Coasting Along To
The N.W. We Passed The Gulfs Of Dulce And Nicoya, And The Isla Del
Cano, The Land Along The Coast Being Low And Covered With Wood, But
Almost Destitute Of Inhabitants.
August 8th, in lat.
11 deg. 20' N. we got
sight of Volcano viejo, or Old Volcano, the sea-mark for Realejo,
bearing from us N.E. by N. when we made ready to land next day.
Accordingly, we sent 520 men on the 9th in thirty-one canoes to attack
the harbour of Realejo. The weather was fair and the wind favourable
till two p.m. when a tempest arose, attended by thunder and lightning,
which almost overwhelmed us in the sea. It subsided, however, in half an
hoar, as did the agitation of the waves; it being observable in these
hot climates that the waves soon rise and soon fall. It became calm
about seven p.m. but as we could not get ready to land that night before
day, being then five leagues from shore, we remained nearly in the same
place till next evening, that we might not be discovered.
About three next morning another tornado had nearly put an end to us and
our enterprise, but it did not last long, and we entered the creek, on
the S.E. side of the harbour, leading to Realejo in the night, but durst
not proceed further till day-break. We then rowed deeper into the creek,
which is very narrow, the land on both sides being very marshy and full
of mangrove trees, through among which it is impossible to pass, and
beyond these, where the ground is firm, the Spaniards had cast up a
small entrenchment. We rowed as fast as we could and landed 470 men, the
remainder, among whom I was, being left to guard the canoes.
The city of Leon stands twenty miles up the country in a sandy plain,
near a peaked burning mountain, called El Rico, or the Volcano of
Leon, the way to that city from where our people landed being through a
champaign country covered with long grass. Between the landing place and
the city were several sugar works, and about midway a beautiful river,
but fordable. Two miles before coming to the city there was an Indian
town, whence a pleasant sandy road led to the city. The houses in Leon
were large and built of stone, but low and roofed with tiles, having
many gardens among them, with a cathedral and three other churches. It
stands in an extensive sandy plain or savannah, which absorbs all the
rain, and being entirely free from wood, it has free access to the
breezes on all sides. These circumstances render it a healthy and
pleasant place, but not of much commerce, all the wealth of its
inhabitants consisting in cattle and sugar works.
Our people began their march for Leon at eight a.m. the van consisting
of eighty of the briskest men, being led by Captain Townly. He was
followed by Captain Swan with 100 men, and Captain Davis, assisted by
Captain Knight, brought up the rear with 170 men.[177] Captain Townley,
being two miles in advance of the rest, and having repulsed a body of
seventy horse about four miles short of Leon, pushed forwards with his
vanguard, and entered the city without farther resistance at three p.m.
He was then opposed by 500 foot and 200 horse, first in a broad street,
and afterwards in the great market-place; but the horse soon galloped
off, and were followed by the foot, leaving the city to the mercy of our
people. Captain Swan reached the city at four p.m. Davis about five, and
Knight with the remainder at six. The Spaniards only killed one of our
men, who was very old and had loitered behind, refusing to accept
quarter, and took another named Smith. The governor sent word next day,
offering to ransom the town; on which our officers demanded 30,000
pieces of eight, or Spanish dollars, together with provisions for 1000
men for four months, which terms being refused, our people set the city
on fire on the 14th of August, and rejoined the canoes next morning.
Smith was exchanged for a gentlewoman, and a gentleman who had been made
prisoner was released, on promise to deliver 150 oxen for his ransom at
Realejo, the place we intended next to attack.
[Footnote 177: Only 350 men are here accounted for, though 470 are said
to have marched on this enterprise, leaving a difference of 120 men:
perhaps these made a separate corps under Knight, as he seems to have
fallen considerably in the rear of Davis. - E.]
In the afternoon of the 16th we came to the harbour of Realejo in our
canoes, our ships having come there to anchor. The creek leading to
Realejo extends north from the N.W. part of the harbour, being nearly
two leagues from the island at the mouth of the harbour to the town. The
first two-thirds of this distance the creek is broad, after which it
closes into a deep narrow channel, lined on both sides by many
cocoa-trees. A mile from the entrance the creek winds towards the west,
and here the Spaniards had thrown up an entrenchment, fronting the
entrance of the creek, and defended by 100 soldiers and twenty guns,
having a boom of trees thrown across the creek, so that they might
easily have beaten off 1000 men, but they wanted courage to defend their
excellent post; for on our firing two guns they all ran away, leaving us
at liberty to cut the boom. We then landed and marched to the town of
Realejo, a fine borough about a mile from thence, seated in a plain on a
small river. It had three churches and an hospital, but is seated among
fens and marshes, which send forth a noisome scent, and render it very
unhealthy.
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