us) only one
league; and because it was night, anchored till the morning, when
we rowed down to the mouth of the river, where we unloaded all our
provisions, and cleansed our pinnaces, according to our Captain's
custom, and took it in again, and the same day went to the Westward.

In this return, we descried a ship, a barque, and a frigate, of which
the ship and frigate went for Cartagena, but for the Barque was bound to
the Northwards, with the wind easterly, so that we imagined she had
some gold or treasure going for Spain: therefore we gave her chase, but
taking her, and finding nothing of importance in her, understanding that
she was bound for sugar and hides, we let her go; and having a good gale
of wind, continued our former course to our ship and company.

In the way between Cartagena and Tolou, we took [11th September] five
or six frigates, which were laden from Tolou, with live hogs, hens,
and maize which we call Guinea wheat. Of these, having gotten what
intelligence they could give, of their preparations for us, and divers
opinions of us, we dismissed all the men; only staying two frigates with
us, because they were so well stored with good victuals.

Within three days after, we arrived at the place which our Captain
chose, at first, to leave his ship in, which was called by our Captain,
Port Plenty; by reason we brought to thither continually all manner
store of good victuals, which we took, going that way by sea, for the
victualling of Cartagena and Nombre de Dios as also the Fleets going
and coming out of Spain. So that if we had been two thousand, yea three
thousand persons, we might with our pinnaces easily have provided them
sufficient victuals of wine, meal, rusk; _cassavi_ (a kind of bread made
of a root called Yucca, whose juice is poison, but the substance good
and wholesome), dried beef, dried fish, live sheep, live hogs, abundance
of hens, besides the infinite store of dainty fresh fish, very easily to
be taken every day: insomuch that we were forced to build four several
magazines or storehouses, some ten, some twenty leagues asunder; some
in islands, some in the Main, providing ourselves in divers places, that
though the enemy should, with force, surprise any one, yet we might be
sufficiently furnished, till we had "made" our voyage as we did hope. In
building of these, our Negro's help was very much, as having a special
skill, in the speedy erection of such houses.

This our store was much