Chap, L Captain Willi 
Water ; and commonly make great Havock amongft Cattle, 
if there be any near the Place where they harbour, which 
is ufually in frefh-water Rivers. The Indians are not 
greatly afraid of them, neither in the Water, nor on Land. 
They run in a Circle, and this great Creature is not able to 
turn his unwieldy Body fo quickly, but that they eafily get 
from him. The Indians like wife go into the Water, to 
feek them, with a Piece of Iron, like an Harpoon at both 
Ends, and two Pieces of Iron acrofs. This they hold by 
the Middle in their Hand ; and the Alligators, when they 
bite, raife their Heads out of the Water. Then the Indians 
hold out this Piece of Iron to them, at which they bite ; 
and it fattens In their Mouth, and keeps it open like a Gag. 
The Females lay Eggs, about 100 at a time. Thefe 
Eggs are about the Bignefs of a Goofe’s ; but the Shell is 
aim oft as thick as an Qftridge’s. I have feen many of them; 
they are quite round. The Flefh of the Alligators is not 
fit to be eaten, it being very ftrong and mufky ; nay, the 
very Water of the Rivers, which they were in, rafted fo 
ftrong of them, that is, of Mufk, that a Draught of it 
would almoft fuffocate us. But, notwithftanding it is fo 
naufeous, there are no Inftances of its doing any fort of 
Prejudice to the Conftitutions of fuch as drink it. 
1 3. On June 2 1 . being off the Bay of Guiaquil . , we faw 
a Sail, and came up with her the next Day. This hap- 
pened to be one of thofe Spanijh Men of War fitted out on 
purpofe to take us, and a Ship of thirty-two Guns. Being 
pretty near each other, they gave us a Broadfide ; but we 
did not mind them. All oiir Care was to get the Weather- 
gage ; in order to which; while we carried too much Sail, 
and the Wind blew very frefh, our Fore-topmaft unfortu- 
nately came by the Board. Immediately we got our Hatch- 
ets, and cut all clear away ; and our Captain ordered the 
Helm to be clapt a-weather* and bore away. The Enemy, 
feeing this, immediately bore away after us, with all the 
Sail they could, hoping to come up ; for now they doubted 
not they fhould take us. We, obferving that our running 
had increafed their Courage, refolved to lie-by, and fight it 
out. Captain Dafnpier ’ s Opinion was, that he could fail 
better upon one Mall than the Enemy, and therefore it was 
belt to put before the Wind ; but, however, chofe rather to 
fight, than to be chafed alhore : So, hoifting the bloody 
Flag at the Main-topmaft-head, with a Refolution neither 
to give nor take Quarter, we began the Fight, and went to 
it as fall as we could load and fire. The Enemy kept to 
Windward, at a good Diftance from us ; fo that we could 
not come to make ufe of our Small-arms : But we divided 
the two Watches ; and one was to manage the Guns, whilft 
the other looked on ; and, when thofe at the Guns were 
weary, the others were to take their Places, till they had 
refrefhed themfelves. By this means we fired, I believe, 
five Guns to the Enemy’s one. We fired about 560, and 
lie about no or 1 1 5 ; and we fought him from twelve at 
Noon to half an Hour paft fix at Night, altho’ at a good 
Diftance ; for he kept fo far to Windward of us, that our 
Shot fometimes would hardly reach him, tho’ his would, at 
the lame time, fly over us. At half an Hour paft fix, it 
growing dufk, they left off firing ; and we did the fame. 
We had none of our Men either killed or wounded by the 
Enemy ; only two, through Carelefnefs, had their Hands 
and Faces blafted. We lay-by all Night, and, in the 
Morning betimes, looked out for our Enemy, expedtin 0 ' to 
have had another Briifh with him ; but, contrary to our Ex- 
pectation, he had made Sail from us in the Night. Captain 
Dampier told us, that his Intention was now to leave the 
Coaft of Peru , in order to go and get Provifions in the Bay 
of Pacames. Accordingly, having weathered Point Gal- 
lera, we anchored in that Bay, and fent our Boat afhore, 
with twenty Men, to look for Provifions ; but they foon 
returned on board again, with a very untoward Account ; 
that they had met indeed with an Indian Village of 
about fifty Houfes ; but that the Inhabitants had abandoned 
it, and had left nothing behind them in their Houfes. In 
the River, however, we found a fine Bark, of the Burden 
of about fifty Tons, with as much new Plank by her, as 
would have ferved to build another of the fame Size. We 
•um t0 ° k an0t ^ iei ! Bark of about ten Tons, laden 
with Plantains. This Bark we intended to keep inftead of 
m, Long-boat, She had two Mafts, and two fquare Sails ; 
am Funnel l. 13 3 
and, when we had fitted her for our Purpofe; we called her 
the Dragon. The Country hereabouts is very pleafant, and 
well wooded and watered, with all the Conveniency imagin- 
able. 
