While Vasco Nunez was exploring the southern extremity of the gulf, Roderigo Colmenares advanced, as had been agreed, by way of the river bed towards the mountains along the eastern coast.  At a distance of about forty miles, that is to say, twelve leagues from the river’s mouth, he came upon some villages built on the river bank; the chief, that is to say, chebi, was named Turvi.  Colmenares remained with that cacique, while Vasco Nunez, who had meanwhile returned to Darien, marched to meet him.  When the men of the two companies had been somewhat recuperated by the provisions which Turvi furnished, their leaders continued their march together.  About forty miles distant they discovered an island in the river, which was inhabited by fishermen, and as they found wild cinnamon trees there, they named the island Cannafistula.  There were some sixty villages in groups of ten houses each on this island, and the river on the right side was large enough both for the native boats and for the brigantines.  This river the Spaniards named Rio Negro.

Fifteen miles from its mouth they found a village composed of five hundred scattered houses, of which the chebi or cacique was called Abenamacheios.  All the houses were abandoned as soon as the Spaniards approached; and while they were pursuing the natives the latter suddenly turned, faced them, and threw themselves upon our soldiers with the desperation of men driven from their homes.  They fought with wooden swords, sticks with hardened points and sharp javelins, but not with arrows; for the river population of the west side of the gulf do not use arrows in fighting.  These poor creatures, being, in fact, naked, were easily cut to pieces, and in the pursuit, the cacique Abenamacheios and some of his principal chiefs were captured.  A foot-soldier, who had been wounded by the cacique, cut off his arm with one blow of his sword, though this was done against the will of the commanders.  The Christians numbered altogether about one hundred and fifty men, and the leaders left one half of them in this village, continuing their way with the others in nine of the barques which I have called uru.

Seventy miles distant from Rio Negro and the island of Cannafistula, the Spaniards, passing by several streams on the right and left which swelled the principal river, entered another under the guidance of a native chief who took charge of the boats.  The cacique of the country along its banks was called Abibaiba.

All the region was swampy and the chief house of the cacique was built in a tree.  Novel and unaccustomed dwelling place!  The country, however, has such lofty trees that the natives may easily build houses among their branches.  We read something of this kind in different authors who write of certain tribes who, when the waters are rising, take refuge in these lofty trees and live upon the fish caught in their branches.  They place beams among the branches, joining them so firmly that they resist the strongest