1595.

Al our actions betrayed by dangerous spies out of England.

litle meale, or 2 or 3 tunnes of wine, which by reason of some disorder amongst the company overcharging themselves with the wine, our general for the most part caused to be spilt. While we remained here, some of our company ranging the woods, found the governor of the fort where he lay asleepe, brought him to our general: who examined him touching the state of the citie of S. Iago de Leon. Who declared unto us that they had newes of our comming a moneth before, and that they of the towne had made preparation for our comming: and that if we did go the common beaten way, it was never possible for us to passe, for that they had made in the midst of the way betweene this fort and the said city, an exceeding strong baricado on the top of a very high hil, the passage being not above 25 or 30 foot in bredth, & on each side marveilous steep-upright, and the woods so thicke that no man could passe for his life: which indeed at our returning backe we found to be true. Upon which speeches our general demanded of him if there were not any other way: who answered, there is another way marvelous bad and very ill to travel, which the Indians do commonly use: but he thought that the Spaniards had stopt the same, by cutting downe of great trees and other things, as indeed they had. This Spaniard was a very weake and sickly man not able to travel, so our generall sent him abord his ship, & there kept him. In the taking of our 3 small Caravels at Cumaná, we had a Spaniard in one of them that had traveiled these wayes to the citie of S. Iago. He told us he would cary us thither by any of both these wayes, if

afterward we would set him at libertie: the which was granted. While we remained at the fort by the waters side, the Spaniards came downe unto us by the great & beaten way on horsebacke, who being discovered, our generall sent out to meete them captaine Roberts with some 40 or 50 musketeirs, who came to skirmish with them, but they would not stay. The same day in the afternoone we marched forth toward S. Iago, & tooke

In our

the Indians way called The unknowen way.
march we came to divers Indians houses, which we never
hurt, but passed by and left them untouched: but the
Indians were all fled into the woods, and other places, we
know not whither. We marched until it was night over
such high mountaines, as we never saw the like, and such
a way as one man could scarse passe alone. Our general
being in the forward, at length came whereas a river de-
scended downe over the mountaines, and there we lodged
all that night. Here in going this way, we found the
Spanish governours confession to be true: for they had
baricadoed the way in divers places with trees, & other
things in such sort, that we were driven to cut our way
through the woods by Carpenters, which we caried with
us for that purpose. The next day being the 29 of May
early in the morning we set forward to recover the tops
of the mountaines: but (God knoweth) they were so
extreeme high and so steep-upright, that many of our
souldiers fainted by the way: and when the officers came
unto them, and first entreated them to goe, they answered,
they could goe no further. Then they thought to make
them goe by compulsion, but all was in vaine: they
would goe a little and then lie downe, and bid them kill
them, if they would, for they could not, nor would not
goe any further. Whereby they were enforced to depart,
& to leave them there lying on the ground. To be short,
at length with much ado we gat the top of the moun-
taines about noone: there we made a stand til all the
company was come up, and would have stayed longer to
have refreshed our men: but the fogge and raine fell so
fast, that wee durst not stay. So wee made hast to
descend towards the towne out of the fogge and raine:
because that in these high mountaines by report of the
Spaniards themselves, it doeth almost continually raine.
Assoone as we were descended downe neere halfe the way
to the towne the raine ceased, and going downe a little
further, on the toppe of a hill we saw the towne not farre
distant from us. Here we all cleared our muskets: and

1595.

1595.

The Citie of S. Lago de Leon taken the 29.

of May.

[III. 581.]

when our colours came in sight, we discharged a second volee of shot to the great discouragement of the enemie. Thus we marched on a round pace. The enemie was in readinesse a little without the towne to encounter us on horsebacke. Being nowe fully descended from the mountaines wee came into a faire plaine champion fielde, without either hedge, bush or ditch, saving certaine trenches which the water had made, as it descendeth from the mountaines. Here we set our selves in a readinesse, supposing the enemie would have encountered us: but having pitched our maine battell, and marching forward a good round pace, captaine Beling, and captaine Roberts tooke ech of them some loose shoot, and marched in all hast toward the enemie before the maine battell, wherein was our generall with capt. Sommers and came to skirmish with them: but it was soone ended: for the enemie fled. One Spaniard was slaine in this skirmish, and not any one of our companies touched either with piece or arrow, God be thanked. We soone marched into the towne, and had it without any more resistance: but there we found not the wealth that we expected: for they had conveyed all into the mountaines, except such goods as they could not easily cary, as wine, and iron, and such things. By three of the clocke in the afternoone the 29 of May, we entred the citie. Here we remained until the 3 of June without anie great disturbance, saving sometime by night they would come on horsebacke hard unto our Corps du guard, and finding us vigilant, and readie for them, would depart againe.

