That same evening we brought our ships to anchor near the town, in ten fathoms a mile from shore, and remained six days in hopes of getting a ransom for the town; but seeing we were not likely to have any, we set it on fire, and set sail at night with the land-breeze for the island of Lobos.  The 14th we came in sight of Lobos de Tierra, the inner or northern island of Lobos, which is of moderate height, and appears at a distance like Lobos del Mare, the southern island of the same name, at which other island we arrived on the 19th.  The evening of the 29th we set sail for the bay of Guayaquil, which lies between Cape Blanco in lat. 4 deg. 18’, and the point of Chanday, or Carnera, in 2 deg. 18’ both S. In the bottom of this bay is a small isle, called Santa Clara, extending E. and W. and having many shoals, which make ships that intend for Guayaquil to pass on the south side of this island.

From the isles of Santa Clara to Punta arena, the N.W. point of the island of Puna, is seven leagues [thirty statute miles] N.N.E.  Here ships bound for Guayaquil take in pilots, who live in a town in Puna of the same name, at its N.E. extremity, seven leagues [twenty-five miles] from Punta arena.  The island of Puna is low, stretching fourteen leagues E. and W. and five leagues from N. to S.[164] It has a strong tide running along its shores, which are full of little creeks and harbours.  The interior of this island consists of good pasture land, intermixed with some woodlands, producing various kinds of trees to us unknown.  Among these are abundance of Palmitoes, a tree about the thickness of an ordinary ash, and thirty feet high, having a straight trunk without branches or leaf, except at the very top, which spreads out into many small branches three or four feet long.  At the extremity of each of these is a single leaf, which at first resembles a fan plaited together, and then opens out like a large unfolded fan.  The houses in the town of Puna are built on posts ten or twelve feet high, and are thatched with palmito leaves, the inhabitants having to go up to them by means of ladders.  The best place for anchorage is directly opposite the town, in five fathoms, a cable’s length from shore.

[Footnote 164:  Puna is nearly forty English miles from N.E. to S.W. and about sixteen miles from N.W. to S.E.]

From Puna to Guayaquil is seven leagues, the entrance into the river of that name being two miles across, and it afterwards runs up into the country with a pretty straight course, the ground on both sides being marshy and full of red mangrove trees.  About four miles below the town of Guayaquil, the river is divided into two channels by a small low island, that on the west being broadest, though the other is as deep.  From the upper end of this island to the town is about a league, and the river about the same in breadth, in which a ship of large burden may ride safely, especially