We Lay-To All Night, Expecting In The Morning To Renew The
Fight; But He Had Made Sail From Us In The Night.
We now returned to the Bay of Atacames in search of provisions, for
which purpose we sent our boat ashore with twenty men, who soon
returned, saying they had found an Indian village of fifty houses, but
the inhabitants were all fled and had left nothing behind.
In the river
we found a fine bark of about fifty tons, with as much new plank in her
as would have built another of equal size; and we took another of about
ten tons, laden with plantains. This we resolved to retain, instead of a
long-boat. She had two masts and two square-sails, and having fitted her
for our purpose, we called her the Dragon. The country in the
neighbourhood of this bay is very pleasant, being well wooded and
watered. About seven leagues to the N.E. is the Bay of St Mattheo, the
land about it being very high, and there are many shoals about it,
running two leagues out to sea. For three or four leagues the water is
only from four fathoms to six, and this bay has white cliffs both to the
north and south. In the bottom of the bay there are two rivers running
into the sea, both of which are what the seamen call alligator water,
that is, white and musky as before described. On each side of these
rivers there are shoals of sand; and near their mouths are fine groves
of tall spreading green trees, which are the marks by which they may be
found, as their mouths are narrow, and not discernible at a distance.
These rivers are seldom frequented by the Spaniards, except for
refreshments, for which they are well adapted, as all the adjoining
country abounds with every kind of provisions that this part of the
world produces.
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