_Journey of the Buccaneers across the =Isthmus of America=._
[Sidenote: 1680. April 5th, Buccaneers land on the Isthmus.] On the 5th of
April, 1680, three hundred and thirty-one Buccaneers, most of them
English, passed over from _Golden Island_, and landed in _Darien_, 'each
man provided with four cakes of bread called dough-boys, with a fusil, a
pistol, and a hanger.' They began their journey marshalled in divisions,
with distinguishing flags, under their several commanders, Bartholomew
Sharp and his men taking the lead. Many Darien Indians kept them company
as their confederates, and supplied them with plantains, fruit, and
venison, for which payment was made in axes, hatchets, knives, needles,
beads, and trinkets; all which the Buccaneers had taken care to come well
provided with. Among the Darien Indians in company were two Chiefs, who
went by the names of Captain Andreas and Captain Antonio.
[Sidenote: The First Day's March.] The commencement of their march was
through the skirt of a wood, which having passed, they proceeded about a
league by the side of a bay, and afterwards about two leagues directly up
a woody valley, where was an Indian house and plantation by the side of a
river. Here they took up their lodging for the night, those who could not
be received in the house, building huts. The Indians were earnest in
cautioning them against sleeping in the grass, on account of adders. This
first day's journey discouraged four of the Buccaneers, and they returned
to the ships. Stones were found in the river, which on being broken, shone
with sparks of gold. These stones, they were told, were driven down from
the neighbouring mountains by torrents during the rainy season[17].
[Sidenote: Second Day's Journey.] The next morning, at sunrise, they
proceeded in their journey, labouring up a steep hill, which they
surmounted about three in the afternoon; and at the foot on the other
side, they rested on the bank of a river, which Captain Andreas told them
ran into the _South Sea_, and was the same by which the town of _Santa
Maria_ was situated. They marched afterwards about six miles farther, over
another steep hill, where the path was so narrow that seldom more than one
man could pass at a time. At night, they took up their lodging by the side
of the river, having marched this day, according to their computation,
eighteen miles.
[Sidenote: 7th. Third Day's Journey.] The next day, April the 7th, the
march was continued by the river, the course of which was so serpentine,
that they had to cross it almost at every half mile, sometimes up to their
knees, sometimes to their middle, and running with a very swift current.
About noon they arrived at some large Indian houses, neatly built, the
sides of wood of the cabbage-tree, and the roofs of cane thatched over
with palmito leaves. The interior had divisions into rooms, but no upper
story; and before each house was a large plantain walk. Continuing their
journey, at five in the afternoon, they came to a house belonging to a son
of Captain Andreas, who wore a wreath of gold about his head, for which he
was honoured by the Buccaneers with the title of King Golden Cap.
[Sidenote: 8th.] They found their entertainment at King Golden Cap's house
so good, that they rested there the whole of the following day.
Bartholomew Sharp, who published a Journal of his expedition, says here,
'The inhabitants of _Darien_ are for the most part very handsome,
especially the female sex, who are also exceeding loving and free to the
embraces of strangers.' This was calumny. Basil Ringrose, another
Buccaneer, whose Journal has been published, and who is more entitled to
credit than Sharp, as will be seen, says of the Darien women, 'they are
generally well featured, very free, airy, and brisk; yet withal very
modest.' Lionel Wafer also, who lived many months among the Indians of the
_Isthmus_, speaks highly of the modesty, kindness of disposition, and
innocency, of the Darien women.
[Sidenote: 9th. Fourth Day's Journey.] On the 9th, after breakfast, they
pursued their journey, accompanied by the Darien Chiefs, and about 200
Indians, who were armed with bows and lances. They descended along the
river, which they had to wade through between fifty and sixty times, and
they came to a house 'only here and there.' At most of these houses, the
owner, who had been apprised of the march of the Buccaneers, stood at the
door, and as they passed, gave to each man a ripe plantain, or some sweet
cassava root. If the Buccaneer desired more, he was expected to purchase.
Some of the Indians, to count the number of the Buccaneers, for every man
that went by dropped a grain of corn. That night they lodged at three
large houses, where they found entertainment provided, and also canoes for
them to descend the river, which began here to be navigable.
[Sidenote: 10th. Fifth Day's Journey.] The next morning, as they were
preparing to depart, two of the Buccaneer Commanders, John Coxon and Peter
Harris, had some disagreement, and Coxon fired his musket at Harris, who
was about to fire in return, but other Buccaneers interposed, and effected
a reconciliation. Seventy of the Buccaneers embarked in fourteen canoes,
in each of which two Indians also went, who best knew how to manage and
guide them down the stream: the rest prosecuted their march by land. The
men in the canoes found that mode of travelling quite as wearisome as
marching, for at almost every furlong they were constrained to quit their
boats to lanch them over rocks, or over trees that had fallen athwart the
river, and sometimes over necks of land. At night, they stopped and made
themselves huts on a green bank by the river's side. Here they shot
wild-fowl.
