AD. THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



1595. 



I found occasions of staying in this place for two 

 causes : the one was to be revenged of Berreo, who 

 the yere before 1594. had betraied eight of Captaine 

 Whiddons men, and tooke them while he departed 

 from them to seeke the Edward Bonaventure, which 

 arrived at Trinidad the day before from the East 

 Indies: in whose absence Berreo sent a Canoa abord 

 the pinnesse onely with Indians and dogs inviting the 

 company to goe with them into the woods to kill a 

 8 Englishmen deare, who like wise men in the absence of their Cap- 

 betrayed by ^aine followed the Indians, but were no sooner one 

 Berreo harquebuze shot from the shore, but Berreos souldiers 



lying in ambush had them al, notwithstanding that he 

 had given his word to Captaine Whiddon that they 

 should take water and wood safely : the other cause of 

 my stay was, for that by discourse with the Spaniards 

 I dayly learned more and more of Guiana, of the 

 rivers and passages, and of the enterprise of Berreo, 

 by what meanes or fault he failed, and how he meant 

 to prosecute the same. 



While wee thus spent the time I was assured by 

 another Casique of the North side of the yland, that 

 Berreo had sent to Margarita and Cumana for souldiers, 

 meaning to have given mee a cassado at parting, if it 

 had bene possible. For although he had given order 

 through all the yland that no Indian should come abord 

 to trade with me upon paine of hanging & quartering, 

 (having executed two of them for the same, which I 

 afterwards founde) yet every night there came some 

 with most lamentable complaints of his crueltie, how 

 he had divided the yland and given to every souldier 

 a part, that hee made the ancient Casiques which were 

 Lords of the countrey to be their slaves, that he kept 

 them in chaines, and dropped their naked bodies with 

 burning bacon, and such other torments, which I found 

 afterwards to be true : for in the city after I entred 

 the same there were 5. of ye lords or litle kings (which 

 they cal Casiques in the West Indies) in one chaine 



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