ame discovered, that I would have brought
home a greater quantity thereof. First, I was not bound to satisfy any
man of the quantity, but only such as adventured, if any store had been
returned thereof; but it is very true that had all their mountains been
of massy gold it was impossible for us to have made any longer stay to
have wrought the same; and whosoever hath seen with what strength of
stone the best gold ore is environed, he will not think it easy to
be had out in heaps, and especially by us, who had neither men,
instruments, nor time, as it is said before, to perform the same.

There were on this discovery no less than an hundred persons, who can
all witness that when we passed any branch of the river to view the land
within, and stayed from our boats but six hours, we were driven to
wade to the eyes at our return; and if we attempted the same the day
following, it was impossible either to ford it, or to swim it, both by
reason of the swiftness, and also for that the borders were so pestered
with fast woods, as neither boat nor man could find place either to land
or to embark; for in June, July, August, and September it is impossible
to navigate any of those rivers; for such is the fury of the current,
and there are so many trees and woods overflown, as if any boat but
touch upon any tree or stake it is impossible to save any one person
therein. And ere we departed the land it ran with such swiftness as we
drave down, most commonly against the wind, little less than an hundred
miles a day. Besides, our vessels were no other than wherries, one
little barge, a small cock-boat, and a bad galiota which we framed in
haste for that purpose at Trinidad; and those little boats had nine or
ten men apiece, with all their victuals and arms. It is further true
that we were about four hundred miles from our ships, and had been a
month from them, which also we left weakly manned in an open road, and
had promised our return in fifteen days.

Others have devised that the same ore was had from Barbary, and that we
carried it with us into Guiana. Surely the singularity of that device I
do not well comprehend. For mine own part, I am not so much in love with
these long voyages as to devise thereby to cozen myself, to lie hard, to
fare worse, to be subjected to perils, to diseases, to ill savours, to
be parched and withered, and withal to sustain the care and labour of
such an enterprise, except the same had more comfort than the