ng and heady, and so rested ourselves awhile. After we had fed,
we drew ourselves back to our boats upon the river, and there came to us
all the lords of the country, with all such kind of victual as the place
yielded, and with their delicate wine of pinas, and with abundance
of hens and other provisions, and of those stones which we call
spleen-stones. We understood by these chieftains of Winicapora that
their lord, Carapana, was departed from Emeria, which was now in sight,
and that he was fled to Cairamo, adjoining to the mountains of Guiana,
over the valley called Amariocapana, being persuaded by those ten
Spaniards which lay at his house that we would destroy him and his
country. But after these caciques of Winicapora and Saporatona his
followers perceived our purpose, and saw that we came as enemies to the
Spaniards only, and had not so much as harmed any of those nations, no,
though we found them to be of the Spaniards' own servants, they assured
us that Carapana would be as ready to serve us as any of the lords of
the provinces which we had passed; and that he durst do no other till
this day but entertain the Spaniards, his country lying so directly in
their way, and next of all other to any entrance that should be made in
Guiana on that side. And they further assured us, that it was not for
fear of our coming that he was removed, but to be acquitted of the
Spaniards or any other that should come hereafter. For the province of
Cairoma is situate at the mountain foot, which divideth the plains of
Guiana from the countries of the Orenoqueponi; by means whereof if
any should come in our absence into his towns, he would slip over
the mountains into the plains of Guiana among the Epuremei, where the
Spaniards durst not follow him without great force. But in mine opinion,
or rather I assure myself, that Carapana being a notable wise and
subtle fellow, a man of one hundred years of age and therefore of great
experience, is removed to look on, and if he find that we return strong
he will be ours; if not, he will excuse his departure to the Spaniards,
and say it was for fear of our coming.

We therefore thought it bootless to row so far down the stream, or
to seek any farther of this old fox; and therefore from the river of
Waricapana, which lieth at the entrance of Emeria, we returned again,
and left to the eastward those four rivers which fall from the mountains
of Emeria into Orenoque, which are Waracayari, Coirama, Ak