All Round The Isle The Water Is Very Deep, Except At The
Before-Mentioned Anchorage.
Near the shoal there are great numbers of
small sea-tortoises, or turtle, formerly mentioned as found at the
Gallapagos.
This island of Plata is four or five leagues W.S.W. from
Cape San Lorenzo.
After remaining one day at this isle, we continued our voyage to Cape
Santa Helena, in lat. 2 deg. 8' S. This cape appears high and flat,
resembling an island, covered on the top with thistles, and surrounded
by low grounds, but without any trees. As it jets far out to sea, it
forms a good bay on its north side, a mile within which is a wretched
Indian village on the shore, called also Santa Helena; but the ground in
its neighbourhood, though low, is sandy and barren, producing neither
trees, grass, corn, nor fruit, except excellent water-melons; and the
inhabitants are forced to fetch their fresh water from the river
Calanche, four leagues distant, at the bottom of the bay. They live
chiefly on fish, and are supplied with maize from other parts, in
exchange for Algatrane, which is a bituminous substance issuing from
the earth near this village, about five paces above high-water mark.
This substance, by means of long boiling, becomes hard like pitch, and
is employed as such by the Spaniards. To leeward of the point, directly
opposite the village, there is good anchorage, but on the west side the
water is very deep.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 374 of 825
Words from 101404 to 101655
of 224764
