how we could by any meanes make a voyage : our 

 General reserving unto himselfe his silent inward impa- 

 tience, laboured to doe some memorable thing. And 

 in fine concluded by Rio Dolce to search with his 

 boats some narrow passage or Isthmos for the South 

 sea, alleaging that if hee could but finde a boat there, 

 it should serve him to great purpose; against which 

 there could be no reasonable contradiction. All his 

 chiefest sea men consented hereunto, but especially the 

 Captaine of the Admirall. So sayling with the ships 

 to Cape de tres puntas in the bottome of the bay, 

 there leaving the ships well mored the tenth of Aprill [III. 602.] 

 he departed with his boats for Rio Dolce, which in 

 many Charts hath his passage through the land. Up 

 this river by many uncertaine windings we passed 30 

 leagues and better, where we found a strong built fort, 

 a towne, and divers store-houses : but for money or 

 merchandize we found none. Wee learned by the 

 miserable people that we tooke, that the South sea was 

 20 leagues from the nerest of that river, and that it 

 was 50 leagues to Guatimala, 40 leagues to Sonscmate, Guatmala, 

 and 30 leagues to Sacatocaluca, being townes which we Sonsonate, and 

 hoped to march unto : so that now we were in worse ^a<:^tocaluca, 

 case then before : for wee were fallen sicke with the 



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