From The
Bottom Of This Bay One May Travel To The Lake Of Nicaragua Over Hilly
Savannas, A Distance Of Fourteen, Or Fifteen Leagues.[154]
[Footnote 154:
The bay of Caldera in the text is evidently the gulf of
Nicoya, from the bottom of which the lake of Nicaragua is distant about
fifty English miles due north. The latitude of Cape Blanco in the text,
9 deg. 56' N. is considerably erroneous, its true latitude being only 9 deg. 27'
N.]
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.
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