Captain Cooke had been very ill ever since their departure from Juan Fernandez, and died as soon as they came within two or three leagues of Cape Blanco, which indeed is a frequent incident at sea, as people who have been long ill often die on coming in sight of land.  Coming to anchor a few hours after a league within the cape, near the mouth of the before-mentioned rivulet, in 14 fathoms on clear hard sand, his body was immediately carried on shore for interment, under a guard of twelve armed men.  While the people were digging his grave, they were joined by three Spanish Indians, who asked many questions, and were at length seized, though one of them afterwards escaped.  The other two were carried aboard, and confessed that they were sent as spies from Nicoya, a small Mulatto town twelve or fourteen leagues from the cape, and seated on the banks of a river of the same name,[155] being a convenient place for building and refitting ships.  The president of Panama had sent intelligence to this place of the English being in these seas, in consequence of which the inhabitants, who mostly subsist by cultivating corn, and by slaughtering great numbers of cattle which feed on their extensive savannas, had sent their ox hides to the North Sea by way of the lake of Nicaragua, as also a certain red wood, called in Jamaica Blood wood, or Nicaragua wood, which is used in dying.  These commodities are exchanged for linen and woollen manufactures, and other European goods.

[Footnote 155:  There is no river at Niceya, but it is seated on a bay or harbour within the gulf of the same name.—­E.]

Learning from their prisoners that there was a large cattle pen at no great distance, where cows and bulls could be had in abundance, and being very desirous of having some fresh beef which had long been very rare among them, twenty-four of the English went ashore in two boats, under the guidance of one of the Indians, and landed about a league from the ships, hauling their boats upon the dry sand.  Their guide conducted them to the pen, in a large savanna two miles from the boats, where they found abundance of bulls and cows feeding.  Some of the English were for killing three or four immediately, but the rest insisted to wait till morning, and then to kill as many as they needed.  On this difference of opinion, Dampier and eleven more thought proper to return aboard that night, expecting to be followed by the rest next day.  Hearing nothing of them next day at four p.m. ten men were sent in a canoe to look for them; when they found their comrades on a small rock half a mile from the shore, up to their middles in water, having fled there to escape from forty or fifty Spaniards, well armed with guns and lances, who had burnt their boat.  They had taken shelter on this rock at low water, and must have perished in an hour, as it was then flowing tide, if they had not been relieved by the canoe, which brought them safe on board.