_Of what happened to the President Vaca de Castro, after he left
the city of Panamá to go to Peru._
After leaving Panamá all went well in the vessel on board of which
Vaca de Castro and his friends had embarked, and the vessels
accompanying her, until they came to a rocky islet called by the
sailors "_Mal Pelo_." Thence they sailed along the coast until they
sighted the Island of _La Gorgona_, which is near the river of San
Juan. After that the winds were contrary, and the rains frequent. Then
the sea became tempestuous, bearing on its waves the vessels that
had come from Panamá. After some days they sighted the Island of _El
Gallo_, whither the pilot and captain ordered the sailors to steer,
as they wished to renew their supply of water. Pedro Luis Cabrera,
Hernán Mejía and some others landed. While they were on shore, the
hawser which secured the vessel carried away, and those who had gone
on shore were only got on board again with great difficulty. At length
they were able to continue the voyage, and arrived at the _Ancón de
Sardinas_. On the night of their arrival there arose a furious gale,
insomuch that they thought they were lost. All the vessels put to
sea, but when daylight came the galleon was alone, no other vessel
being in sight. When the pilot saw this he wanted to return to Ancón
de Sardinas, but was unable to, as the vessel had drifted too far to
leeward. Night coming on, and being near the land, the pilot anchored
the vessel with good cables so as to ride through the night without
drifting, with the contrary wind, from the place into which they had
come. But after a short time a sailor cried out that they were driving
on shore. They slipped the anchor and stood out to sea under the
foresail, so, in spite of the efforts of the pilot, they were unable
to hold their own. They ran for the island of El Gallo, where they
found a ship at anchor. They believed she was one of those which had
started with them; but it was not so, she had come from Nicaragua.
Vaca de Castro ordered Merlo to go to that vessel in the boat, and
to require those in command on board to come and appear before him.
There came one named Pedro Orejón, who was married to a daughter of
the Governor Rodrigo de Contreras, and another named Juan de Quiñones,
a settler in the city of León. As soon as they learnt that Vaca de
Castro was on board the galleon they came to pay their respects. He
asked them to keep him company, as he had lost touch with the vessels
which left Panamá with him. They answered that they would do so. So
they got up their anchors and left that place, to sail on along the
coast. But although they used all their skill to gain southing they
could not do so, by reason of the adverse weather which would in no
wise allow them to proceed. When Vaca de Castro saw how difficult
it was to make way against the contrary winds, and reflected how
desirable it was to reach his destination speedily, to prevent trouble
between the respective parties of Chile and of Pachacama, he consulted
with those on board. They agreed that, as the contrary winds were so
persistent, and there was a deficiency of cables and gear, it would be
better to make for the port of Buenaventura, whence they could march
to the city of Cali, where they would find all the outfit necessary
for a journey to Peru. Vaca de Castro and those on board both the
vessels having come to this decision they steered for the Isle of
Palms. No one on board either ship knew the port of Buenaventura,
it being situated between rivers, with very dense forests on either
side; so that to make no mistake it is necessary to know it well.
I myself, having once gone to Panamá to negotiate certain business
with the Royal Chancellery, returned to the province by way of this
port. Though I had a pilot with me, named Martín Hernández, who had
been there twice before, we missed our mark and thought we had lost
ourselves, because one has to enter by two or three branches of the
rivers to get into the one by which vessels are brought up to the
port by the tide. We were eleven days in those rivers seeking for the
port and never able to find it; nor should we have got there at all,
if it had not been for a skipper who was coming out in a small vessel
on a fishing cruise. He piloted us into the branch of the river which
leads to Buenaventura. I mention this because Vaca de Castro had much
trouble in finding the port, as there is much risk in trying to enter,
for those who have never seen it before.
Having arrived at the Isle of Palms they were very puzzled over the
means to be adopted for finding the port. They found an inscription
cut in large letters on a rock in the island, to the following effect:
_Whoever comes in search of the port of Buenaventura should sail for
six leagues to the west, and on the beach at which he will arrive he
will see a large cross, and on digging at the foot of it will find a
calabash containing a letter which tells where the port is_. They were
all much pleased at finding this writing, and Vaca de Castro ordered
a sailor who understood navigation to go in the boat and seek for the
letter at the cross, for then they could not possibly go wrong. He
ordered Merlo to go with him in the boat. They started, and presently
arrived where the letters on the rock directed. They found the cross
cut down by the coast Indians, but, after a diligent search, could not
find the letter. As the cross had been cut down, they decided to go
towards a bay or roadstead that the coast forms. They wandered about
for eight days without being able to find anything, nor any sign of a
port. After those eight days the boat returned to the galleon, where
the crew had suffered much from hunger, and must have succumbed if it
had not been for the Nicaraguan ship which supplied them out of the
stores she had brought.