Drie scheeps-togten na het goud-rijke koningrijk Guiana, in America geleegen, door den Engelssen ridder Wal...

FIRST VOYAGE

1595

Ralegh receives news from a Cacique regarding the Spaniards' plan.

While we remained here, we also received information from another cacique indigenous leader, or chieftain, of the north coast of the island. He reported to us how Berreo had sent for soldiers to Margarita and Cumana, planning to attack us English upon our departure. Furthermore, he had forbidden, under pain of death, that any of the Indians should trade with us or supply any provisions; he had already put 2 to death for that same reason, as we later understood. Nevertheless, every night some came to us, complaining about the intolerable cruelty of Berreo, how he had divided the island and given it piece by piece to his soldiers, how he had made slaves of the old caciques and kept them in chains, and dripped burning pitch on their naked bodies, and committed other unheard-of tortures, which one has found to be true even of 5 of these caciques, or landlords.

Captures the city, St. Joseph, and takes the commander Berreo prisoner.

When we had sufficiently tracked his advantage, we attacked the new city of St. Joseph in the evening with 100 men, which we captured after little resistance. Everyone was set at liberty, except for Berreo and his associate, who were led captive to the ship, after which the city was set on fire in the presence of the Indians, so that St. Joseph was soon consumed.

At that same time, Captain George Gifford arrived with Her Majesty's ship, as did Captain Keymis—whom we later lost on the Spanish coast—with the galleons and several other noblemen, who rendered us no small service.

Now we decided to carry out the intended attack. We had all the chieftains of the Indians, who were sworn enemies of the Spaniards, come together, as there were some who had fled from Ber-