rdingly sailed on the 27th, and in another conversation on the
30th, it was agreed to go first to _Gorgono_, to see if there were any
English ships there; and afterwards to sail for _Maugla_, Malaga, or
_Madulinar_,[225] where there are some Indians at enmity with the
Spaniards, who, as the pilots informed us, come seldom there, and were
not likely to procure any intelligence of us from thence. They told us
also, if we could induce the Indians to trade with us, we might have
hogs, fowls, plantains, bananas, and other refreshments.

[Footnote 225: The island of Gorgona is on the coast of New Granada, in
lat. 2 deg. 54' N. and long. 78 deg. 35' W.]

While on our course towards Gorgona, the Duchess took the _San Thoma de
Villa nova_ of ninety tons, having about forty people on board,
including eleven negro slaves, and but little European goods, except
some cloth and iron. Next day we made the island of _Gorgona_,[226] and
on the 8th of June our boats brought in another prize, a small bark of
fifteen tons belonging to a creek on the main. She was bound to
Guayaquil, having ten Spaniards and Indians on board, and some negroes,
but had very little cargo, except a small quantity of gold dust and a
large gold chain, together of about 500_l_. value, which were secured
aboard the Duchess. In a consultation, held on the 19th June, proceeding
upon information procured from our prisoners, it was resolved to proceed
to Malaga, at which there was an anchorage, where we proposed to leave
our ships, and to row up the river for the rich gold mines of Barbacore,
[_Barbaceas_][227] called also the mines of St Pean, from a village of
that name about two tides up the river. At that place we proposed to
seize canoes, as fitter than our boats for going up against the stream,
in which, at this season of the year, according to the information of an
old Spanish pilot, there are such strong freshes, that he did not expect
we should reach the mines in less than twelve days. But having
discoursed with several of the prisoners, we found the island of Malaga
an unsafe place for our ships, and besides, they represented the river
as so narrow, that the Indians would be able to assail us with poisoned
arrows, and the Spaniards might easily cut off our retreat, by felling
trees across from bank to bank. On this information, we held another
consultation, in which it was agreed to desist from this enterprize, and
we came accordingly back to Gorgona, in so v