the great overthrow that her Majesty's army
and fleet had given them of late years in their own countries.

After we had taken in this supply of bread, with divers baskets of
roots, which were excellent meat, I gave one of the canoas to the
Arwacas, which belonged to the Spaniards that were escaped; and when I
had dismissed all but the captain, who by the Spaniards was christened
Martin, I sent back in the same canoa the old Ciawani, and Ferdinando,
my first pilot, and gave them both such things as they desired, with
sufficient victual to carry them back, and by them wrote a letter to the
ships, which they promised to deliver, and performed it; and then I went
on, with my new hired pilot, Martin the Arwacan. But the next or second
day after, we came aground again with our galley, and were like to cast
her away, with all our victual and provision, and so lay on the sand one
whole night, and were far more in despair at this time to free her than
before, because we had no tide of flood to help us, and therefore feared
that all our hopes would have ended in mishaps. But we fastened an
anchor upon the land, and with main strength drew her off; and so the
fifteenth day we discovered afar off the mountains of Guiana, to our
great joy, and towards the evening had a slent (push) of a northerly
wind that blew very strong, which brought us in sight of the great river
Orenoque; out of which this river descended wherein we were. We descried
afar off three other canoas as far as we could discern them, after whom
we hastened with our barge and wherries, but two of them passed out of
sight, and the third entered up the great river, on the right hand to
the westward, and there stayed out of sight, thinking that we meant to
take the way eastward towards the province of Carapana; for that way the
Spaniards keep, not daring to go upwards to Guiana, the people in those
parts being all their enemies, and those in the canoas thought us to
have been those Spaniards that were fled from Trinidad, and escaped
killing. And when we came so far down as the opening of that branch into
which they slipped, being near them with our barge and wherries, we
made after them, and ere they could land came within call, and by our
interpreter told them what we were, wherewith they came back willingly
aboard us; and of such fish and tortugas' (turtles) eggs as they had
gathered they gave us, and promised in the morning to bring the lord of
that part with them, a