nty
men; so they returned to the ships. Queiroz, on the last day of Easter,
taking with him such an escort as seemed necessary, went to an adjacent
farm of the natives and sowed a quantity of maize, cotton, anions,
melons, pumpkins, beans, pulse, and other seeds of Spain; and returned to
the ships laden with many roots and fish caught on the beach. Next day
Queiroz sent the master of the camp, with thirty soldiers, to reconnoitre
a certain height, where they found a large and pleasant valley, with
villages. When the inhabitants saw them coming, many assembled together
in arms. They caught there three boys, the oldest being about seven years
of age, and twenty pigs. With these they began to retreat, and the
natives, with vigour and bravery, attacked their vanguard, centre and
rearguard, shooting many arrows. The chiefs came to the encounter, and by
their charges forced the Spaniards to lose the ground they were gaining.
Arrived at a certain pass, they found the rocks occupied by many natives,
who were animated by the desire to do them as much harm as possible. Here
was the hardest fight, their arrows and stones hurled down from the
heights causing great damage to the party.

When the captain heard the noise of the muskets and the shouting, he
ordered three guns to be fired off, to frighten the natives and encourage
his people, and the better to effect this at the port, those in the ships
and on the beach were sent to support the retreating party in great
haste. The forces having united, they came to the ships, saving the
spoils, and all well.

Shortly after, the master of the camp was sent to examine the mouth of
the river, which is in the middle of the bay, with the launch, a boat,
and a party of men. He tried the depth at the mouth, and found that there
was no bottom, with the length of an oar and his own arm. He went further
up in the beat, and the view of the river gave much pleasure to those who
were with him, as well for its size and the clearness of the water, as
for its gentle current and the beauty of the trees on its banks.

The launch passed further up, and they landed on the bank and went
inland. They found a small village of four streets, and an open space at
the most elevated part. All round there were many farms, surrounded by
palings. Two spies were posted, who warned the natives, and they all
fled. The Spaniards found in their houses several kinds of fish, roasted
and wrapped in plantain leaves, and a