Chap. I. Captain William Dampier. 
Merchants ; whence it is carried on Mules by Land to 
Porto-Bello , at which time every thing is exceffive dear 
at this Place. 
32. The Spanijh Armada, which comes every three 
Years into the IV eft Indies , arrives firft of all at Cartha- 
gena •, whence they difpatch immediately an Exprefs by 
Land to Lima, and another with two Packets of Letters 
by Sea, one for the Viceroy of Peru at Lima , the other 
for the Viceroy of Mexico. I cannot abfolutely tell which 
Way the Packet for Mexico goes, after its Arrival at Porto- 
Bello, whether by Sea or Land •, but I fuppofe by Sea to 
La Vera Cruz but that for Lima goes by Land to Panama , 
and fo by Sea to Lima. Upon this Occafion I cannot but 
tell the Reader, that fome time before my going to the 
South Seas, being then aboard Captain Coxon ’ s Ship, in 
Company of three or four other Privateers, we took the 
Packets bound from Carthagena to Porto-Bello , four Leagues 
from this laft Place : In them we found many Letters from 
the Merchants of Spain , directed to their Correfpondents, 
intimating, that the fame Year a certain Prophecy being 
publilhed in Spain , that fome Englijh Privateers would open 
themfelves a Way into the South Seas, they defired them 
to be upon their Guard. As by this Way we underftood 
the Paffage by Land over the Ifthmus of Darien , and thole 
Indians had fought our Affiftance of late againld the Spa- 
niards, , fo this gave us the firft Encouragement to venture 
upon that Enterprize •, and as we knew the Spaniards to be 
a bigotted Generation, we fent moft of the Letters (fealed 
up again) to Porto-Bello to augment their Fear. The firft 
Occafion of our contracting a Friendfhip with the Indians , 
on the Ifthmus of Darien , happened thus. About fifteen 
Years before, Captain Wright took a young Indian Lad, 
among the Jamhallo Ifi.es, unto whom he gave the Name 
of John Gratt , and bellowed him afterwards upon fome 
Mojkitoes , who carried him to their Country, where he 
married, learned their Language, and ftaid among them till 
fix or eight Months before our taking the laid Packet. 
Captain Wright took another Indian Boy, twelve Years 
old, the Son of a Man of Note among them, whom he 
carried to the Country of the Mojkitoes , to be educated by 
them : Here, meeting with John Gratt , he perfuaded the 
Captain to reftore the Boy to his Friends, and thereby to 
commence a Friendfhip with them ; but, the Captain alleg- 
ing the Fiercenefs of thofe Nations, Gratt offered his Ser- 
vice to bring the Matter about: Accordingly, being fet 
afhore in his Indian Habit, he called out to them in his 
own Tongue ; and they acknowledging him for their Coun- 
tryman, he propofed a fluid Alliance with the Englijh ; 
alleging, that they were a good fort of People, and de- 
clared Enemies of the Spaniards ; telling alfo the Father of 
the Boy, that if he would go aboard the Veffel he fhewed 
them, being at Anchor, he might have his Son again : 
Whereupon about thirty of them went aboard Captain 
Wright with Refrefhments ; and, being kindly entertained 
there, they returned with the Boy and Captain Wright 
afhore, and entered into a ftrid Confederacy againft the 
Spaniards •, and thereby opened the Way by Land into the 
South Seas, the Difcovery whereof is, in a great meafure, 
owing to the before-mentioned Letters, and taking of John 
Gratt . 
33. But, to return to the Spanijh Armada at Carthagena : 
After a Stay of fixty Days in this Port, it fails hence to 
Porto-Bello , where it remains only thirty Days, and takes 
in the King’s Treafure brought thither from Panama , 
which is faid to amount to 24,000,000 Pieces of Eight, 
feefides Plate and Goods belonging to the Merchants. 
When the Merchants fteal the Cuftom of the Plate, they 
pack it up among Merchandize, and fend it to Vera Cruz , 
upon the River Chagre , where they fall down the River, 
and fo go farther by Sea to Porto-Bello : From this Har- 
bour they weigh Anchor precifely on the 30th Day to the 
River’s Mouth, where the Admiral will fometimes flay 
a Week longer to oblige the Merchants. From Porto- 
Bello the Armada returns to Carthagena , where it meets 
with the King’s Money, brought thither out of the 
Country, as alfo with a large Spanijh Galleon, (called by 
them a Patache) which, upon the firft Arrival of the Ar- 
mada at Carthagena from Spain , goes along the Coaft to 
gather the King’s Tribute. After a fet Time, the Ar- 
Nume, y. 
