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It is called, Isthmus of DARIEN, probably from the great River of that Name, wherewith its Northern Coast is bounded on the East

LATITUDE.

It is mostly comprehended, (as Mr. Wafer says) betwixt the Latitudes of 8 and 10 North. But its Breadth in the narrowest part, is much about One Degree, or Threescore Miles.

It is bounded on the North and South, by the North and South Oceans; and is of a very singular Situation, very Pleasant and Agreeable.

A great many valueable Islands ly scattered along each Coast, the Bastimento's, and others; but especially the large range of the Sambalo's on the North side, and the Kings, or Pearl Islands and Perica on the South side in the Bay of Panama this Bay is caused by the bending of the Isthmus; and for the Bigness of it, there is not (it may be) a more Pleasant and Advantagious one any where to be found.

The Land of this Continent is almost every where of an une­quall Surface, distinguished with Hills and Valleys, of great variety for Heigth, Depth, and Extent: They are generally wa­tered with Rivers, Brooks, and Perennial Springs, with which the Countrey very much abounds, and do most of them come from a Ridge or Chain of High Hills, in a manner paralel to the North shore; from whence you may have a fair Pro­spect of the North-Sea, and its various making of the Shore.

Betwixt these Hills and the Shore, it is most part covered with Woods.

RIVERS,

The Rivers are some of them indifferent large, tho but few Na­vigable, as having Barrs and Sholes at the Mouths, and on the North-side their course is but short, rising from the main Ridge of Hills.

CARET BAY and GOLDEN ISLAND,

Inclusively from Caret Bay, which lyes in the River Darien, and is the only Harbour in it to the Promontory near Golden Island; the Shore of the Isthmus is indifferently fruitful, partly Sandy Bay, and part of it muddy.

WEATHER.

The Weather is Warm, and has a Season of Rain.

TREES.

There's in this Countrey, Great Variety of Trees of several Kinds, unknown to us in Europe, as well Fruit Trees, as o­thers.

BEASTS.

The Country has of its own, a kind of Hog called Pecary, and another called Waree, both wild and good Meat; Deer, Dogs, Rabbits, Monkeys, an Insect called Soldiers Insect like a Snail, in great plenty, and delicious Meat, but poisonous if [...]sed with Machaneel Apples, their Oyl is an excellent Salve; there are also Land Crabs, called Guano's.

BIRDS.

They have several Sorts of Birds, some of Kinds unknown to us, remarkable both for their Beauty and good Relish of their Flesh; such as

Chicaly-Chicaly a large Land Bird. The Quam a large Land Bird, another Shaped not unlike a Partridge, all Eatable, the last very good Meat. The Corrosow, large as a Turky Hen, their Flesh something Tough, otherways very good Meat. Variety of Parrots, Parakits, Macaw-Birds, a Beautiful Bird which the Indi­ans Tame, Woodpecker.

DUNGHILL FOWELS.

They have great Plenty of Poultry, as also small Birds, Flying Insects, Bees which Mr. Wafer inclines to think wants Stings; for he says, he has had many of them upon his Naked Body, with­out being Stung.

FISH.

The North Sea Coast abounds in Fish, and has great Variety of them, such as Tarpoon, Sharks, Dogfish, Oldwives, Paracoods, some of the last Named are Poisonous, Gar Fish two Foot long, Scul­pines one Foot long, with several others, and Shell Fish.

Mr. Dampier gives Account of a considerable Fish called Mana­tee, or Sea Cow, in the River of Darien, an Excellent Fish about the Bigness of a Horse, ten or twelve Foot long, its Mouth much like the Mouth of a Cow, Eyes no bigger than a Pea, two large Fins, under each of which, the Female hath a small Dug to Suckle [Page 7] her Young, they live on Grass which grows in the Sea: A Calf that Sucks, is the most Delicat Meat. He describes the Way of taking them.

Of the Indian Inhabitants.

The Indian Inhabitants of the Isthmus are not very Numerous, but they live thickest on the North Side: The Size of the Men is usu­ally about five or six Foot: Streight, Clean Limb'd, Big Bon'd. The Young Women very Plump, Fat, Well Shaped, and have a Brisk Eye. The Elder are very ordinary, both Sexes have long Black Hair down to the Middle of their Back. Their Colour is Copper Colour, or Orange Tanny.

