great impression upon many of the natives and upon all the Christians,
and the chapel was frequented and respected by them. As for the
cacique, he submissively endured without complaint the punishment for
his insult. But let us return to the Caspian Sea.

This salt lake is swept by hurricanes and storms, so that the
fishermen's boats are often in danger and frequently sink with all
on board. Nor has any drowned body ever been found floating upon the
waters or thrown upon the shore, as happens with those engulfed by
the sea. These storms provide generous banquets for the sharks. The
natives call this Caspian Sea, Haguygabon. In the midst of it lies
a sterile island called Guarizacca, which serves as a refuge for
fishermen. The lake is thirty miles long and twelve or, perhaps, even
fifteen broad.

Another lake lies in the same plain and quite near to the former, of
which the waters are bitter-sweet,[2] that is to say they are not
pleasant to drink, but may be drunk in case of absolute necessity. It
is twenty-five miles long by nine or ten broad, and is fed by a number
of rivers. It has no outlet, and the water from the sea also reaches
it, though in a small quantity; this accounts for its brackish waters.
The third fresh-water lake, called Painagua, exists in the same
province. It lies not very far to the west of the Caspian Sea. North
of this same Caspian lies a fourth lake, of small importance, since it
measures but four miles in length and a little more than one in width;
it is called Guacca, and its waters are potable. South of the Caspian
a fifth lake, called Babbareo is found; it is almost circular and
about three miles in length. Its waters are fresh like those of the
other two. As it has no outlet and its waters are not sucked down
into caverns, it overflows its banks when swollen by torrents. Lake
Babbareo lies in the Zamana district of the province of Bainoa. There
is still another lake called Guanyban, near by and south-west of the
Caspian; it is ten miles long and nearly round. Throughout the island
are numerous other small lakes, which we do not mention for fear
of being tiresome by too much insistence on the same subject.
Nevertheless there is one more particular concerning the lakes and
this is the last: All of them are full of fish, and support many
birds. They are situated in an immense valley which extends from east
to west for a distance of one hundred and twenty miles and a breadth,
at the narrowest