On The Cessation Of The Tempest, Gonzalo Had To Cross A Prodigious Ridge Of Mountains, On The Top Of Which

They suffered such extreme cold that many of their attendant Indians were frozen to death. And as no provisions or

Shelter could be had in that elevated region, he made haste to arrive in the province of Zumaco[5] which is situated at the foot of a volcano. As provisions were found here in abundance, the army halted in this place for refreshments. In the mean time Gonzalo went with a small party of troops to endeavour to find out a passage through the forest. He at length reached the banks of a river named Coca, whence he sent for the remainder of his people to join him from Zumaco. During two months that the army remained in this country, it never ceased raining day or night, so that they never had a sufficient interval in which to dry their clothes.

In this province of Zumaco the trees are found which afford cinnamon. These trees are very large and have leaves resembling the laurel. Their fruit grows in clusters, consisting of a nut resembling the acorn of the cork tree, but larger, and containing a number of small seeds. The fruit, leaves, bark, and roots have all the taste and flavour of cinnamon; but the best consists of the shell or nut which contains the seeds. In the whole of that country vast numbers of these trees are found wild in the woods, growing and producing fruit without care; but the Indians cultivate them with much attention in their plantations; and these cultivated trees produce a much better cinnamon than those trees which grow wild. This cinnamon is in great request among the natives, and is exchanged by the inhabitants of Zumaco with the neighbouring tribes, receiving in return provisions and other things of which they are in want.

Leaving the greater part of his people in the country of Zumaco, as has been already said, Gonzalo penetrated into the country with much difficulty, accompanied by the most vigorous of his men, and guided by the Indians, who frequently gave him false accounts of the country in advance, on purpose to get him away from their own district. Thus the people of Zumaco informed him that the country beyond theirs was well peopled and had abundance of provisions; but he found it extremely barren and very thinly inhabited. Having penetrated to the province of Coca upon a large river of that name, he remained there about six weeks, waiting the arrival of the rest of his people from Zumaco, all the while treated in a friendly manner by the cacique of the district.

After his troops were all assembled at Coca, Gonzalo marched along the course of the river, till at last he arrived at a place where it fell over a cataract of above 200 fathoms making a noise that could be easily heard at six leagues distance. A few days march below that place, the whole waters of the river became confined in a rocky channel not exceeding twenty feet wide, while the rocks were at least 200 fathoms in height above the water, and perfectly perpendicular.

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