Upon These Grounds He Began To Write To Some Who
Were Not Very Sound After The Late Troubles And To Hold Correspondence
With Them.
But Roldan being informed of his designs and proceedings, went
against him by the admirals orders with a party of twenty-one men to
prevent him from doing the harm he intended.
Roldan came within a league
and a half of him on the twenty-ninth of September, and learnt that he was
at the house of a cacique named Haniquaba with fifteen men, employed in
making bread and biscuit for his crew. Roldan accordingly travelled the
whole of that night that he might surprize him; but Ojeda getting
intelligence of the intention of Roldan, and being too weak for resistance,
resolved to put a bold face on a bad cause and went to meet him, saying
that want of provisions had brought him hither to supply himself in the
dominions of his sovereigns without meaning to do any harm.
Ojeda gave an account of his voyage to Roldan, saying that he had been
discovering 600 leagues westwards along the coast of Paria, where he found
people who fought the Christians hand to hand, and had wounded twenty of
his men, for which reason he could make no advantage of the wealth of the
country. That he had seen deer and rabbits, the skins and paws of tigers,
and guaninis[2], all of which he shewed to Roldan in his caravels. He
farther said that he should soon repair to St Domingo to give the admiral
a full account of his voyage.
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