Hiftoris of the Indies, lib. 5. 177 



ica, though there be fbme others, who in their dcfcrip- 

 tions give it but twenty five or thirty leagues brcdth at 

 the mouth. Next to this river that ofPLita, or of Silver 

 holdes the fccond place, which is othcrwifc called Fara- 

 gw 9 which runncsfrom the mountaincs of Peru, into 

 the fea, in thirty five degrees of altitude to the South : 

 it rifeth (as they fay) like to the river ofAT//* , but much 

 more without companion, and makes the fields it over- 

 flowes like vnto a fea , for the fpace of three moneths, 

 and after returneth againe to his courfc,in the which 

 fnips do faile many leagues againft the ftrcame. There 

 are many other rivers that are not of that greatnes, and 

 yet are equall : yea they furpafle the greateft ofEurtpc, 

 as that of MAgdAkine y neerc to Saint Marthc the great 

 river, and that ofAlwHui* in new Spaae, and an infinit 

 number of others . Of the fouth (ide,on the mountains 

 ofPtrtt, the rivers arc not vfually fo great, for that their 

 current is not Iong,and that many waters cannot ioyne 

 together, but they arc very fwift, defcending from the 

 mountaines, and have fodaine falles, by rcafon where 

 of they arc very dangerous , and many men have pert- 

 (hed there . They increafc and overflowc moft in the 

 timeofheatc. I have gone over twenty and leaven ri 

 vers vpon that coaft 5 yet did I never paffc any one by a 

 foord.Thc Indians vfe a thoufand dcvifes to pafle their 

 rivers. In fom places they have a long cord that runs fro 

 one fide to th'othcr,& thereon hangs a basket, into the 

 which he puts himfelfe that meanes to pafle 5 and then 

 they drawe it from the bancke with another corde , fo 

 as hee paflcth in this basket . In other places the Indian 

 pafleth, as it were onhorftbacke, vppon a bottle of 

 ftraw, and behinde him hee that defires to pafle ^ and 

 (b rowing with a pceceof a boorde , carries him over. 



N In 