[Sidenote: 11th. Sixth Day's Journey.] The next day, the canoes continued
to descend the river, having the same kind of impediments to overcome as
on the preceding day; and at night, they lodged again on the green bank of
the river. The land party had not kept up with them. Bartholomew Sharp
says, 'Our supper entertainment was a very good sort of a wild beast
called a _Warre_, which is much like to our English hog, and altogether as
good. There are store of them in this part of the world: I observed that
the navels of these animals grew upon their backs.' Wafer calls this
species of the wild hog, _Pecary_[18]. In the night a small tiger came,
and after looking at them some time, went away. The Buccaneers did not
fire at him, lest the noise of their muskets should give alarm to the
Spaniards at _S^{ta} Maria_.
[Sidenote: 12th. Seventh Day's Journey.] The next day, the water party
again embarked, but under some anxiety at being so long without having any
communication with the party marching by land. Captain Andreas perceiving
their uneasiness, sent a canoe back up the river, which returned before
sunset with some of the land party, and intelligence that the rest were
near at hand.
[Sidenote: 13th.] Tuesday the 13th, early in the day, the Buccaneers
arrived at a beachy point of land, where another stream from the uplands
joined the river. This place had sometimes been the rendezvous of the
Darien Indians, when they collected for attack or defence against the
Spaniards; and here the whole party now made a halt, to rest themselves,
and to clean and prepare their arms. They also made paddles and oars to
row with; for thus far down the river, the canoes had been carried by the
stream, and guided with poles: but here the river was broad and deep.
[Sidenote: 14th.] On the 14th, the whole party, Buccaneers and Indians,
making nearly 600 men, embarked in 68 canoes, which the Indians had
provided. At midnight, they put to land, within half a mile of the town of
_S^{ta} Maria_. [Sidenote: 15th.] In the morning at the break of day, they
heard muskets fired by the guard in the town, and a 'drum beating _a
travailler_[19].' [Sidenote: Fort of S^{ta} Maria taken.] The Buccaneers
put themselves in motion, and by seven in the morning came to the open
ground before the Fort, when the Spaniards began firing upon them. The
Fort was formed simply with palisadoes, without brickwork, so that after
pulling down two or three of the palisadoes, the Buccaneers entered
without farther opposition, and without the loss of a man; nevertheless,
they acted with so little moderation or mercy, that twenty-six Spaniards
were killed, and sixteen wounded. After the surrender, the Indians took
many of the Spaniards into the adjoining woods, where they killed them
with lances; and if they had not been discovered in their amusement, and
prevented, not a Spaniard would have been left alive. It is said in a
Buccaneer account, that they found here the eldest daughter of the King of
_Darien_, Captain Andreas, who had been forced from her father's house by
one of the garrison, and was with child by him; which greatly incensed the
father against the Spaniards.
The Buccaneers were much disappointed in their expectations of plunder,
for the Spaniards had by some means received notice of their intended
visit in time to send away almost all that was of value. A Buccaneer says,
'though we examined our prisoners severely, the whole that we could
pillage, either in the town or fort, amounted only to twenty pounds weight
of gold, and a small quantity of silver; whereas three days sooner, we
should have found three hundred pounds weight in gold in the Fort.'
[Sidenote: John Coxon chosen Commander.] The majority of the Buccaneers
were desirous to proceed in their canoes to the _South Sea_, to seek
compensation for their disappointment at _S^{ta} Maria_. John Coxon and
his followers were for returning; on which account, and not from an
opinion of his capability, those who were for the _South Sea_, offered
Coxon the post of General, provided he and his men would join in their
scheme, which offer was accepted.
It was then determined to descend with the stream of the river to the
_Gulf de San Miguel_, which is on the East side of the _Bay of Panama_.
The greater part of the Darien Indians, however, separated from them at
_S^{ta} Maria_, and returned to their homes. The Darien Chief Andreas, and
his son Golden Cap, with some followers, continued with the Buccaneers.
Among the people of _Darien_ were remarked some white, 'fairer than any
people in Europe, who had hair like unto the finest flax; and it was
reported of them that they could see farther in the dark than in the
light[20].'
The River of _S^{ta} Maria_ is the largest of several rivers which fall
into the _Gulf de San Miguel_. Abreast where the town stood, it was
reckoned to be twice as broad as the _River Thames_ is at _London_. The
rise and fall of the tide there was two fathoms and a half[21].
[Sidenote: April 17th.] April the 17th, the Buccaneers and their remaining
allies embarked from _S^{ta} Maria_, in canoes and a small bark which was
found at anchor before the town. About thirty Spaniards who had been made
prisoners, earnestly entreated that they should not be left behind to fall
into the hands of the Indians. 'We had much ado,' say the Buccaneers, 'to
find boats enough for ourselves: the Spaniards, however, found or made
bark logs, and it being for their lives, made shift to come along with
us.' [Sidenote: 18th, They arrive at the South Sea.] At ten that night it
was low water, and they stopped on account of the flood tide. The next
morning they pursued their course to the sea.