94 The V O Y 
Chirapee, , at 7® North Latitude*, This Bay, tho* much 
nearer to Puna than Payta , yet it is feldom vifited by 
Ships of Burden, being full of Sholes ; but, inftead thereof, 
they fail to Payta , one of the belt Harbours on the Coaft 
of Peru ; being flickered at the South-weft, by a Point of 
Land, which renders the Bay very fmooth, and confe- 
quently fate from Anchorage, from fix to twenty Fathom 
in clear Sand. Moft Ships, bound either to the North or 
South, touch at Payta for frefh Water, which is brought 
thither from Colon at a reafonable Rate. November 3. 
early in the Morning, our Men landed four Miles South 
of Payta , where they took fome Prifoners that were fet 
For a Watch, who told us, that the Governor of Piura 
was come with 100 Men to their Aftiftance : Notwith- 
ftanding this, our Men attacked the Fort, on the Hill, 
and took it with little Opposition ; whereupon the Gover- 
nor and Inhabitants quitted the Town : Our People foon 
entered it, but found it empty of Money, Goods, and 
Provifions. The fame Evening, we came with our Ships 
to an Anchor not far from the Town, a Mile from the 
Shore, at ten Fathom Water ; we ftayed fix Days, in 
Hopes of getting a Ranfom for the Town ; but, perceiv- 
ing we were not likely to have any, it was laid in Afhes. 
At Night we fet Sail hence, with the Land Wind towards 
Lobos. The 14th Day, we came within Sight of the Ifle 
of Lobos de Terra , bearing Eaft from us ; and, at Eight o’ 
Clock at Night, came to an Anchor at theNorth-eaft End 
of it, at four Fathom Water. The Ifle of Lobos de la 
Terra is of an indifferent Height ; and, at a Diftance, ap- 
pears altogether like the Ifle of Lobos de la Mare ; we an- 
chored at the North-eaft End of it, in four Fathom Wa- 
ter. It has, at the North End, a Rock, a Quarter of a 
Mile from the Shore ; and, betwixt it, a Chanel of feven 
Fathom Water. In the Afternoon, we failed with a South- 
eaft Wind to Lobos de la Mare , where we arrived May 19. 
The 26th, in the Evening, we difcovered a Bark at a 
Diftance, which was fent to fee whether we were ftill in 
thefe Seas ; but we, keeping clofe under the Shore, re- 
mained there undifcovered. The 29th, in the Morning, 
we fet Sail for the Bay of Guaia , fituate betwixt Cape 
Blanco to the South, and Point Chandy to the North, 
twenty-five Leagues from Cape Blanco. In the Bottom of 
this Bay lies a fmall Ifle, called St. Clara, extending Eaft 
and W eft, having many Sholes to the Nore ; which makes 
the Ships, bound for the Guiaquil, to pafs on the South 
Side of it. The Spaniards fay, there lies a very rich 
Wreck on the North Side •, but that there is very hard 
coming at it, by reafon of the great Multitudes of Cat- 
fifti ; which Filli is not unlike a Whiting, but with three 
Fins on the Back, and one on each Side, which have each 
a Bone ; and, if they ftrike into the Flefli, it proves fre- 
quently mortal : They are met with all along the American 
Coafts, and likewife in the Eaft Indies ; their Flefh is both 
fweet and wholfome. 
26. From the Ifles of St. Clara to Punta Arena , the 
fandy Point being the Weftermoft Point of the Ifles of 
Puna , is feven Leagues Eaft North-eaft : Here Ships, 
bound for Guiaquil , take in their Pilots, which live in a 
Town of the faid Ifle, bearing the fame Name, on the 
South Side, feven Leagues from Point Arena. The Ifle 
of Puna itfelf is low, ftretching fourteen Leagues Eaft 
and Weft, and five Leagues broad : It has a ftrong Tide 
round the Shore, which is full of little Creeks and Rivers : 
Near this Town is a fmall Point, where the Inhabitants are 
obliged to keep a conftant Watch. The inland Part of 
the He is good Pafture-ground, intermixed with fome 
Wood-lands, producing divers, to us, unknown Trees ; 
and, amongft the reft, abundance of Palmetoes, a Tree 
about the Thicknefs of an ordinary Afh, and thirty Feet 
high, with a ftrait Trunk, without Branches or Leaf, ex- 
cept at the very Top, where, fpreading into fmall Branches 
three or four Feet long, each of them produces at the Ex- 
tremity one Angle Leaf, of the Breadth of a large Fan, 
which, at firft, fprouts and fpreads like a Fan plaited to- 
gether, but, by degrees, opens and Ipreads like a Fan un- 
folded. The Houles of the Town of Puna are built on 
Pofts ten or twelve Feet high, into which they go up by 
Ladders, and are thatched with Palmeto-leaves : The like 
Contrivance I have feen among the Malayans in the Eaft 
AGES of Book I. 
