AD. THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



1572-87. 



men in the same place where Captaine Drake was, and 

 hailing his ship to shore, cut downe boughes of trees, and 

 covered his ship with them, and hid up his great ordinance 

 in the ground. Thus leaving not one man in his ship, he 

 tooke two small peeces of ordinance, and his calievers, and 

 good store of victuals, with all other necessaries for his in- 

 tended voyage. And he went with the Negros above 

 A river run- twelve leagues up into the maine land, unto a river that 

 nvngtnto the runneth into the South sea : and by this river in a wood he 

 cut downe timber, and built a Pinnesse, which was 45 foote 

 long by the keele ; which Pinnesse being finished, he 

 went downe the river and passed into the South sea, carry- 

 ing sixe Negros with him for his guides, and he arrived at 

 the Hand of Pearles being 25 leagues distant from Panama. 

 This Hand lieth in the South sea as they saile from Peru 

 to Panama, and here he stayed ten dayes, before he could 

 take any shipping, but at length there came a small barke 

 from a place called Quito in Peru : this barke he tooke, 

 and found in her 60000 pezos of golde, with much wine 

 and bread : and not being content with this, he stayed a 

 long while, before he would sende away his prize or any of 

 his men. Shortly after he tooke another barke that came 

 from Lima, wherein he found 1 00000 pezos of silver in 

 barres, which being all aboord his Pinnesse, he shaped his 

 course toward the river from whence he came : but before 

 his departure he landed on the foresaid Hand to finde 

 pearles, and went to a small towne of the Hand inhabited 

 by Negros for the same purpose : where finding but small 

 store, he returned to his Pinnesse, and comming neere 

 unto the river he sent away his two prizes, and with his 

 Pinnesse entered up the river. The Negros of the Hand 

 of perles, so soone as the Englishmen were departed, 

 [III. 780.] posted in their Canoas to Panama, to signifie unto the 

 Governour what they had done. Whereupon the Gover- 

 nour within two dayes after sent out foure barkes and an 

 hundred souldiers, and Negros to rowe, the captaine of 

 which souldiers was called Juan de Ortega : who went first 

 to the Hand of pearles, & there had knowledge which way 



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