14. About feven Leagues to the Northward lies the 
Bay of St. Mattheo. The Land about it is very high, and 
has a great many Sholes running from it two Leagues into 
the Sea ; and for three or four Leagues, the Water is fhal- 
low, that is, from four to fix Fathom where it is deepeft. 
Southward and Northward to the Sea there are white Cliffs; 
and the Bay lies between them. In the Bottom of the Bay 
there are two Rivers, that empty themfelves into the Sea ; 
but they are both what the Seamen call Alligator-water, 
that is, white and mufky, as I have before defcribed it. On 
each Side of thefe Rivers are Sholes of Sand, and, near their 
Mouths ; very fine Groves of tall, fpreading, green Trees, 
which are the Marks to find thefe Rivers by ; for their 
Mouths are fo narrow, as not to be difcerned at a Diftance. 
1 hvle Rivers are feldom ufed by the Spaniards for any thing 
but Refrefliment : And, to fay the T ruth, there cannot be 
a properer Place for that Purpofe, fince all the Country 
round about abounds with every kind of Provifion, that 
this Part of the World affords. About two Leagues 
up the River, there are feveral Villages, inhabited by the 
Indians , who, when the Spaniards come hither, furnifh them 
with Cocoa-nuts, Plantains, Bananas, and other kinds of 
Fruit. As we have often mentioned thefe, and fhall be ob- 
liged to mention them frequently hereafter, it may not be 
amifs to enter into a particular Defcription of them here, 
lor the Reader’s Information, and to render our Accounts 
perfectly intelligible : The Cocoa-tree is, generally fpeak- 
ing, from fifty to an hundred Feet in Height, for the moft 
part, ftrait and flender. This Tree produces Leaves of four 
Fathom, or four and an half in Length, and bears the fa- 
mous Nut of the fame Name, which, with its outer Rind, 
is larger than a Man’s Head. This outer Rind being taken 
off, there appears a Shell, which will hold near a Quart. 
Within the Shell is the Nut ; and within the Nut is about 
a Pint and an half of pure clear Water, which is very cool, 
pleafant, and fweet. The Kernel of the Nut is alfo very 
pleafant and good, which, if it be pretty old, we fcrape all 
to Pieces. The Scrapings we fet to foak in about a Quart 
of frefh Water for three or four Flours, and then ftrain the 
Water; which, when ftrained, hath both the Colour and 
Tafte of Milk ; and, if it ftand awhile, it will have a thick 
Head on it, not unlike Cream. This Milk, being boiled 
with Rice, is accounted by our Doftors to be very nourilh- 
ing • for which Reafon we often give it to our fick Men. 
The Leaves of the Trees ferve to thatch Houfes. Of the 
outer Rind of the Nut they make what refembles Linen 
Cloth. They alfo make of it Ropes for Ships, and Rigging, 
Cables, iftc. which are a good Commodity in moft Parts 
of the Weft Indies. The Shell of the Nut will make very 
pretty Drinking-cups. It will alfo burn very well, and 
make a fierce and hot Fire. The Kernel ferve s inftead of 
Meat, and the Water contained therein inftead of Drink ; 
and, if the Nut be very old, the Kernel will, of itfelf, turn 
to Oil, which is often made ufe of to fry with, but moft 
commonly to burn in Lamps ; fo that from this Tree they 
have, as is commonly faid. Meat, Drink, Clothing, Houfes, 
Firing, and Rigging for their Ships. Thefe Trees may be 
known by any Ships paffing by ; for they have no Leaves, 
except juft at the Top. At the Bottom of the Leaves the 
Cocoa-nuts grow, ten, fifteen, or twenty in a Clufter, hang- 
ing by a fm all String, which is full of Joints. The Plan- 
tain-tree is about thirteen or fourteen Feet in Height, and 
about four Feet round. The Leaves of the Tree are about 
eight or nine Feet: long, and two Feet broad, and end in a 
round Point. The Fruit grows at the Bottom of the Leaf,, 
upon a great Stalk, in a Cod about eight Inches long, aad 
of the Bignefs of a Black-pudding. The Cod is of a fine 
yellow Colour, often fpeckled with red. This being taken 
oft, the Infide of it is white ; but the Plantain itfelf is yel- 
low, like Butter, and as foft as a ripe Pear. There prow 
fifty or fixty fometimes upon a Stalk, and five or fix Stalks 
upon a Tree. They are an extraordinary good Fruit ; and 
in moll Parts of the Eaft and Weft Indies there is great 
plenty of them. The Banana- tree is much the fame, only 
the Fruit is not fo long as the Plantain, that being about 
