In the evening, the men filled our house, bringing with them some jars of a liquor they called chica, made of barley-meal, and not very unlike our oat-ale in taste, which will intoxicate those who drink a sufficient quantity of it, for a little has no effect.  As soon as the drink was out, a fresh supply of victuals was brought in; and in this manner we passed the whole time we remained with these hospitable Indians.  They are a strong well-made people, extremely well-featured, both men and women, and vastly neat in their persons.  The men’s dress is called by them a puncho, which is a square piece of cloth, generally in stripes of different colours, with a slit in the middle of it, wide enough to let their heads through, so that it hangs on their shoulders, half of it falling before and the other behind them:  Under this they wear a short kind of flannel shirt without sleeves or neck.  They have wide-knee’d breeches, something like the Dutch seamen, and on their legs a sort of knit buskins without any feet to them, but never any shoes.  Their hair is always combed very smooth, and tied very tight up in a great bunch close to the neck; some wear a very neat hat of their own making, and others go without.  The women wear a shift like the men’s shirts, without sleeves, and over it a square piece of cloth, which they fasten before with a large silver pin, and a petticoat of different stripes.  They take as much care of their hair as the men; and both have always a kind of fillet bound very tight about the fore-head, and made fast behind.  In short, these people are as cleanly as the several savage nations we had met with before were beastly.

Upon our first coming here, they had dispatched a messenger to the Spanish corregidore at Castro, a town a considerable distance from hence, to inform him of our arrival.  At the end of three days, this man returned with an order to the chief caciques of these Indians we were amongst, to carry us directly to a certain place, where there would be a party of soldiers to receive us.  These poor people now seemed to be under great concern for us, hearing by the messenger the preparations that were making to receive us; for they stand in vast dread of the Spanish soldiery.  They were very desirous of knowing what countrymen we were.  We told them we were English, and at that time at war with the Spaniards, upon which they appeared fonder of us than ever; and I verily believe, if they durst, would have concealed us amongst them, lest we should come to any harm.  They are so far from being in the Spanish interest, that they detest the very name of a Spaniard.  And, indeed, I am not surprised at it, for they are kept under such subjection, and such a laborious slavery, by mere dint of hard usage and punishments, that it appears to me the most absurd thing in the world that the Spaniards should rely upon these people for assistance upon any emergency.