the N.E. part at Legnetta, where a ship may wood and water quite secure from any enemy.  The island is very woody, affording large timber, which is often shipped hence for Peru.  There are here a few wild monkeys, with abundance of lizards; among which is one called the lion-lizard, about the size of a man’s arm, one that I measured being three feet eleven inches from the head to the end of the tail.  It has a kind of large comb on its head, standing up like a helmet, as if to defend its head, and when attacked it erects this comb, which otherwise lies in a deep groove on the head, just fitted for its reception, so that it can hardly be seen when down.  This animal has very large eyes, and a large mouth, in which are a great many small sharp teeth.  The skin is rough and of a dark colour, full of black, yellow, and bluish spots.  It runs very swift, yet our dog caught many of them.

[Footnote 209:  Lat. 1 deg. 56’ N. long. 78 deg. 50’ W. from Greenwich.—­E.]

After remaining here five days, we began to hoist our anchors to set sail, when we discovered a ship standing in for the island, which we took.  She was a small vessel of fifty tons, commanded by a Mestizo, on board of which we found a Guernsey man, who had been taken by the Spaniards, while cutting logwood in the Bay of Campeachy above two years before, and must have continued a prisoner during life if we had not released him.  On sailing from Gallo, our purpose was to attack the town of Santa Maria, not far from this on the continent to the E. expecting there to have found a great quantity of gold, brought thither from the adjacent mines of the same name.  But this design miscarried, whether from fear, confusion, or the enemy having early intelligence of our motions, which enabled them to cut off many of our men.  This, however, is certain, that we were quite sick of our fruitless attempts on shore by the 1st May, and immediately re-embarked.  We were now so short of provisions, that five boiled green plantains were allotted for six men; but, when almost out both of hope and patience, a vessel came and anchored close beside us at midnight, which we took without resistance.  This proved a most valuable prize, being a ship of 150 tons, laden with flour, sugar, brandy, wine, about thirty tons marmalade of quinces, a considerable quantity of salt, and several tons of linen and woollen cloth; so that we had now a sufficient supply of provisions even for four or five years.  I was put aboard of this prize on behalf of Captain Dampier and his company, and the master of the Cinque-ports, in behalf of Captain Stradling and his crew.