Indies. The beft Place for Anchorage is dire&Iy oppofite 
to the Town, within a Cable’s Length of the Shore, at 
five Fathom Water. From Puna to Guiaquil is feven 
Leagues, and one League to the Entrance of the River 
Guiaquil , which is two Miles over, and afterwards runs up 
into the Country in a pretty ftrait Chanel, the Grounds on 
both Sides marfhy, and full of red Mangrove-trees : About: 
four Miles on this Side of the Town of Guiaquil the River 
is divided, by a fmall low Hand, into two Chanels ; that 
to the South-weft is the broadeft, though the other is as 
deep. From the upper End of this He to the Town is 
near a League, and the River thereabouts of the fame 
Breadth, where a Ship of great Burden may ride with 
Safety, expecially towards that Side where the Town ftands. 
It is feated clofe by the River, partly on an Afcent, and 
partly on the Foot of a fmall Hill, with a great Defcent 
towards the River-fide. It is defended by two Forts, 
erefted on the low Grounds, and another on the Hill, be- 
ing one of the beft Sea Ports belonging to the Spaniards 
in the South Sea, under the JurifdiCtion of a Governor, 
and beautified with divers fine Churches, and other good 
Buildings. They export Cocoas, Hides, Tallow, Sarfa- 
parilla, Drugs, and Woollen Cloth, called Quito Cloth . 
The Cocoas grow on both Sides of the River above the 
Town, having a fmaller Nut than thofe of Campeachy . 
The Sarfaparilla delights in watery Places near the River- 
fide ; and the Quito Cloth is made in an Inland Town 
called Quito : It is coarfe, and therefore worn only by the 
V ulgar all over the Kingdom of Peru. 
27. Quito is a populous Place, feated in the Heart of 
the Country, inhabited by fome Spaniards, by moft Indians , 
under the Spanijh Jurifdidtion, being inclofed with a Ridge 
of high Mountains, which abound in Gold : The Rivers 
rifing amongft them carry abundance of Gold-duft along 
with them into the lower Grounds, efpecially after violent 
Rains, which is afterwards cleanfed and walhed from the 
Sand. Quito is reckoned the richeft Place for Gold in all 
Peru , but unwholfome, the Inhabitants being frequently 
fubjedt to Fevers, Head-ach, Griping in the Guts, and 
Fluxes ; but Guiaquil is much more wholfome. Having 
formed a Defign againft the Town of Guiaquil, we left 
our Ships at Cape Blanco , and fteered with a Bark, and 
fome Canoes, to the He of St. Clara, in the Bay of Guia- 
quil, and thence in two Canoes to Point Arena, where we 
took, the next Day, fome of the Filhermen of Puna , and 
afterwards their Watch, together with the whole Town and 
Inhabitants. The next Ebb, we took a Bark laden with 
Quito Cloth, coming from Guiaquil ; the Mafter whereof 
told us, that there were three Barks full of Negroes coming 
with the next Tide. From thence we, lying near the Town 
of Puna, embarked all our Men in Canoes, leaving only 
five Men aboard the Bark, with Orders not to fire at any 
thing till next Morning at Eight o’ Clock, by which time 
we fuppofed we fliould have taken the Town, We had 
not rowed above two Miles, but we met with, and took, 
one of the Barks laden with Negroes ; the Mafter whereof 
having told us, that the other two would not come out till 
the next Tide, we rowed forward; but our Canoes being 
heavily laden, it was Break of Day before we came within 
two Leagues of the Town, there being not above an 
Hour’s Flood : Now we abfeonded all Day in an adjacent 
Creek ; and, at the fame time, fent one of our Canoes to 
our Bark left near Puna, not to fire till the next Day ; but 
to no Purpofe ; for the before-mentioned two Barks with 
Negroes, being come out of the Harbour with the Even- 
ing Tide, patted by without being feen or heard by us $ 
and, falling down with the Ebb towards Puna, our Bark, 
feeing them full of Men, fired three Guns at them, before 
our Canoes could bring them our laft Orders. But we 
took the Matters of both the Barks, as they were making 
their Efcape on Shore. The firing of thefe three Guns 
put us all into a great Confirmation, as not queftioning 
but that thereby the Townfmen had taken the Alarm ; and 
therefore fome were for advancing to the Town immedi- 
ately, others for returning to our Ships : But as the Ebb 
Tide hindered us from going upwards, fo Captain Davis, 
with fifty of his Men, refolved to march by Land to the 
Place ; the reft, judging it impracticable, remained in the 
Creek to fee the I flue of the Enterprize. After .four Hours, 
' Captain 
