LOPEZ VAZ AD. 



1572-87. 

 gone two or three Captaines by land to discover it, for a 

 rumour went over all the countrey of the great riches 

 contained in this river ; whereupon the Spaniards named 

 it El Dorado, that is to say, The golden river. It is El Dorado. 

 thought that God will not have this river to be knowen, 

 for that one Captaine by lande had most of his people 

 slaine by those of the countrey, and others for want 

 of victuals returned. So that none of all these came 

 to any plaine discovery, till a few yeeres past a Captaine 

 of the countrey of Navarre called Pedro de Orzua, who ^^^^'^ ^^ 

 went from Peru almost the same way that Gonsalo ^'^^'^• 

 Pizarro had before discovered, and was accompanied 

 with about some seven hundred Spaniards, it being a 

 great marvell how he could get so many, amongst whom 

 were many Gentlemen and old souldiers of Peru, who 

 caused divers mutinies and insurrections, as hereafter I 

 will more at large declare, which mutinous souldiers were 

 the cause of their captaines death. Howbeit with all 

 these men captaine Pedro de Orzua came unto the head of 

 the said river : but you must understand, that this river 

 is nourished not onely with the waters and freshets that 

 come from the mountaines of Peru, but also by all the 

 rivers betweene the Equinoctiall and sixteene degrees of 

 Southerly latitude, which fall thereinto and cause it to be 

 so great. Nowe at the head of this river the sayde 

 Captaine Pedro de Orzua made fifteene Pinnesses with 

 many Canoas, wherein he caried above two thousand 

 Indians to helpe him, with many horses and other pro- 

 vision, as meaning to inhabite there : for it was not 

 possible for him to carry all his provision by lande, 

 because the mountaines be very great, there being also 

 betweene them many small rivers which fall into this [III. 785.] 

 great river above twentie leagues out of the land. So this 

 captaine having all his things in good order went downe 

 the river with his whole company, and at length came 

 from among the mountaines to a plaine countrey where 

 the Indians dwelt ; and there he held a councell, deter- 

 mining in the same place to build a towne and to fortifie 



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