1 
%To 'The Discoveries 
iiVer himfelf from the Danger of fjcli bad Guefts, en- 
deavoured to make them believe there were great Riches 
to be found among the People that dwelt upon the River, 
fome Days Journey lower-. Pizarro^ by his Anions and 
by his Guides, who were his Interpreters, returned him 
Thanks for his Courtefy ; but, finding no Appearance 
of thofe pretended Riches, he returned to Zumague very 
much dilTatisfied with his Expedition ; however, he had 
too much Courage to retire back to Z^uito juft as he 
came. ^ He had a Mind therefore to attempt fome great 
Exploit, and, by the Difcovery of fome other Part, to 
render himfelf as confiderable as the Marquis Pizarro, 
his elder Brother : He opened his Mind to Francis 
P)relloMa-^ a Gentleman of Truxillo in Spain^ who was come 
to join him in the Valley oiZumaque ; and, having taken 
one hundred effedtive Soldiers, and fOme Indians for 
Guides and to carry Provifions, he marched diredlly to 
the Ea^. 
Either the Ignorance of his Guides, or the Hatred they 
bore him, engaged him in a Country all full of Moun- 
tains, Forefts, and Torrents, fo that he was conftrained 
to make W ays where he found none, and to open himfelf 
a Paffage through the Woods with Hatchets, where none 
had ever gone before. At length, after many Days 
March, he pierced through as far as the Province of 
Coca j the Cazique of which Province came to meet him, 
and offered him all the Accommodations the Country 
afforded for his Refrelhment ; Gonzalo promifed him- 
felf much from this kind Entertainment, and by the 
Afliftance of his Guides entered into Converfation with 
the Cazique : He informed him, that the Country through 
which he had paffed, which was fo full of Mountains-, 
Forefts, and Brooks, was the only Paffage he could have 
taken to come thither, that, it was extremely difficult to 
get thro it , but that if he was willing to embark on the 
River he faw before him, or to follow it by Land, he 
might affure himfelf, that, along the Banks of another 
River much greater than this, he fhould find a Country 
abounding with all Things, whofe Inhabitants were co- 
vered with Plates of Gold* There was no need of faying 
any thing more to Pizarro^ to incite him to any kind of 
Enterprize, who prefently fent two of his Guides to 
ZtiTnaque^ with Orders to his Officers to come and join 
him, who marched immediately ; and, furmounting all 
the Difficulties of the Way, arrived, much fatigued, at 
the Town of Coca. 
Pizarfo having refted fome few Days, afterwards put 
them in Battalia before the Cazique, who was fo much terri- 
fied with them, thatheamaffed almoft all the Provifions of 
his whole Province to make a Prefent of them to Pizarro, 
that by this Magnificence he might civilly acquit himfelf 
of his new Acquaintance, who was more impatient of his 
Stay than the other ; aiid the next Morning, having filed 
his Troops along the River, he took his Leave of the 
Cazique, prefenting him with a fine Sword, and put 
himfelf at the Flead of his Cavalry, and followed the 
pleafant Courfe of the River. This good Way did not 
iaft long, but they had Rivulets to ffvim over, and were 
forced to march in uneven Ways, and for forty-three 
Days, without finding any Provifions, or any Fords, Or 
Canoes by which to pafs the River. This long March 
having mightily fatigued oiir Travellers, they were ftop- 
ped by a very furprifing Sight; the River was preffed by 
two Rocks, and on each Side its Paffage, at no more 
than twenty Feet Diftance from one another ; and the 
Water going through this Streight precipitated itfelf into 
a Valley, and made a Leap qf two hundred Fathoms : 
Here it was that Pizarro caufed that famous Bridge to be 
made for his Troops to pafs over, which is fo much 
boafted^of by the ipanijh Hiftorians. 
But finding the Way not at all better on the other Side, 
and the Pfoviiion grov/ing more and more Icarce every 
Day, Pizarro^ refolved to make a Brigantine, to carry by 
W^ater all his lick Men, Provifions, Baggage, and the 
Gold which they had got amongft them. This was no 
finall Difficuky ; but Induftry and Neceffity lurmoiinted 
it, ^ and the Veflel being finifhed, Pizarro embarked all 
in it that hindered his ATarch, and gave the Command of it 
tQ Francis Orellana^ with fifty Soldiers ; giving him exprels 
Sett E Em ENTS Book I. 
