Chap. in. in the Neighbourhood of Darien, ' ^ 39 
"Woitnded, eTery one of whom he vifited, and was him- 
felf undaunted in Dangers,' never fbe wing the leaft Con- 
cern ih the greateft Perils. He then caufed a Certificate 
fa be drawn of his taking Fofiefiion of that Sea, and all 
in it, for the Crown of Caple •, in teftimony whereof, he 
cut down Trees', erefted Croffes, raifed Heaps of Stones^ 
and cut the King of Spain's Name on fome Trees. He 
then refolved to go down the Mountains, to obferve what 
there was on them, and on the Sea-edaft. 
Being informed that, near this Place, there was another 
Town, belonging to a Lord whofe Name was Chiapes^ 
he advanced very cautiouflyy and Chiapes went out to 
meet him with a great Number of Men, in which he con- 
fided, for the Indians, feeing fo few Spaniards, generally 
made little account of them till they had felt their Swords. 
When they drew near, the Spaniards fainted them with 
their Fire Arms firft, and then with their Crofs-bows, 
after %vhich they let go the Dogs j the Indians, feeing the 
Fire of the Mufkets, hearing tfie Report, fmelling the 
Gunpowder, obferving how many dropt down dead, and 
that the Dogs tore all they came at, turned their Backs 
and fled with the utmofl: Precipitation: The Spaniards 
purfued, with their Dogs, killing fome, but chufmg 
rather to take Prifoners, in order, by their means, to 
make Peace with Chiapes, that he might not retard their 
Paffage. They difmiffed fome of thofe they had taken 
as Meifengers to their Lord, with fome of ^areqna's 
Men to a&re him they would do him no- Harm if he 
•would be their Friend. He thought it fafefl: to put him- 
felf into the Hands of diefe dreadful Enemies, and carried 
the Value of four hundred Pieces of Eight in Gold. Hu~ 
nez received him very gracioufly, and gave him Beads, 
Looking-glaiTes, and fome Hatchets f and here he dif- 
mifled ^arequa's Indians, giving them Trifles, with 
which they went away well pleafed.. 
From thence he fent Captain Francis Pizarro to view 
the Sea Coafr, and what there was about the Country ; 
as alfo John Efcarray and Alonfo Martin, with twelve Men 
each, to find out the fliorteft Ways to the Sea. Alonfo 
Martin hit upon the readied: Road, and, in two Days, 
came to a Place where he found two Canoes upon dry 
Land *, yet faw no Sea ; but, whilfl: he was confidering 
which Vfay thefe Canoes were come up the Land, the 
Sea-water came in and lifted them up about a Fathom in 
Height : For, upon, that Coaft, the Sea ebbs and flows 
every fix Hours, two or three Fathoms, fo that great 
Ships are left dry, and no Sea-water appears for two or 
three Leagues at ieaft. Alonfo Martin, feeing the Canoes 
fwim, went into one of them, and bid his Companions 
bear Witnefs that he was the Firfl: who entered the South- 
Seas another, whofe Name was Blaez de Atienza, did 
the like, and bid them bear Witnefs he was the Second. 
They returned to Nunez with the News, at which all re- 
joiced very much. 
8. The fick and wounded Spaniards that were left be- 
hind being come up, Nunez refolved to proceed him- 
felf to the Sea-fide, and to try what farther Difeoveries 
could be made, taking the Indian Chief with him. 
When they came to the Shore the Spanifo Commander 
marched on, armed as he w’as, till the Water took him 
up to the Middle ; caufing a Notary to draw and fub- 
feribe a public Inftrument, importing, That he had taken 
pofTefTion of that Sea, its Coafts, and the Hands in it, 
on Behalf of the Crown of Caftile at which Ceremony 
the Indians were very much amazed. 
