THE DISCOVERY OF GUIANA ad. 



^595- 

 Guiana, nor any newes or fame thereof, untill he 



came to a further border of the sayd Amapaia, eight 

 dayes journey from the river Caroli, which was the 

 furthest river that he entred. Among those of 

 Amapaia, Guiana was famous, but few of these people 

 accosted Berreo, or would trade with him the first 

 three moneths of the six, which he sojourned there. 

 This Amapaia is also marvellous rich in golde (as 

 both Berreo confessed and those of Guiana with whom 

 I had most conference) and is situate upon Orenoque 

 also. In this countrey Berreo lost 60 of his best 

 souldiers, and most of all his horse that remained in 

 his former yeeres travell : but in the end, after divers 

 encounters with those nations, they grew to peace ; and 

 they presented Berreo wth tenne images of fine golde 

 among divers other plates and croissants, which, as he 

 sware to me & divers other gentlemen, were so curi- 

 ously wrought, as he had not scene the like either in 

 Italy, Spaine, or the Low-countreys : & he was resolved, 

 that when they came to the hands of the Spanish king, 

 to whom he had sent them by his campmaster, they 

 would appeare very admirable, especially being wrought 

 by such a nation as had no yron instruments at all 

 nor any of those helps which our goldsmiths have to 

 worke withall. The particular name of the people in 

 Amapaia which gave him these pieces, are called Anebas, 

 and the river of Orenoque at that place is above 12 

 English miles broad, which may be from his out fall 

 into the sea 700 or 800 miles. 



This province of Amapaia is a very low and a mar- 

 ish ground nere the river ; and by reason of the red 

 water which issueth out in small branches thorow the 

 fenny and boggy ground, there breed divers poisonfull 

 wormes and serpents ; and the Spanyards not suspecting, 

 nor in any sort foreknowing the danger, were infected 

 with a grievous kinde of fluxe by drinking thereof; 

 and even the very horses poisoned therwith : insomuch 

 as at the end of the 6 moneths, that they abode there, 

 X 369 2 A 



