1 
90 The V O Y 
iufas and Camp e achy are lefs then thefe, and their Fat 
of a greenifh Colour. I was told, that, at Pm -Royal, 
in Camp e achy Bay, they once catched one of thefe Green 
Tortoifes, which was four Feet thick, from the Back to 
die Belly, which was fix Feet broad: A Boy of ten Years 
old, the Son of Captain Rock, went in it, inftead of a 
Boat, aboard his Father’s Ship, then at Anchor a Quarter 
of a Mile from the Shore. The Fat of this Creature 
yielded eight Orallons of Oik The Tortoifes found among 
the little Ides on the South Side of Cuba , are fbme bigger, 
lome lefs, and their Flelh fometimes green, lometimes 
yellow : Thefe are carried to Port-Royal in 'Jamaica , where 
they are kept in Wires made with Stakes. The Green 
Tortoifes feed upon Grafs, a Quarter of an Inch broad, and 
fix Inches long, growing in three, four, five, or even fix 
Fathom Water; it is quite different from the Manatees 
Grafs, which has a {lender Blade. The Tortoifes of the 
Ifle of Gallapagos are a baftard Kind of Green Tortoifes, 
their Shell being thicker than the others, but their Flefh 
not fo good ; befides, they are much larger, and fre- 
quently two or three Feet thick, and their Bellies five 
Feet broad. In the South Sea are another Kind of Green 
Fortoife, no bigger than the fiualleft Hawksbill ; as they 
feed on Mofs, fo their Flefh is rank, though very fat : 
Both thefe Kinds differ from all the reft ; for whereas, in 
other Places, the Female only goes afhore, and that in 
the Night-time ; among thofe, both the Male and Female 
go together by Day, and return together ; both are very 
fat at firft, but, when they are ready to return, they are 
lean, though the Female not fo lean as the Male. It is the 
common Opinion here, that they are nine Days ingender- 
Ing, the He on the She’s Back, in the Water. This is 
certain, that, at that time, the He will not forfake the 
She, who is much more fearful, and often endeavours to 
get away ; but that the Male keeps her with his Fins, fo 
that, if you ftrike the She firft at their Coupling-time, you 
are fure of the He. They are fuppofed to live many 
Years, becaufe they are a long time coming to their full 
Growth. In the South Seas, on the Weft End of the 
Coaft of Me xico, is another Kind of Green Tortoifes, much 
Imaller than all the reft, but their Flefh very well tailed. 
There is one thing extremely furprifing in all thefe Crea- 
tures ; that for three Months, while they are laying their 
Eggs, they forfake their ordinary Places of Refort, and 
feek others, where they lay their Eggs ; and it is gene- 
rally ^fuppofed, that they do not either eat or drink all 
that Sealon. The moft noted Places where they breed 
are, the Ifle of Caimanes , in the Wept Indies , and the Ifle 
of Afcenfion , in the Weftern Ocean ; and no fooner is their 
Coupling-time paft, but they are all gone ; though it is 
certain, that they muft fwim a great Way to come to 
either of thefe Places, fince it has been taken notice of, 
that all the before-mentioned Tortoifes have been found at 
Caimanes in Breeding-time: The neareft Place from whence 
thefe Creatures can fwim thither, is the Me of Cuba , 
forty Leagues thence. Thofe that breed at the Me of 
Afcenfion, coming from the Continent, muft go at leaft 
three hundred Leagues, it being certain, that their con- 
foant Places of Abode are always near the Shore. Thus, iri 
the South Sea, they go from the Gallapagos to lay their Eggs 
on the Continent, which is above an hundred Leagues 
thence. It is further obfervable, that not all the Tortoifes 
leave their ordinary Places at Breeding-time, but many 
remain there ; and, thofe that go, are followed by great 
Numbers of Fifhes, efpecially Sharks, fo that thofe Coafts 
are left deftitute of Fifli, till they return. 
r 16. After a Stay of twelve Days among thefe Mes, one 
of our Indian Prifoners, a Native of Rio Leja , having 
given us an ample Account of the Riches of that Place” 
and offered his Service to conduct us thither, it was 
refolved to take his Advice ; and accordingly we fet Sail the 
1 2th of June, with an Intention to touch in our Way at 
the Me of Cocoas: We took our Cotirfe North 4 0 40' 
Latitude, with a South and by Weft and South South- 
weft Winds ; and, as we came Weft to the Me of Cocoas, 
the Wind South-weft and by South, thus we continued our 
Courfe to 5 0 40' N. Lat. when, defpairing to make the Me 
of Cocoas, as the Wind flood, we directed ourCourfe to the 
Continent. The Ifle of Cocoas lies in 5 0 if N. Lat. its Circuit 
foven or eight Leagues, but has no Inhabitants. Near the Sea- 
AGES of Book I. 
fide it produces a certain pleafant Herb in the low Grounds, 
called Geamadael by the Spaniards . As it is environed 
with fteep Rocks, fo there is no coming near it, except 
that on the North-eaft End Ships may ride fafely in a final! 