Mr. Wafer gives also an Account of a strange sort of People, (whereof there are but few) whiter in collour then any Europeans, much like that of a white Horse, their-bodies beset all over with a white Down, throw which the Skin appears it is so thin set, Their Eye-lids bend and open in an oblong-Figure, forming an Arch, or Figure of a crescent: with the points downwards. From hence, and from their seing so clear as they do in a Moon-shiny night, they used to call them Moon eyed: For they see not very well in the Sun; so that in the Day-time they care not to go abroad. [Page 10] But notwithstanding their being Sluggish in the Day-time; yet when Moon-shyny Nights come, they are all Life and Activity, running abroad and into the Woods. He adds, that Lacenta (their Prince, or chief Person) told him, That it was throw the force of the Mothers imagination, looking on the Moon at the time of Conception, they came to be thus White: But he leaves this to others to judge of.

Both these & the Copper coloured Indians, use painting their bo­dies, even of the sucking Children some times. They make Fi­gures of Birds, Beasts, Men, Trees, or the like, up and down in every part of the Body, more especially in the Face. The Women are the Painters. The Collours they use, and like most, are Red, Yellow, and Blew. Finer Figures they imprint thus; they prick all over with a sharp Thorn, till the Blood gushes out, then they rub the place with their Hands first dip'd in the colour they design, and the Picture so made is indelible; but scarce one in Fourty of them is painted this way.

They wear no Cloaths ordinarly, but only the Women have a Clout or peece of Cloth about their Middle, tyed behind with a Threed, and hanging down to their Knees, or their Ankles if they can get one large enough: They make these of Cotton: Nothing will oblige the Women more, than to give them Cloaths, especially of Gaudy Colours,

The Men go ordinarly quite naked, and have only a small Vessel of Gold or Silver, or Plantain leaf, of a Conick Figure, where with they cover the Penis.

Both Sexes are a Modest and cleanly people; when they would go to Stool they choise always to go into the River, having a great Sense of Shame as to that particular.

Yet the Men also have a value for Cloaths, and if any of them had an old Shirt given him by any of the Europeans, he would be sure to wear it, and strut about at no ordinary rate. Besides this, they have a sort of long Cotton Garments, which they wear [Page 11] at Great Occasions, as attending the King, or at a Feast: The Women carry those after them, and they put them on when they come to the place.

The Men wear a piece of Plate hanging over their Mouths at all times, generally of Silver; it's of Ovall Figure, covering their Mouth from Corner to Corner; the plate is like the figure of a Half-Moon, which gently pincheth the Bridle of the Nose with it's points, it hings dangling from thence; it's about the thickness of a Guinea. These when they go a Hunting, are smaller: Mr. Wafer wore such an one among them of Gold.

In stead of this plate, the Women wear a Ring hanging down in the same manner. It goes throw the Bridle of the Nose. They have also several other Ornaments, as Strings of Teeth, Shells, Beads, &c. when they would appear in State.

HOUSES

Their Houses ly thin and scattering, and always by a River­side: Their Building Irregular, in length about 24 Foot, the Breadth proportionable: No Chimney, but a hole in the Thatch Several Houses in the Village or Neighbourhood, have one Ware-house or Fort, common to them, which is generally at least 120 or 130 Foot long, about 25 broad. The Wall about 9 or 10 Foot high: The Sides and Ends of these Ware-houses are full of Holes, each about as Wide as one's Fist. Out of these they View an Approaching Enemy, and Shoot their Arrows: They have no Way of Flanking an Enemy: There is a Door-way at each Side, and to Barrocado it, a Sort of Door made of Bamboes and Maccaw Wood, Split and Bound together with Withs; it's a­bout a Foot thick. This they have ready set up against an Ene­my's Entrance, and two or three Posts in the Ground to support it: Yet they are easily set on Fire. And the Spainards Shoot into the Thatch, Arrows with long Shanks, made Red Hot for that Purpose.

Their HUSBANDRY.

In the Plantations they set so much Plaintaine (which, as I am Informed by one Mr. B—, another Traveller in those Parts, is a Tree with broad great Leaves, and has a large fruit, Pale or Straw Coloured, almost of the Colour of our Carrets, but not so Reddish or Yellow) as serves their Occasions. The first thing of their Husbandry, is usually to cut down the Trees, and clear a piece of Ground: They often let the Trees ly on the place three or four Years after they are cut down, and then set Fire to them and the Underwood or Stumps, burning all together; yet in the mean time they plant Maiz (a sort of Indian Corn, whereof one produces more than 100, & is that which hangs in Skippers, or Sailers Houses, and is called sometimes Indian W [...]eat, sometimes Turkish Corn) among the Trees as they ly. So much of the Roots of the Trees as are under Ground, they suffer to ly there and Rott, having no Way to Grub them up. When the Ground is pretty clear, they How it up into little Ridges; in each of these Hillocks they make a Hole with their Fingers, and throw in two or three Grains of Maiz, as we do Garden Beans, covering it up with Earth.

