_How the President Vaca de Castro was in great need and danger
from being unable to find the port of Buenaventura; and how, at
the end of some days during which they were seeking the port,
they sighted a ship in which there came Don Juan de Andagoya,
who told them where the port was._
Great was the disappointment of those on board the ships when the
boat's crew who had gone in search of the cross and the letter
supposed to be deposited there reported their non-success. Vaca de
Castro was very worried and depressed. He ordered another pilot to
take the boat and some sailors, and see whether peradventure they
could find the port, for the want of provisions was now such that with
even but a little more delay, the danger would become very serious. So
the pilot and boat's crew started a second time to seek for the port,
with a limit of eight days within which to go and return. Although
they went along coastwise, and entered several rivers that came down
from the mountains into the sea, they could find no sign nor trace
of a port, nor anything that might guide them. Being on the point of
returning to the Isle of Palms, that Vaca de Castro might go back
to Panamá by reason of the failure of provisions, they sighted two
sails coming along the coast, steering towards where the boat then
was. They saw them anchor, and stow their sails, and the strangers
then made towards them in their boats, for they were in the same
predicament as themselves, as they had come from Nicaragua, and their
pilots, having never been at Buenaventura, did not know the way to the
port. They thought that those in the boat they had sighted would be
able to guide them in the right direction. When the two parties heard
from each other what they were after, they were greatly depressed.
They agreed to make for that bay again, with all three boats, and see
if they could find the port from thence. That night a great tempest
arose, and they thought they must perish.
Meanwhile Vaca de Castro and the crews of the ships suffered much
from want of food; when the boats were about to return, there came in
sight a ship which had just left the port of Buenaventura. On board
of her was Don Juan de Andagoya, son of the Adelantado Don Pascual de
Andagoya. He was in search of the captain Cristóbal de Peñas,[47] and
was coming to seek an order from the Royal Audience of Panamá to the
Adelantado Sebastián de Belalcázar to allow his father, who was held
a prisoner, to depart freely whither he chose. When Don Juan came out
of the mouth of the river and saw the other vessels, he got into the
ship's boat and went to see who they were and what they wanted. There
was a heavy sea, Don Juan lost the rudder, and if they had not come to
his help he would have perished. When they heard from Don Juan that
the port of Buenaventura was near, they were delighted, and hastened
to carry the good news to where the President was. They told Don Juan
there was no need for him to go to Panamá, for that Vaca de Castro,
who was hard by, was himself President of the Audience of Panamá, and
could liberate Don Juan's father and compensate him for the injury
done him. When Don Juan heard this he rejoiced, believing that since
Vaca de Castro came with such very full and ample powers from his
Majesty, as was stated, they would be most useful in the cause of
the Adelantado his father, and in freeing him from the clutches of
Belalcázar. So telling the boat's crews they must go up the river down
which he had come, and that they would then quickly arrive at the port
they sought, Don Juan, with his vessel, went on to the Isle of Palms,
where he found the President. Vaca de Castro gave Don Juan a warrant,
under his signature, by which Belalcázar was to release Andagoya from
the prison in which he was confined. Vaca de Castro duly arrived at
the port of Buenaventura,[48] whence he sent his secretary Merlo to
notify to Belalcázar the order for the release of Andagoya, and to let
him know that Vaca de Castro was coming to the kingdom of Peru by his
Majesty's command. Here we will leave him and relate what happened at
the city of the Kings.
FOOTNOTE:
[47] This should be Alonso de Peña, brother-in-law of Pascual de
Andagoya. When Andagoya left Panamá to take possession of his
government, he sent Peña to Santo Domingo, to collect more troops,
horses, and stores. See my translation of Andagoya's narrative,
Introduction, p. xxvi (_Hakluyt Society's vol. 34, for 1865_).
[48] Buenaventura, the port of Cali, was founded by Juan Ladrillo,
under orders from the Adelantado Pascual de Andagoya, who had received
the government of the coast thence to Panamá. The municipality of Cali
ordered that six or seven settlers should reside there to arrange for
the landing of merchandize and its transmission across the mountains
to Cali. The pilots with Vaca de Castro certainly showed great want
of intelligence in not being able to find it (see _Cieza de León_, p.
105, _Hakluyt Society's vol. 33_, _for 1864_)