214 JOURNAL OF GALLEGO. 



we left the port of Santa Isabel de la Estreila, on our way out, pas- 

 sing by some reefs which are at the entrance of the harbour. We 

 sailed on until the end of two days. The brigantine, being unable 

 to keep up with the ships, drifted towards the land, so much so that 

 at dawn she was nearly out of sight, although there came in her 

 the pilot Gregorio Gonzalez with some of the soldiers and sailors 

 who had (previously) gone in her. Being afraid of losing her, 1 

 made signals to her to go about and make a reach to seaward. I 

 deemed that unless one of the ships turned back to take her in tow, 

 we should lose her. Seeing that, on account of the many reefs, she 

 was so essential to us for the exploration of those islands, and had 

 been built by us after so much labour and through my diligence, I 

 left the ' Almiranta ' to go on, and turned back in the ' Capitana ' 

 to get her. We kept the sounding-lead in hand for fear of the 

 reefs ; and about 6 leagues out to sea (seis leguas de la mar) I found 

 myself in 6 fathoms. I went about immediately, and it pleased 

 God that we found deeper water. We found the brigantine in the 

 hours of the night ; and we took her in tow with no little labour, 

 ofoino- after the ' Almiranta ' which had followed the course I had 

 advised in order to avoid the many reefs existing liere, and leaving 

 behind in her course the islands of Veru and Flores,^ and many 

 others which were discovered in the brigantine, witiiout touching at 

 them. At the end of four days, we saw tlie ' Almiranta ' right 

 ahead of us, not having 3'et found a port. 



"On Tuesday, the 12th of May, we arrived at a port in the 

 island of Guadalcanal, to which we had gone from Santa Isabel ; 

 but we were not able to arrive at the river of Ortega which lay two 

 leagues to windward of where we were. This day, the wind blew 

 so hard from the east that our cable parted and we lost an anchor. 

 On the following morning I went in a boat to find a good anchor- 

 age, for we were anchored on an (open) coast ; and I w^ent a league 

 from here to the rear of an islet which was close to this island of 

 Guadalcanal ; and having sounded everywhere I found that it was 

 clear (of shoals) and afforded a good anchorage for the ships, since 

 it had a large river which was named by us Rio Gallego. It is in 

 latitude 10° 8'. From her© I returned to the ships, and brought 

 them to this port which we named Puerto de la Cruz.^ 



^ The island of Florida is probably thus referred to. 



^ The position of tliis harbour is shown on the present chart; but it is placed too much to 

 the eastward ; since, from the narrative, it is apparent that it lies near Sesarga, which is 

 the present Savo. ' 