The Seed Time is about April, the Harvest about September or October.

An Odd Way of Fermenting Drink. They make a Drink of their Maiz Bruised, which they call Chichach Co-pach; (for Co-pach signifies Drink.) They Steep in a Trough of Water, Twenty or Thirty Bushels, till the Water is Im­pregnated with the Corn, and begins to turn Sour: Then the Women, usually some Old Women, who have little else to do, come together, & Chew Grains of Maiz in their Mouths, which they Spit out, each into a Gourd or Calabash: And when they think they have a suffici­ent Quantity of this Spittle and Maiz in the Calabashes, they Empty them into the Trough of Water, after having first taken out the Maiz that was Infused into it: And this serves in stead of Barm or Yeast, setting all in a Ferment: It Tastes like Sour Small Beer. [Page 13] This is their Choise Drink; for ordinarly they Drink Mislaw, which Mr. Wafer describes at large.

The Women are, in general, the Drudges of the Family; Yet they do it Cheerfully, and are Well Conditioned, Pitiful, and Courteous to one another, but especially to Strangers; They ob­serve their Husbands, with all Profound Respect and Duty upon all Occasions: And on the other Side, their Husbands are very Kind and Loving to them.

When a Woman is Delivered of a Child, another Woman takes it in her Arms, within half an Hour or less after it's Born, and takes the Lying-in Woman upon her Back, and goes with both of them into the River, and Washes them. The Child, for the first three Moneths, is Tyed upon a Board, and this Piece of Board, or Maccaw-Wood, is Suathed to the Back of the Child, and their Children generally grow very Streight. The Mother takes up the Child to give it Suck, Board and all.

As the Children grow up, the Boys are Bred to their Fathers Exercises, especially Shooting with the Bow and Arrow, or Throw­ing a Lance. Mr. Wafer says, he has seen a little Boy about Eight Years Old, would set a Cane up upon one End, and going about Twenty Paces from it, would Split it with a Bow and Arrow, and not miss once in several Essays.

They have a Severe Punishment, if a Man Debauches a Vir­gin. But the Fact must be proved by Oath, which is by their Tooth.

Their MARRIAGE.

When they Marry, the Father of the Bride, or next Man of Kin, keeps her privatly in some Apartment with himself, the first seven Nights, and she is then delivered to her Husband.

When a Man Disposes of his Daughter, he Invites all the Indi­ans within Twenty Miles round to a Great Feast. which he pro­vides for them. The Men who come to the Wedding, bring their Axes along with them, to Work with: The Women bring [Page 14] about half a Bushel of Maiz: The Boys bring Fruit and Roots: The Girles, Fowles and Eggs; for none come Empty Handed. They set their Presents at the Door of the House, and go away again, till all the rest of the Guests have brought theirs, which are all Received in, and Disposed of by the People of the House.

Then the Men return first to the Wedding, and the Bridegroom presents each Man with a Calabash of Strong Drink, and Conducts them through the House one by one, into some open Place behind it: The Women come next, who likeways receive a Calabash of Liquor, and March throw the House: Then come the Boys; and last of all the Girles, who all Drink at the Door, and go after the rest. Then come the Fathers of the Young Couple, with their Son and Daughter. The Father of the Bridegroom leads his Son, and the Father of the Bride leads his Daughter. The for­mer makes a Speech to the Company, and then Dances about with many Antick Gestures, till he is all on a Sweat. Then Kneeling down, he gives his Son to the Bride, whose Father is Kneeling also, and holds her, having Danced himself into a Sweat as the other. Then the Young Couple take each other by the Hand, and the Bridegroom returns the Bride to her Father: And thus ends the Ceremony.

Then all the Men take up their Axes, and Run, Shouting and Hollowing, to a Tract of Wood-Land, which is before laid out for a Plantation for the Young Couple. There they fall to Work as fast as they can, Cutting down the Woods. Thus they con­tinue about seven Days. As they clear the Ground, the Women Plant Maiz, or something else. They Build an House for the new Married Couple.