The first of June, there came a Spaniard neere unto us alone: the Corps du guard perceiving him, called our General, who soone came towards him: but before he approched, the Spaniard made signes that he should lay aside his armes: which he refused to doe, but promised as he was a souldier, if he would come, hee should have free passage. Upon which promise hee came to him on horse-backe, and our General brought him within the

towne, and there communed with him. Who demanded
what he ment to do with the towne: he answered that
he meant to remaine there and keepe it; or if he did
depart from it he would burne it. The Spaniard then
demanded, what the ransome of it should be. Our
General required 30000 ducats. Whereunto he replied
that it was very much. So having had some other
conference together, hee shewed him that hee had bene
a souldier in Flanders a long time, and now was sent
thither by his kings commandement. Among other
things our General demanded of him, what the reason
was they had not walled the citie, being so faire a thing as
that was.
The Spaniard replied, that hee thought it to
bee stronger walled than anie citie in the world, meaning,
by those huge & high mountains which the enemie must
passe over before he can approch it; which we found very
true. Thus with many other faire speeches, he tooke his
leave for that day, and told our Generall, that he would go
speake with the governour: (but it might be himselfe, for
any thing we know) howbeit because our General had
granted him free comming and going, he suffred him
to depart: who before his departure, requested to have
a token of our General, that he might shew to the Gover-
nour how he had spoken with us, or else he doubted, that
he would not beleeve him. Wherupon our General gave
him a piece of 12 pence: so he departed and promised
the next day by ten of the clocke to returne unto us with
an answere: in which meane time nothing befel.
next day being the 2 of June, at his houre appointed, he
returned with his Indian running by his horses side. So
he was brought to the Generall, and there remained till
after dinner, and dined in his company in the governours
house that was. The dinner ended, with the best enter-
tainement which could be given him, they communed
again about the ransome of the citie. Our General pro-
posed his old demand of 30000 ducats. The Spaniard
first proffered him 2000, then 3000, last of all 4000, and
more he would not give. Our General counting it a

The

1595.

1595.

Certain vil lages about Sant lago fired.

small summe of money among so many, did utterly refuse it. So the Spaniard departed. But before his departure our general told him, that if he came not to him again before the next day noone, with the ransome which he demanded, he would set all on fire. That whole day past, and the night also without any thing of moment, except some shew of assault, by their approching towards our Corps du guard, and retiring backe againe. The 3 day being come, in the morning some of our company went forth, a league or more from the towne, & some two leagues and more unto certaine villages thereabout, & set them on fire but the enemy never came to resist them, so they returned backe againe safe into the towne, and brought certaine Indian prisoners with them, among whom there was one which spake broken Spanish, which being examined, confessed unto us of his own accord, how the General had sent to the other towns thereabout for aide, and that he thought they would be there with him that day. When we understood this, we grew into some distrust of the Spaniards trechery, and thought upon the messenger, how he had used long delayes with us: wherupon we were commanded presently, every man to make ready to depart, and to fire the citie: which The citie of S. forthwith was done. And after we had seene it all on Lago burned. fire, & burnt to ashes, we tooke our leaves and so departed, & marched away that day being the 3 of June, not that way we came, but by the great beaten way. And when we had marched halfe the way towards the waters side, we came unto that strong baricado which they had made, and there lay all that night. Here we found the Spanish captaines word to be true which we tooke at the fort by the waters side: for this baricado was of such force, that 100 men in it wel furnished, would have kept backe from passing that way 100000: first by reason of the huge and high mountaines, next the steepenes of them, on both sides, last of all in regard of the fine contriving of it with the large trenches, and other munitions, which I cease to recite. The fourth