58 



Porter's Voyage 



well be imagined, policy induced me to show them every atter- 

 tion ; and, to impress them with a belief of my friendly disposition 

 and respect, I gave them a salute of nine guns on their coming 

 on board. While they remained with me, which was until the 

 next day, I paid every attention to them in my power, altliough 

 their appearance, which frequently excited the risibility of my 

 crew, made me sometimes blush for my guests. The next day I 

 visited the town or hamlet. It is situated about six miles from 

 the river's mouth, on the left bank of the first rising ground you 

 meet with. From thence to the mouth of the river the land is 

 all low, similar to that of the Mississippi, covered with rushes, 

 reeds, and mangroves, and here and there, on the most elevated 

 parts, are to be found the huts where the natives have settled 

 themselves, for the purpose of cultivating the soil, which produces, 

 in great abundance, cocoa, corn, plantains, melons, oranges, 

 pumpkins, sugar-cane, sweet potatoes, &c &c. Their houses are 

 formed of reeds, covered with rushes, open at all sides, and 

 having the floor elevated about four feet from the earth, to pro- 

 tect them from the alligators, which are here numerous and of 

 an enormous size. 



We saw here vast numbers of wild turkeys, which prove very 

 troublesome to the planters, as well as parrots, vultures, hawks, 

 herons, pelicans, white curlews, and a great variety of small 

 birds, with beautiful plumage. The river was filled with fish, 

 some of them of a large size, among which the saw-fish abounded. 

 The stream ran in a serpentine manner through the low grounds, 

 and had several outlets, where the surplus waters escaped to the 

 ocean. Several sunken trees render the ascent as well as descent 

 dangerous. The musquetoes were numerous and tormenting, 

 and in almost every respect, this stream bore the strongest re- 

 semblance to the Mississippi, except in size and depth, it being 

 not more than seventy-five yards across in its widest parts, and 

 in many places very shallow. 



I arrived at Tumbez at eleven o'clock, but took the precaution 

 to have my boat's crew well armed, and every arrangement made 

 to secure a retreat if necessary ; for, notwithstanding their pro- 

 fessions of friendship, T had reason to doubt their sincerity, from 

 the innumerable instances of their treachery on this coast. While 

 his v/ife (who was a handsome young native, of Indian and 

 Spanish parents) was cooking the dinner, I strolled about this 

 wretched place, which consisted of about fifty houses, formed 

 in no way different from those on the banks of the river, except 

 that the reeds were placed closer, in the manner of basket-work ; 

 and some of those of the higher class, such as that of the go- 

 vernor and curate, were filled in with mud. The inhabitants 

 gave me the most friendly reception, every where invited me into 



