ed to be brought back upon the shoulders of their companions.
They had marched in all, as they conceived, about ten miles, in a
beaten road, where they often saw the fresh dung of horses or mules.
When they had got about five miles from the harbour, the road divided
between the mountains into two branches, one running to the east and
the other to the west. After some deliberation about the course they
should take, they agreed to pursue the eastern road, which, when they
had followed for some time, led them at once into a large plain or
savannah; on one side of which they discovered a centinel on horseback
with a pistol in his hand: It was supposed that when they first saw
him he was asleep, but his horse startled at the glittering of their
arms, and, turning round suddenly, rode off with his master, who was
very near being unhorsed in the surprise, but he recovered his seat,
and escaped with the loss of his hat and his pistol, which he dropped
on the ground. Our people ran after him, in hopes of discovering
some village or habitation, but as he had the advantage of being on
horseback, they soon lost sight of him. However, they were unwilling
to come back without making some discovery, and therefore still
followed the track they were in; but the heat of the day increasing,
and finding no water to quench their thirst, they were first obliged
to halt, and then resolved to return; for, as they saw no signs of
plantations or cultivated land, they had no reason to believe that
there was any village or settlement near them: But, to leave no means
untried of procuring some intercourse with the people, the
officers stuck up several poles in the road, to which were affixed
declarations, written in Spanish, encouraging the inhabitants to
come down to the harbour and to traffic with us, giving the strongest
assurances of a kind reception, and faithful payment for any
provisions they should bring us. This was doubtless a very prudent
measure, but it produced no effect; for we never saw any of them
during the whole time of our continuance at this port of Chequetan.
But had our men, upon the division of the path, taken the western road
instead of the eastern, it would soon have led them to a village or
town, which, in some Spanish manuscripts, is mentioned as being in
the neighbourhood of this port, and which we afterwards learnt was not
above two miles from that turning.

And on this occasion I cannot help mentioning another adventur