hich he had extracted it.

Toward evening the breeze again died away, we slowly got round the
point, and at half past eight came to anchor, having made six leagues
on our voyage. Our captain told us that this desolate point was Cape
Catoche, the memorable spot on the Continent of America at which the
Spaniards first landed, and approaching which, says Bernal Dias, we saw
at the distance of two leagues a large town, which, from its size, it
exceeding any town in Cuba, we named Grand Cairo. The Spaniards set out
for it, and passing by some thick woods were attacked by Indians in
ambuscade. Near the place of this ambuscade, he adds, were three
buildings of lime and stone, wherein were idols of clay, with diabolical
countenances, &c.

Navigators and geographers, however, have assigned different localities
to this memorable point, and its true position is, perhaps, uncertain.

At daylight we were again under way, and soon were opposite Boca Nueva,
being the entrance to a passage between the island and the main, better
known to the fishermen as the Boca de Iglesia from the ruins of a
church visible at a great distance. This church was one of the objects
I intended to visit; and one reason for preferring the canoa, when we
had the chance of Don Vicente's sloop, was that we might do so; but our
captain told us that even with our draught of water we could not
approach nearer than a league; that a long muddy flat intervened; and
that we could not reach the shore by wading. He said, too what we had
heard from others, and believed to be the case, that the church was
certainly Spanish, and stood among the ruins of a Spanish town
destroyed by the bucaniers, or, in his own words, by the English
pirates. The wind was ahead, but we could make a good stretch from the
coast, and, anxious to lose no advantage, we made sail for the island
of Contoy. It was dark when we came to anchor, and we were already
distressed for water. Our casks were impregnated with the flavour of
agua ardiente, and the water was sickening. Through the darkness we saw
the outline of a desolate rancho. Our men went ashore, and, moving
round it with torches, made a line piratical appearance; but they found
no water.

Before daylight we were roused by the screaming of sea-birds; in the
gray of the morning, the island seemed covered with a moving canopy,
and the air was noisy with their clamour; but, unfortunately for Doctor
Cabot, we had a fine breeze, and he had n