He proceeded next to pafs the Mouth of a great Ri- 
ver, and landed on the oppofite Side, in the Territories 
of another Indian Prince, whofe Name was Coura, and 
who, at firft, endeavoured to make fome Refiftance •, 
but, finding that it was in vain, he fuftered his Son to 
go and treat with them, and himfelf was foon after re- 
coneikd, and carried them a confiderable Prefent. Bal- 
boa obferving a large Bay of the Sea, refolved to navi- 
gate it ; and, to that Purpofe, deiired the Indians to fu-r- 
nifli him with Canoes, which they did, and offered to 
accompany him, though, at the fame Time, they ad- 
vifed him to fufpend his Difeovery, becaiife the Winter 
was coming on. But he, being obftinate, embarked 
with fourfeore Spajiiards-,. togetheiMvith Chiapes,: and fome, 
ol Mis Indians, on board nine Canoess 
They weighed anchor upon the twenty-ninth , of Sep-r, 
t ember, 1513, which was the Reafon he called it T/. AfP 
chad's Bay. When : they were at fome. Diftance from 
Land the Waves began to fwell fo highvj that Nunez re- 
pented - he , had not taken Chiapas's. Advice, It was a, 
wonderful Providence that they , did not all perilh j and 
the Indians, who fwim like Fifli, made the Danger 
more evident, as being better acquainted with the Place, 
which rendered tht Spaniards izioi't apprehenfive. The, 
Roughnefsof this Bay is occafioned' by the many little 
Hands, Rocks, and Sholes, that are in it^ Indians^ 
being bell fkilled in thofe Affairs; had recourfe to nheip 
ufual Remedy, faftening two Canoes together with Cords, 
for then they do not fo eafily overturn. They made the, 
befl: of their Way next towards an Ifland, where they- 
landed, and lafhed the Canoes to the Rocks or Trees. 
There they continued all the Night, with as much Un- 
eafmefs as if they had been looking Death in the Face ; 
for upon the Flood the whole Ifland was covered with 
Water, and they ftood in it up to their Waifts, or Very 
near, it: When Day appeared, and th^ Water ebbed, they 
Went to look for their Canoes, and found fome beaten iut 
Pieces, and others fplit, all of them full of W ater an 4 
Sand ; and nothing remained of all their Goods and Pro- 
vifions j which was a very difmal Sight. In this Diftrefs, 
they pulled off the tender Bark of the young Trees, and, 
bruifing it with Grafs and other Herbs, caulked tlie 
Crannies of the Canoes that were not quite ffaved, and 
thus embarked again- half famifhed. 
They immediately fteered to the Land of an Indian 
l.ord, whole Name was Pumac-o, in, the Creek of the Bay, 
where they found him ready to oppole them. Nunez 
feeing his Men weak and hungry, picked out a' few of the 
ableft, whom he placed in the Front, and engaged : In a 
very fhort Space the Dogs and the Swords made fad 
HavOck among the. Indians, the Cazique himfelf being 
wounded. Chiapes fent fome of his Men to acquaint Pumaco 
with the Power of the Spaniards, and how kind they were 
to their Friends, as himfelf, and other Lords they had 
met in their Way, very well knew by Experience, 
maco would not be perfuaded the firft Time, but the fe- 
cond Meffenger prevailed fo far, that he fent his Sqn, 
whom Nunez entertained very courteoufly, giving him a 
Shirt, and fome Toys, and bidding him advife his Father 
to come himfelf and be his Friend. Pumaco feeing his 
Son had been well ufed, went the third Day with a great 
Attendance of his Subjects, but carried no Prefent ; howr 
ever Nunez paid him much Refpedi:. 
Chiapes told him, that the Spaniards were good, and 
it was but reafonabie to affift them, fince tliey were 
Strangers in their Country ; Being pacified, and out of 
Fear, he fent fome Servants home, who brought Gold, 
to the Value of fix hundred and fourteen Pieces of Eight, 
and, what was much more, two hundred and forty large 
Pearls very fine, and m.any more that were bright blit 
fmall. The Joy Nunez and his Men conceived at the 
Sight of them is inexpreffible, believing the immenfe 
Treafures Comagre's Son had told them of were now at 
hand, and thinking all their Sufferings well repaid. The 
large Pearls were of a great Value, .and would have been 
of greater, but that the Indians ufing Fire to open the 
Oyfters they grew damp, and were not fo white as they 
naturally are : The Spaniards afterwards taught the In- 
dians how to open them without Fire. Fumaco, obferving 
that the Pearls occafioned fuchjoy among them, to ftie-w 
that he valued them but little, fent fome Indians to fifli,- 
and v/ithin four Days they brought as many as weighed no 
lefs than ninety fix Ounces. Both Spaniards and Indians 
were well pleafed, the former conckiding they ftioiild be 
poffe-ffedof all that Wealth, and the latter, efpecially the^ 
Caziqiies, for the Frfe-ndfliip-of the Spaniards,: feeing, thena- 
fond of Gold and Pearls, which they Valued .but little j 
but Chiapes rejoiced moft becaufe he had been inftru- 
•mental in gaining Fumaco's Friendfhip. 
Thofe two Caziques allured Nunez, that thefe was an 
Ifland. about five Leagues from .thaice, in that Bay, go- 
verned 
i 