Then they Feast, and Drink Chicha Co-pah, Drinking Night and Day, till all the Liquor is spent, which lasts usually three or four Days, some always Drinking, while others are Drunk and Slee­ping. And when all the Drink is out, and they have recovered their Senses, they all return to their own Homes.

The Mens IMPLOYMENTS.

The Men, when at Home, trouble themselves with little Bu­siness; but, that they may not be quite Idle, they will often be making their Cups and Baskets, Arrows, and Heads for them; Lances, Nets, and the like.

When Flesh fails at Home, they go out a Hunting, a Hunting Expedition lasts sometimes three or four, sometimes ten, twelve, seventeen, or eighteen Days, according as they meet with Game: They Hunt Pecary, Waree, Quams, Chicaly Chicalees, Corrosows, or any other Beast or Bird they meet with.

Their TRAVELLING.

When they Travel, they Guide themselves either by the Sun when it Shines, or by Steering to such a Determinat Point, obser­ving the Bending of the Trees according as the Wind is. If they are at a Loss this Way, they Notch the Bark of Trees, to see which Side is thickest, which is always the South.

Womens DIVERSIONS.

The Women have Dancings and Merriments by themselves, when their Husbands Pastimes are over; for they never Feast, nor Play with the Men, but they will Drink by themselves till they are Fudled.

They take great Care of their Husbands, when they have made themselves Drunk: For when they perceive him so, they get one or two more Women to Assist them to take him up, and put him into his Hammock, where, as he lyes Snoaring, they stand by, and Sprinkle Water to Cool him, Washing his Hands, Feet, and Face, Stroaking off that Water with their Hands, as it grows Warm.

DESCRIPTION of LACENTA's PALACE.

This House is Situat on a Fine little Hill, on which grows a Stately Grove of Cotton Trees, the Bodies of these Trees were generally six Foot in Diameter, nay some eight, nine, ten, eleven: For (Mr. Wafer, who gives the Relation, says) four Indians and [Page 16] his self, took Hand in Hand round a Tree, and could not Fa­thom it: Here was likeways a Stately Plaintain Walk, and a Grove of other small Trees, that would make a Pleasant Artificial Wil­derness, if Industry and Art were bestowed on it.

The Circumference of this Pleasant little Hill, contains at least a Hundred Acres of Land, and is a Peninsula of an Oval Form, almost Surrounded with two great Rivers, one coming from the East, the other from the West, which, approaching within fourty Foot of each other at the Front of the Peninsula, separat again, Em­bracing the Hill, and meet on the other Side, making there one pretty large River, which runs very Swift. There is therefore but one Way to come in to this Seat, which, as is before observed, is not above fourty Foot Wide between the Rivers on each Side: And its Fenced with Hollow Bamboes, Popes-Heads, and Pricle-Pears, so thick set from one Side the Neck of Land to the other, that its impossible for any Enemy to approach it.

On this Hill live fifty principal Men of the Countrey, all un­der Lacenta's Command, who is as a Prince over all the South Parts of the Isthmus of Darien. The Indians both there, and on the North Side also, paying him great Respect. But the South Side is his Countrey, and this Hill his Seat or Palace.

There is only one Canoa belonging to it, which serves to Ferry over Lacenta and the rest of them.

Lacenta having desired Mr. Wafer and his Companions to stay with him, they had not been long there, before an Occurrence hap­ned, which Tended much to the Encreasing the Good Opinion, Lacenta and his People had Conceived of them, and brought Mr. Wafer into particular Esteem with them.

The INDIANS WAY OF LETTING BLOOD.

It so hapned, that one of Lacenta's Wives, being Indisposed, was to be let Blood: Which (Mr Wafer says) the Indians perform in this Manner: The Patient is Seated on a Stone in the River, and one, with a small Bow, Shoo's little Arrows into the Naked Body of [Page 17] the Patient, up and down, Shooting them as fast as he can, not missing any part. But the Arrows are Gagged, so that they can Penetrat no further than we generally Thrust our Lancets: And if by Chance they Hit a Vein which is full of Blood, and the Blood Spurts out a little, they will Leap and Skip about, shewing many Antick Gestures, by Way of Rejoycing and Triumph.

