354 STATISTICAL ACCOUNT OF THE 



*' I made enquiry among the most ancient and best travelled 

 of the Oronoqueponi, and I had knowlege of all the rivers be- 

 tween Orinoko and Amazons, and vi^as very desirous to un- 

 derstand the truth of those warlike women, because of some 

 it is believed, of others not. 



" Berreo affirmed, that there fell one hundred rivers into 

 Orinoko from the north and south, whereof the least was as 

 big as Rio Grande, that passeth between Popayan and Nuevo 

 Reyno de Granada (Rio Grande being esteemed one of the 

 most renowned rivers in all the West Indies, and numbered 

 among the great rivers of the world). But he knew not the 

 names of any of these but Caroli only, neither from what na- 

 tions they descended, neither to what provinces they led, for 

 he had no means to discourse with the inhabitants at any time; 

 neither was he curious in these things, being utterly unlearned, 

 and not knowing the east from the west. 



" Among many other trades, those Spaniards used in canoes 

 to pass to the rivers of Barema,* Pawroma, and Essequebo, 

 which are on the south side of the mouth of Orinoko, and 

 there buy women and children from the cannibals, which are 

 of that barbarous nature, as they will for three or four hatchets 

 sell the sons and daughters of their own brethren and sisters, 



* Probably Barema is the Demerary, and Pawroma the Pomarooiu 



/ 



