6 SMITHSONIAN M ISt'ELLAN ICOIJS tOM.KCTIONS VOL. 66 



conimaiul of the intrt-pid but unsL-rupuloiis Alonso <le llcrrcra. TIr' 

 itinerary of I lerrera's ill-fated voyaj^e is described o!i Oviedo's niai) 

 as follows : 



" Ii!ste Ks vn estero por dcMide entro alonso de herrera J'.l qurd 

 Entra lui I'-lrio de Huya])ari I*", hazeide l''stos rios q(ue)s dielio." 

 ("This is a swamp where Alonso dr I Icneia eiilered and whii-h 

 empties into die i\i\fr lluyapari; il is formed l»y du- aloifsaid 

 rivers." )' 



I'liilhti, ill ihf aiij^le foriiird by die lluyapari and ( arranaca 

 -rivers, we read: " Kio de earranaca por I'd <|ual luUro alonso de 

 herrera" E pass(t adelanle \<. deste( !) I'-ste rio hasta \\\ estero de 

 Alela ptii I'd L'laiide lm\apari ay XXXVII lej^^iias " (" l\ivi-r C'arra- 

 naia wlii-re Alonso de I lerrera entered and went farther on and 

 from this river to the Meta swamps, u]) the f^reat river lluyapari, it is 

 37 leaniies " ) ." 



Facing the mouth of the swamp there is the following legend: 

 " Ri(} de meta por donde ICntro alonso de herrera con la armada de 

 ^eromi (sic) no(!) dortal h. le mala mn " ("Kiver Mela, where 

 Alonso de Herrera entered with the Heel of (lei/iiiimo Mortal; and 

 they killed him " ).' 



iMiialh', (he last legend to be considered in I'oimection with this 

 disastrous explorinj^ expedition api)ears at tlie lett of the Tinoco 

 River on the map. The lej.;end reads: " A(|ui mataro|n| a al" de 

 herrera " teniente del ^ou'" dortal \ has ta a(|ui lle^o di-spues h.l diidio 

 dortal y hallo \ndicios veros de la mneile del dicbo he rera M se hallo 



' I he afHufiit.^ arc as follows; " R. de tiiKKO, K. tic Ninia, K. de pan, K. dcia 

 portimiu'sa, Kin viiiiiiio, R. t-uiiaRuanari. 



" i'he elegia IX, canto 1, ol juaii lU- Castclhiiios' " idegias de varones ilustres 

 (It* lixlias," does not at all icUi to licrn-ra's oxpodition in 1535, as is 

 fiToneonsly assertfd li\ liu- uiiliiisl woi tli\ ( liiitaii writtr Jose ToriI)io 

 Mfdina, " Notas " to " l-.l l)fsculiiiini<-iito dtl no de las Aniazi.nas," pp. 273-274. 



"Oviedo, II, cap, IX, p. J45", 'lium die dull ol I'aiia lo lIu- viilaKe of 

 Cahurutii, i.so leagues; from San Migufl df Neveri, a small town Idunded 

 liy Dortal in 1536, on the coast of Maraeapaiia, to the said village, .|o leagm-s ; 

 and from San Mignt-l to tin- nmiitii of tlu- rivi"r lliiyaiiari, 120 leagues of 

 sea-coast." 



' Loc. lit., liliio XX1\ , e.ip, \ 11, p. 240". 



Mediiiii, 1. c., settles the matter in a \ t r y summary manner, -naying tlatly: 

 ■' Verilicada en 1535. fue dirigida a la^ regioius (pie ^e extienden al norte 

 del .'\mazonas " (sic ! !) ( " ( )iganizcd in i.s3.S, [the expeditioid was directed 

 to tile regions situated to the north of tlic Amazoij River"). 



'He was wouiuled with a poisoned arrow, cf. loc. cit,, and see p. 247*, where 

 is given a detailed account of the preparation of urari, or curari, by the Carib 

 Indians. 



