but spoken one word of it while I was
there I might have brought one of them with me to put the matter out of
doubt. Such a nation was written of by Mandeville, whose reports
were holden for fables many years; and yet since the East Indies were
discovered, we find his relations true of such things as heretofore were
held incredible (Mandeville, or the author who assumed this name, placed
his headless men in the East Indian Archipelago, the fable is borrowed
from older writers, Herodotus &c). Whether it be true or no, the matter
is not great, neither can there be any profit in the imagination; for
mine own part I saw them not, but I am resolved that so many people did
not all combine or forethink to make the report.

When I came to Cumana in the West Indies afterwards by chance I spake
with a Spaniard dwelling not far from thence, a man of great travel.
And after he knew that I had been in Guiana, and so far directly west
as Caroli, the first question he asked me was, whether I had seen any of
the Ewaipanoma, which are those without heads. Who being esteemed a most
honest man of his word, and in all things else, told me that he had
seen many of them; I may not name him, because it may be for his
disadvantage, but he is well known to Monsieur Moucheron's son of
London, and to Peter Moucheron, merchant, of the Flemish ship that was
there in trade; who also heard, what he avowed to be true, of those
people.

The fourth river to the west of Caroli is Casnero: which falleth into
the Orenoque on this side of Amapaia. And that river is greater than
Danubius, or any of Europe: it riseth on the south of Guiana from
the mountains which divide Guiana from Amazons, and I think it to be
navigable many hundred miles. But we had no time, means, nor season of
the year, to search those rivers, for the causes aforesaid, the winter
being come upon us; although the winter and summer as touching cold and
heat differ not, neither do the trees ever sensibly lose their leaves,
but have always fruit either ripe or green, and most of them both
blossoms, leaves, ripe fruit, and green, at one time: but their winter
only consisteth of terrible rains, and overflowing of the rivers, with
many great storms and gusts, thunder and lightnings, of which we had our
fill ere we returned.

On the north side, the first river that falleth into the Orenoque is
Cari. Beyond it, on the same side is the river of Limo. Between these
two is a great nation of Canni