Yet As There Was
Something Extremely Disagreeable In The Idea Of A Surrender, Especially
To Such Enemies As The Spaniards, We Were In No Great Hurry,
Particularly As We Were Here Somewhat At Our Ease, Enjoying Many
Conveniences To Which We Had Long Been Strangers.
The free use we made
of the excellent fruits growing on this island brought the flux among
us, which weakened us very much, and interrupted our work for some days,
yet in the main did us little hurt, or rather tended to preserve us from
the scurvy.
We deliberated and consulted as to our future conduct; but
our views were so discordant, and our minds so distracted, that we could
come to no resolution, except that of continuing here, in hopes of
something happening to our advantage.
The island of Quibo or Coibo is almost in the same parallel with
Panama, [276] being about twenty-four English miles from N. to S. and
twelve from E. to W. It is of moderate height, covered all over with
inaccessible woods, always green; and, though never inhabited, abounds
with papaws and limes, and some other fruits I never saw before, which
are nearly as good, though wholly neglected, as those that are most
carefully attended to in other islands in similar latitudes, whence it
may be inferred that the soil is fertile; and, if ever inhabited and
cleared, it promises to be as productive as the best of our West-India
islands. The pearl-fishers, not being able to follow their occupation
during the vandevals, or black stormy months, from the beginning of
June to the end of November, have a few scattered huts in several parts
of this island and of Quivetta, used by the divers during their
season, in which they sleep and open their oysters, so that the sandy
beach is covered with fine mother-of-pearl shells.
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