THE DISCOVERY OF GUIANA ad. 



1595. 

 cavallero, as the captaine of the Arwacas after tolde us, 

 another a souldier, and the third a refiner. 



In the meane time, nothing on the earth could have 

 bene more welcome to us, next unto gold, then the great 

 store of very excellent bread which we found in these 

 canoas ; for now our men cried. Let us goe on, we care 

 not how farre. After that captaine Gifford had brought 

 the two canoas to the galley, I tooke my barge, and went 

 to the banks side with a dozen shot, where the canoas 

 first ranne themselves ashore, and landed there, sending 

 out captaine GifFord, and captaine Thyn on one hand, and 

 captaine Calfield on the other, to follow those that were 

 fled into the woods : and as I was creeping thorow the 

 bushes, I sawe an Indian basket hidden, which was the ^^^^ Danish 

 refiners basket ; for I found in it his quick-silver, salt- |^ It^oth r 

 peter, and divers things for the triall of metals, and also ^^^-^p.^ taken, 

 the dust of such ore as he had refined, but in those canoas 

 which escaped there was a good quantity of ore and gold. 

 t then landed more men, and offered five hundred pound 

 to what souldier soever could take one of those three 

 Spanyards that we thought were landed. But our labours 

 were in vaine in that behalfe ; for they put themselves 

 into one of the small canoas : and so while the greater 

 canoas were in taking they escaped. But seeking after 

 the Spanyards, we found the Arwacas hidden in the woods, 

 which were pilots for the Spanyards, and rowed their 

 canoas; of which I kept the chiefest for a pilot, and 

 caried him with me to Guiana, by whom I understood 

 where and in what countreyes the Spanyards had laboured 

 for golde, though I made not the same knowen to all : 

 for when the springs began to breake, and the rivers to 

 raise themselves so suddenly, as by no meanes wee could 

 abide the digging of any mine, especially for that the 

 richest are defended with rocks of hard stones, which wee ^^^^ ^/ff^^^ed 

 call the White spar, and that it required both time, men, ^J^^fl £^lhite 

 and instruments fit for such a worke, I thought it best not spar. 

 to hover thereabouts, least if the same had beene per- 

 ceived by the company, there would have beene by this 



389 