Order hot to part far from him, but to come every Nio-ht 
to the Camp. He obferved this Order exaftly, tillliis 
General, feeing all his Men much pinched with Hunger, 
commanded him to go and feek fome Provifions and 
Cottages, where his Men might be refrefiied. Orellana, 
had no fooner received his Orders, but he launched out 
into the Middle of the River, and the Rapidity of the 
Stream carried him as taft as he could willi, for he made 
-above one hundred Leagues in three Days, without the 
Ufe of either Sails or Oars. 
The Current of Coca carried him into another River 
which was much larger, but not near fo fwift : He made 
his Obfervations of it one whole Day, and feeing that 
the farther he went down, the more the River widened ; 
he made no doubt but this was that great River which had 
been fo often, and in vain fought after. The Joy he con- 
ceived at his good Fortune fo tranfported him, that it 
made him quite forget himielf, fo that, dreaming only 
of the Enjoyment of this good Succefs, and tramp- 
ling upon his Duty, Oath, Fidelity, and Gratitude, 
he had now nothing in View but to bring about the 
Enterprize he was contriving. To this End he perfuaded 
his Cornpanions, that the Country was not the fame with 
that which their General had deferibed ; that it had not 
that Plenty the Cazique had told him he fliould find at 
the joyning of the two Rivers ; that they muft certainly 
float along farther, to find that pleafant and fertile Coun- 
tiy, where they might ftore themfelves with Provifions ; 
and befides, that they all faw there was no likelihood of 
getting up this River again which they came down in three 
Days, but, as he believed, could not make the fame 
Way back again in the Space of a whole Year ; that it 
was much more reafonable to wait for their Company on 
this new River ; and that, in the mean time, it was ne- 
ceffary for them to go and feek Provifions. 
Thus concealing his Defign, he hoifted Sail ; and, 
abandoning himfelf to the Wind, to his Fortune, and to 
his Refolution, he thought of nothing but purfuing 
the Courfe of the River, till he fliould difeover it quite 
to the Sea. His Companions were amazed at the Man- 
ner of his putting in Execution the Defign he had been 
propofmg to them, and thought themfelves obliged to 
tell him, that he went beyond the Orders of his General ; 
and that in the extreme Want he was in, they ought to 
carry him the little Provifions they could find ; and that 
he had given fufficient Evidence he had fome ill Defign, 
becaiife he had negleded to leave two Canoes at the 
Bank of the two Rivers, as the General had appointed 
him, for his Army to pafs over in. Thefe Remon- 
ftanCes were made chiefly by a Dominican Friar named 
Gafpar de Carbajal,, and by a young Gentleman of 
Badajos in Spain,, called Fernand Sanches de Vargas. 
The Confideration they had for thefe two Perfons, occa- 
fioned a Divifion in the Company, in this little Veffel, 
into two Parties ; and from Words they were like to have 
fallen to Blows, but that Orellana, ftifling their Grati- 
tude by his Difiimulation, by fair Proteftations, and great 
Promifes, appeafed this Diforder. 
By Means of his Friend he had in the Veffel, he 
gained moft of the Soldiers that were againft him to his 
Side ; and feeing the two Heads of the other Party left 
almoft alone, he caufed Fernand Sanches de Vargas to be 
fet afliore, leaving him quite alone, without Victuals and 
without Arms, in a difmai W^ildernefs ; bounded, on one 
Side, with high Mountains, and with a River on the 
other. He had more Prudence than to treat the Friar 
after the fame manner, yet he gave him to underfland, 
that it was not for him to penetrate any more into the 
Intentions of his Commander, unlefs he had a Mind to 
be feverely chaftifed. After this he continued his Voy- 
age ; and the next Day, being willing to know if he 
might depend upon all that were with him for the Suc- 
cefs of his Refolutions, he let them know that he afpired 
to a much higher Pitch of Dignity than what he might 
have obtained in the Service of Pizarro : That he Owed 
every thing to himfelf and to his King ; and that his 
Fortune having, as it were, led him by the Hand to the 
greateft and moft defirable Difcovery that was ever made 
in the Indies, namely, the great River upon which they 
wer§ failing ; which coming out of PerUy and running 