Creek . This is what I learn from the Spaniards , and was 
confirmed to me by Captain Raton. The fair Weather, 
and imall Winds, condudled us by the Beginning of July 
to Cape Blanco, on the Continent of Mexico, fo called from, 
two white Rocks, half a Mile from the Cape, in 9 0 5 & 
Latitude they are taper, high, and fteep, like two 
high F owers ; the Cape itfelf is about the fame Height 
as Beachy-head, on the Coaft of Sujfex, in Rngland, being 
a full Point jetting out with fteep Rocks to the Sea, but 
having an eafy Defcent on both Sides from the Flat on the 
Top, which, being covered with tall Trees, affords a 
pleafant Profpeft. On the North-weft Side of the Cape, 
the Land runs in North-eaft for four Leagues, making a 
fmall Bay, called the Caldera Bay ; at the Entrance 
whereoi, at the Lorth-weft Side of the Cape, a fweet- 
water Rivulet difeharges itfelf into the Sea amongfl the 
low Lands, which are very rich, and abounding in lofty 
Trees, which extend a Mile North-eaft beyond the Ri- 
vulet, where the Savannas begin, and run feveral Leagues 
into the Country, being here-ahd-there beautified with 
fmall Groves of Trees, and covered with a fweet, thick, 
and long Graft, fome of the beft I ever law in the Wefi 
Indies. Deeper into the Bay, the low Lands are ftored 
with Mangroves ; but, farther into the Country, the Land 
is higher, _ partly Woods, partly hilly Savannas ; the Grafs 
whereof is not fo good as the former, neither are the 
Trees in the Woods fo tall, but fmall and fhort. From 
the Bottom of this Bay, you may travel over hilly Sa- 
vannas for fourteen or fifteen Leagues to the Lake of Ni- 
caragua. On the Coaft of the North Sea, Captain Cooke , 
who had been very ill ever fince our Departure from the 
Me of Juan Fernandez, died, as foon as we came within two 
or three Leagues of this Cape (a thing frequent at Sea, 
for People to die in View of the Land, after a long 111 - 
nefs) ; and as, in a few Hours after, we came to Anchor a 
League within the Cape, near the Mouth of the before- 
mentioned Rivulet, at fourteen Fathom clear hard Sand, 
he was immediately carried on fhore, under a Guard of 
twelve armed Men, in order to his Internment : While our 
Men were bufy in digging the Grave, three Spanifh Indians 
came to them, asking them feveral impertinent Queftions ; 
which our People having anfwered as they thought con- 
venient, they kept them in Difcourfe till they found means 
to feize them all three, though one of them efcaped their 
Hands again. The other two, being carried aboard, con- 
feffed, that they were fent thither as Spies, to inform them- 
felves concerning us, from Nicoya , a fmall Mulatto Town 
twelve or fourteen Leagues hence, feated upon the Banks 
of a River bearing the fame Name, which being a Place 
very convenient for building and refitting of Ships, the 
Prefident of Panama had fent Advice of our coming into 
thefe Seas to their Magiflrates. Concerning the Inhabitants 
of the Country, they told us, that they lived moftly by- 
manuring of their Grounds for Corn, and feeding their 
Cattle in the Savannas or Plains, of which they had great 
Store •, and that they fent their Ox-hides to the North Sea, 
by the Lake of Nicaragua ; as they did alfo a certain red 
Wood, (which I fuppofe to be the fame, called at Jamaica 
Blood Wood, or Nicaragua Wood) ufed for dying, which 
they exchanged there for Linen and Woolen Commodities 
brought thither from Europe. They added, that not far 
from thence was a large Beef-pen, where we might provide 
ourfelves with what Cows or Bulls we had occafion for. As 
this was a fcarce Commodity amongfl us at that time, 
twenty-four of us were immediately difpatched in two 
Boats, who, under the Condudl of one of the Indians , 
landed at a Place a League from the Ship, and haled 
their Boats upon the dry Sand : Thus, led by their Guide, 
they came to the Pen, in a large Savanna, two Miles from 
the Boats, where, finding abundance of Bulls and Cows 
feeding, fome were for killing three or four of them im- 
mediately ; but the reft oppofed the fame, alleging, they 
had better flay all Night, and in the Morning kill as many 
as they had occafion for. Hereupon I, and eleven more, 
thought fit to return aboard, which we did without the 
leaft Oppofition, expecting the coming of the reft the 
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