Mr. Wafer says he was by, while this was performing on La­centa's Lady: And perceiving their Ignorance, told Lacenta, that if he pleased, he would shew him a better Way, without putting the Patient to so much Torment; so, at Lacenta's Allowance or Command, Mr. Wafer Bound up her Arm with a piece of Bark, and with his Lancet Breathed a Vein: But this Rash Attempt (he says) had like to have cost him his Life; for Lacenta seeing the Blood Issue out in a Stream, which used to come only Drop by Drop, got hold of his Launce, and Swore by his Tooth, that if she did otherwise then well, he would have Mr. Wafers Hearts Blood. Mr. Wafer says, he desired him to be patient, and drew off about twelve Ounces, and Bound up her Arm, and desired she might rest till the next Day; by which Means the Fever Abated, and she had not another Fit.

This gained Mr. Wafer so much Reputation, that Lacenta came to him, and before all his Attendants, Bowed and Kissed Mr. Wa­fers Hand: Then the rest came thick about him, and Kissed his Hand, others his Knee, and some his Foot: After which he was taken up into a Hammock, and carried on Mens Shoulders, La­centa himself making a Speech in his Praise, and Commending him as much superior to any of their Doctors. Thus he was car­ried from Plantation to Plantation, and lived in great Splendor and Repute, Administring both Phisick and Phlebotomy to these that wanted; for tho he had lost his Salves and Plaisters, by a Negro's running away with his Knapsack: Yet he preserved a Box of Instruments, and a few Medicaments wrapt up in an Oyl Cloath, by having them in his Pocket.

[Page 18] He lived thus some Moneths among the Indians, who in a man­ner Adored him: Some of these Indians had been Slaves to the Spaniards, and had made their Escapes, which he supposes, was the Cause of their expressing a Desire of Baptism: But more to have an European Name given them, then for any thing they knew of Christianity.

DESCRIPTION of another Sort of INDIANS.

Mr. Dampier relates, That upon some Islands lying near the Main, called by the Privateers the Corn Islands, which he says, he takes to be the same, which are generally called in the Maps, the Pearl-Islands, they went Ashore, but found none of the Inhabitants; for (says he) here are but a few Poor Naked In­dians that live here; who have been so often Plundered by the Pri­vateers. that they have but little Provisions; and when they see a Sail, they hide themselves; otherwise Ships that come here would take them, and make Slaves of them; and I have seen some of them that have been Slaves. They are People of a mean Stature, yet strong Limbs; they are of a dark Copper Colour, black Hair, full round Faces, small black Eyes their Eye-brows hanging over their Eyes, low Foreheads, short thick Noses, not High, but Flattish; full Lips, and short Chins. They have a Fashion to cut Holes in the Lips of the Boys, when they are Young, close to their Chin; which they keep open with little Pegs, till they are fourteen or fifteen Years Old: Then they wear Beards in them, made of Turtle or Tortoise-shell, in the Form you see in the Copper-plate. The little Notch at the upper End, they put in through the Lip, where it remains between the Teeth and the Lip; the under part hangs down over their Chin. This they commonly wear all Day, and when they Sleep, they take it out. They have likewise Holes bored in their Ears, both Men and Wo­men, when Young; and by continual Stretching them with long Pegs, they grow to be as big as a Mill'd Five Shilling piece Here­in they wear Pieces of Wood, Cut very Round and Smooth, so that [Page]

[Page 19] their Ear seems to be all Wood, with a little Skin about it. Another Ornament the Women use, is about their Legs, which they are very Curious in; for from the Infancy of the Girles, their Mothers make fast a piece of Cotton Cloath about the Small of their Leg, from the Ankle to their Calf, very hard; which makes them have a very full Calf: This the Women wear to their Dying Day. Both Men and Women go Naked, only a Clout about their Wastes; yet they have but little Feet, though they go Bare-foot.

The Caution of Mr. Dampier's Crew, in Eating the Fruit of these Countreys.

They take this for a General Rule, when they meet with any Fruits that they have not seen before, if they see them Peck'd by Birds, then they may freely Eat, but if they see no such Sign, they let them alone.

Mr. Dampier giving an Account, how he went towards the Coast of Cartagena, That in his Way thither, they passed by the River of Darien, which he says (as before I noticed) is very broad at the Mouth: And that Captain Coxon went up this River with a Party of Men, and that every Man carryed a small strong Bag to put his Gold in.

That they Rowed about a Hundred Leagues, before they came to any Settlement, and then found some Spaniards, who lived there to Truck with the Indians for Gold; THERE BEING GOLD SCALES IN EVERY HOUSE.

This much for a Taste of the Nature of that Countrey: They that are Curious, may Read these Authors, viz. Mr. Dampier and Mr. Wafer, who are both more full and very pleasant.