Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 15.djvu/204

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two prizes that hee tooke, and with his pinnesse he went vp the riuer. The Negros that dwelt in the Island of pearls, the same night that he went from them, went in Canoas to Panama, and the Gouernour within two dayes sent foure barkes with 100 men, 25 men in euery one, and Negros to rowe with the captain Iohn de Ortega, which went to the Island of pearle[*è]s, and there had intelligence, which way the English men were gone, and following them he met by the way the ships which the English men had taken, of whom he learned, that the English men were gone vp the riuer, and he going thither, when he came to the mouth of the riuer, the captaine of Panama knew not which way to take, because there were three partitions in the riuer, to goe vp in, and being determined to goe vp the greatest of the three riuers, he saw comming downe a lesser riuer many feathers of hennes, which the Englishmen had pulled to eate, and being glad thereof, hee went vp that riuer where hee saw the feathers, and after that he had bene in that riuer foure daies, he descried the Englishmens pinnesse vpon the sands, and comming to her, there were no more then sixe Englishmen, whereof they killed one, and the other fiue escaped away, and in the pinnesse he found nothing but victuals: but this captaine of Panama not herewith satisfied, determined to seeke out the Englishmen by land, and leauing twenty men in his pinnesses, hee with 80 shot went vp the countrey: hee had not gone halfe a league, but hee found a house made of boughs, where they found all the Englishmens goods, and the gold and siluer also, and carying it backe to their pinnesses, the Spaniards were determined to goe away, without following the English men any further.

A skirmish between the English men, and the Spaniards. But at the end of three dayes, the English captaine came to the riuer with all his men, and aboue 200 Negros, and set vpon the Spaniards with great fury: But the Spaniards hauing the aduantage of trees which they stood behind, did easily preuaile, and killed eleuen Englishmen, and fiue Negros, and tooke other seuen Englishmen aliue, but of the Spaniards, two were slaine and fiue sore hurt.

Among other things, the Spaniards enquired of the Englishmen which they tooke, why they went not away in fifteene dayes liberty which they had. They answered, that their captaine had commanded them to carie all that golde and siluer which they