village of fifty houses, but
the inhabitants were all fled and had left nothing behind. In the river
we found a fine bark of about fifty tons, with as much new plank in her
as would have built another of equal size; and we took another of about
ten tons, laden with plantains. This we resolved to retain, instead of a
long-boat. She had two masts and two square-sails, and having fitted her
for our purpose, we called her the Dragon. The country in the
neighbourhood of this bay is very pleasant, being well wooded and
watered. About seven leagues to the N.E. is the Bay of _St Mattheo_, the
land about it being very high, and there are many shoals about it,
running two leagues out to sea. For three or four leagues the water is
only from four fathoms to six, and this bay has white cliffs both to the
north and south. In the bottom of the bay there are two rivers running
into the sea, both of which are what the seamen call _alligator water_,
that is, white and musky as before described. On each side of these
rivers there are shoals of sand; and near their mouths are fine groves
of tall spreading green trees, which are the marks by which they may be
found, as their mouths are narrow, and not discernible at a distance.
These rivers are seldom frequented by the Spaniards, except for
refreshments, for which they are well adapted, as all the adjoining
country abounds with every kind of provisions that this part of the
world produces. About two leagues up these rivers there are several
Indian villages, who furnish the Spanish ships which come here with
cocoa-nuts, plantains, bananas, and other kinds of fruit.

The _cocoa-tree_ is generally from fifty to an hundred feet high, and
for the most part straight and slender. The leaves are four fathoms, or
four and a half long, at the very top of the tree, and serve excellently
for thatching houses. At the bottom of the leaves the cocoa nuts grow in
clusters of ten, fifteen, or twenty, hanging by a small string which is
full of joints. Each nut, with its outer rind, is larger than a man's
head, and within this outer rind is a hard woody shell which will hold
near a quart of liquid. The nut or kernel lines the inside of this
shell, and within this kernel is about a pint and half of pure clear
water, very cool, sweet, and pleasant. The kernel also is very good and
pleasant; but when old, we scrape it all down, and soak it in about a
quart of fresh water for three or four hours, which is then st