AD THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



1595- 



durst without a good strength trade by those rivers : 

 but of late they are at peace with their neighbours, all 

 holding the Spaniards for a common enemy. When 

 their commanders die, they use great lamentation, and 

 when they thinke the flesh of their bodies is putrified, 

 and fallen from the bones, then they take up the car- 

 case againe, and hang it in the caciques house that 

 died, and decke his scull with feathers of all colours, 

 and hang all his golde plates, about the bones of his 

 armes, thighs, and legs. Those nations which are called 

 The Arzcacas Arwacas, which dwell on the South of Orenoque, (of 

 '^^-j^^r'^Q^ which place and nation our Indian pilot was) are 

 noque. dispersed in many other places, and doe use to beat 



the bones of their lords into powder, and their wives 

 and friends drinke it all in their severall sorts of 

 drinks. 

 The port of After we departed from the port of these Ciawani, 



the Ctazcam. ^^g passed up the river with the flood, and ankered 

 the ebbe, and in this sort we went onward. The third 

 day that we entred the river, our galley came on ground, 

 and stucke so fast, as we thought that even there our 

 discovery had ended, and that we must have left foure- 

 score and ten of our men to have inhabited like rooks 

 upon trees with those nations : but the next morning, 

 after we had cast out all her ballast, with tugging 

 and hailing to and fro, we got her aflote, and went 

 on. At foure dayes end wee fell into as goodly a 

 j4 river river as ever I beheld, which was called The great 



called The Amana, which ranne more directly without windinefs 

 s;reat Amana. ^ ^ . , , , , ' r r 



and turnmgs then the other : but soone after the 



flood of the sea left us ; and being inforced either by 



maine strength to row against a violent current, or 



to returne as wise as we went out, we had then no 



shift but to perswade the companies that it was but 



two or three dayes worke, and therefore desired them 



to take paineSj every gentleman & others taking their 



turnes to row, and to spell one the other at the houres 



end. Every day we passed by goodly branches of 



384 



