e
conquest, and here Andagoya afterwards collected fuller information on
the same subject.
^ « Forty leagues down the coast, from the city of Darien, and twelve
leagues inland, there is a ?a,cique named Comogre, and another named
Pocorosa, who are at equal distances from the sea. They have many
wars with each other. They each have a town inland, and another on the
sea coast, by which the interior is supplied with fish. The Indians
assured me that there were very rich rivers of gold near the houses of
these caciques. At the distance of a day's journey from the cacique
Pocorosa's house there are the most beautiful mountains. They are clear
of forest, except some groves of trees along the banks of the streams. In
these mountains there are certain caciques who have great quantities of
gold in their houses. It is said that these caciques store their gold
in barbacoas, like maize, because it is so abundant that they do not care
to keep it in baskets. Their method of collecting the gold is by going
into the water and gathering it in their baskets. They also scrape it up
in the beds of streams when they arc dry : and that your Royal High-
ness may be more completely informed concerning these parts, I send an
11
point forward the country was populous, though the chiefs
were of small account, being from a league to two leagues
apart from each other. In this country there is a province
called Peruqueta, extending from one sea to the other, and
including the Pearl Islands and the gulf of San Miguel.
And another province, which was called the land of con-
fusion, because there was no chief in it, is also called Cueva.
The people are all one, speaking one language, and aref*
dressed like those of Acla. From this province of Peru-
queta to Adechame, a distance of forty leagues still in a
westerly direction, the country is called Coiba, and the lan-|
guage is the same as that of Cueva, only more polished, and!
the people have more self-assertion. They differ also in the
men not wearing the shells, like those of Cueva; for they
go quite naked, without any covering. The women are
Indian workman of that district, who has collected it many times.
I, Sire, have myself been very near these mountains, within a day's
journey, but I did not reach them because I was unable, for a man gets
as far as he can, not as far as he wishes. Beyond these mountains the
country is very flat towards the south, and the Indians say that the other
sea is at a distance of three days' journey. All the caciques and Indians
of the country of Comogre tell me that there is such great store of gold
collected in lumps, in the houses of the caciques of the other sea, that we
should be astonished. They declare that the Indians of the other sea
come to the residence of this cacique Comogre by a river, and bring gold
to be melted. In exchange for the gold they get cotton cloth, and good
looking Indian men and women. They do not eat these men and women,
like the people towards the great river» (Atrato). « The river which
flows from the territory of the cacique Comogre to the other sea forms
itself into three branches, each of which enters the other sea by itself.
Pearls are brought to the cacique Comogre to be exchanged, by the
western branch ; and the canoes with gold enter by the eastern branch.»
Letter of Vasco Nunez to the King. I presume this must be the river
Chucunaque of the Spanish maps.
Vasco NufLez had formed a friendship with the cacique of Comogre,
before the arrival of Pedrarias, and had visited his house, which was,
according to Las Casas, 150 feet long, 80 broad, and 80 in height.
Comogre gave the Spaniards some gold, over the division of which they
quarrelled, and then it was that his son told them of a country abound-
ing in gold, far to the south. It has been supposed that the young man
12
NARRATIVE OP
adorned like those of Acla and Cueva. From these pro-
vinces most of the Indians were taken, who were brought to
Darien, for as they were the nearest and most populous, no
sooner had one captain returned from them, than another
set out.
One of the captains of Pedrarias, named Meneses, estab-
lished a settlement called Santa Cruz, in the territory of
a chief named Pocorosa, in the province of Cueva, on the
north sea. From this settlement he advanced into the
province of Cueva with part of his forces, and was defeated
by the Indians, several of his people being killed. Then,
seeing that the Spaniards in Santa Cruz were defeated and
reduced in numbers, the Indians attacked them, and killed
them all, so that no one remained alive except a woman, whom
the chief took for himself, and lived with as his wife for
several years. His other wives, being zealous that the chief
liked her better than them, killed her, and gave their lord
to understand that an alligator had eaten her, when she went
| to bathe in the river. Thus this settlement was destroyed.
In these provinces there were no large villages, but each
chief had three or four houses or more on his land. These
were close together, and each man built his house in the
place where he sowed his crop. The chiefs in these pro-
vinces were of small account, because there were many of
them, and they had great disputes concerning their fishing
and hunting grounds, in which many were killed. The
country is very beautiful. The chiefs, in their language, are
called Tiba, and the principal men of the family of a chief
are called Piraraylos. The brave men renowned in war,
who had killed an adversary, or had come wounded from the
battle, received the name Gabra, as their title. The people
alluded to the empire of the Yncas, but I consider it very improbable
that he ever heard of that distant land. It is far more likely that he
alluded to some of the districts where there were gold washings, near the
southern frontier of his father's territory. He, however, undoubtedly
gave Vasco Nunez the first notice concerning the Pacific Ocean.
13
lived according to natural laws of justice, without any cere-
monies or worship. The chiefs, in these provinces, settled
disputes in person, and there were no other judges or offi-
cers, except those who apprehended prisoners. Their man-
ner of judging was this :—The parties appeared, and each
stated the facts of the case. Then, without evidence from
witnesses, and holding it for certain that the parties would
speak the truth (for he who lied to a chief was put to
death), the suit was determined, and there was no further
dispute respecting it. In these provinces the chiefs received
no rent nor tribute from their subjects, except personal ser-
vice ; but whenever a chief wished to build a house, sow
a crop, procure fish, or wage war, every one had to assist
without receiving any reward beyond food and drink, and
thus they neither exacted anything from their people, nor
did they want for anything. They were feared and loved,
and the gold they possessed was either obtained by barter,
or dug out of mines by the Indians. They had laws and
regulations by which he who killed another, or committed
robbery, was put to death. No other offences were com-
mitted by these people. They married one wife, and they
held a festival on the day of the wedding. All the relations
assembled, among whom were the principal people in the
country; there was much drinking, and the parents took
the woman and delivered her to the chief, or to him who
was to be her husband. The sons of this woman were those
who inherited the lordship or house. The chiefs took many
other women without this ceremony, who lived with the
principal wife, and she in no way treated them ill or became
jealous of them, but ruled over them, and they obeyed her
as their mistress. The sons of these other women were
looked upon as bastards, and inherited no share of their
father's property, like the sons of the principal wife; but
those who inherited the house, looked upon the others and
maintained them as sons of the house. These women had to
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NARRATIVE OF
take care of each other on pain of death. The people had
. certain chosen men called Tecnria, who were "said to converse
with the devil, whom they called Turia. The Tecuria had a
very small hut with no door, and no covering overhead. The
chosen person went there at night, and talked with the
/ devil, who conversed in divers tones; and the chosen
person told the chief what he pleased afterwards, saying
that the devil had given him such and such answers. In
these provinces there were sorcerers and witches who did
much harm to children, and even to grown up people, at the
suggestion of the devil, who gave them his salves, with
which they anointed those whom they bewitched. These
salves were made from certain herbs. On inquiring in what
form the devil appeared, it was stated that he took the form
of a beautiful boy, in order that the people, being simple,
might not be terrified, and might believe him. They did
not see his hands, but on his feet he had three claws,1 like
those of a griffin. And in all the mischief that these witches
did, they were assisted by the devil, who entered the houses
with them. These and many other things are contained in
the information which I received from the witches them-
selves, who said that they anointed people with the salves
which were given to them by the enemy. It was affirmed
that, on a certain night, a witch was seen in a village with
many other women, and that, at the same hour, she was
seen at a farm where there were servants of her master,
a league and-a-half distant.1
Wishing to know whether these people had any notion of
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