Page 41
An. 1681
Wild Indians.
strong Bag to put his Gold in; expecting great Riches there, tho they got little or none. They rowed up about 100 leagues before they came to any settle- ment, and then found some Spaniards, who lived there to truck with the Indians for Gold; there being Gold Scales in every house. The Spaniards admired how they came so far from the mouth of the River, be- cause there are a sort of Indians living between that place and the Sea, who are very dreadful to the Spa- niards, and will not have any commerce with them, nor with any white people. They use Trunks about 8 foot long, out of which they blow poisoned Darts; and are so silent in their attacks on their Enemies, and retreat so nimbly again, that the Spa- niards can never find them. Their Darts are made of Macaw-wood, being about the bigness and length of a Knitting-needle: one end is wound about with Cotton, the other end is extraordinary sharp and small; and is jagged with notches like a Harpoon: So that whatever it strikes into, it immediately breaks off, by the weight of the biggest end; which it is not of strength to bear, (it being made so flen- der for that purpose) and is very difficult to be got out again, by reason of those notches. These Indi- ans have always War with our Darien friendly Indi- ans, and live on both sides this great River 50 or 60 leagues from the Sea, but not near the mouth of the River. There are abundance of Manatee in this River, and some Creeks belonging to it. This re- lation I had from several men who accompany'd Captain Coxon in that discovery; and from Mr. Cook in particular, who was with them, and is a very intelligent person: He is now chief Mate of a Ship bound to Guinea. To return therefore to the prose- cution of our Voyage; meeting with nothing of note, we passed by Cartagene; which is a City so well known, that I shall say nothing of it. We failed by in sight of it, for it lies open to the Sea; and