91 
mada returns from Carthagena , by the Way of the Havanna , 
in the Ifle of Cuba , where, meeting with the Flota, or a 
ftnall Squadron of Ships, come thither from Vera Cruz , 
with the Riches of the City and Country of Mexico , and 
what is brought thither by the annual Ship from the Philip- 
pine IJles , they all join, and fail for Spain, through the Gulph 
of Florida. Porto-Bello being an unhealthy Place, the 
Merchants of Lima make as fhort Stay there as they poF 
fibly can : But Panama is feated in a much better Air, as 
enjoying the Benefit of Sea Wind from ten or eleven of the 
Clock in the Morning, till eight or nine of the Clock at 
Night, and the Land Wind from nine, till the Morning ; 
befides that, Panama having on the Land-fide an open 
champagne Country, it is feldom troubled with Fogs ; 
nor is the wet Seafon, which holds from May to November , 
fo exceffive at Panama, as on the other Side of the Bay, 
tho’ it is fevere enough in the Months of June, July, and 
Augujl, in which Seafon the Merchants of Peru, who are 
ufed to a conftant ferene Air, without Rain or Fogs, cut 
off their Hair, to preferve them from Fevers, whilft they 
are obliged to ftay here. 
34. The 20th, we anchored within a League of three 
little rocky Ifies, called the Perico Elands ; and, the 21ft, 
took another Prize, laden with Hogs, Beef, Fowl and Salt* 
from Lavelia. The 24th, fleered over to the Ifle of Ta- 
bago, in the fame Bay, fix Leagues South of Panama : 
Its Length three Miles, and its Breadth two. It is very 
rocky and fteep, except on the North Side, where it has 
an eafy Defcent ; and, as the Soil is black and good up to 
the Middle of the Mountains, they produce abundance of 
Fruit, as Plantains, Bananas, and, near the Sea-fide, 
Cocoa and Mammee-trees ; thefe laft are large and ftrait, 
without Knots, Boughs, or Bunches, and fixty or feventy 
Feet high. At the Tops fprout out fome fmall Branches, 
thick and clofe together ; the Fruit is of the Bignefs of a 
large Quince, round, and covered with a grey Rind, which, 
before it is ripe, is brittle ; but, when come to Maturity* 
grows yellow, and will peel with Eafe. The ripe Fruit is 
of the fame Colour, like a Carrot, fmells and taftes well, 
and has two rough flat Stones in the Middle, each of the 
Bignefs of a large Almond. The South-weft Side is 
covered with Trees and Fire-wood, but the North Side 
has a very fine frefh-water Spring, which falls from the 
Mountains into the Sea. Near it formerly flood a pretty 
Town, with a fair Church, but the greateft Part has been 
deftroyed by the Privateers. Oppofite to the Town, a 
Mile from the Shore, is good anchoring, fixteen or 
eighteen Fathom Water, foft oufy Ground. At the 
North North-weft End lies a fmall Town, called Toba- 
gilla, with a Chanel betwixt both ; and, on the North-eaft 
Side of Lobagilla , another fmall one, without a Name. 
Whilft we were at an Anchor near Lobagilla , we were in 
great Danger of being trepanned by a pretended Merchant 
of Panama, who, under colour of trading privately 
with us, brought his Bark laden with Merchandize in the 
Night to the South of the Perico Ifles, where we were then 
at Anchor, according to his Appointment, which was 
intended for our Deftrudion ; for^ inftead of a Bark, he 
advanced with a Firefhip, pretty near us, hailing us with 
the Water- word. Thereupon, fome of our Men, more 
fufpicious than the reft, bid her come to an Anchor ^ which 
ftie not doing, they fired at her ; which fo terrified the 
Men, that they got into their Canoes, after they had fet 
her on Fire, and we were forced to cut our Cables, to efcape 
the Danger. At the fame time Captain Swan, who lay a 
Mile from us at Anchor, law a fmall Float, with only one 
Man upon it, driving towards his Ship, but foon after 
dilappeared ; he fuppofed this to have been a Machine, made 
up with combuftible Matter, to fatten to his Rudder, (as it 
happened to Captain Sharpe near Coqiiimbo ) but that the 
Fellow, thinking himfelf difeovered, had not Courage 
enough to go forward in the Enterprize ; but Captain Swan 
thought alfo fit to cut his Cables, and to keep under Sail 
all Night. The Firefihip was framed and managed by one 
Captain Bond, who formerly run away from us to the Spa- 
niards, without whofe Affiftance they could not have 
fitted her out, it being almoft incredible, how grofiy 
ignorant the Spaniards, efpecially in the South Seas, are 
in Sea Affairs j nay, which is worfe, you feldom fee above 
2 C 
