Page 223
An.1685
Ria Lexa burnt.
about it: but when ripe it is of a deep red colour. The inside is full of small black seeds, mixt with a certain red Pulp like thick Syrup: it is very pleasant in taste, cooling, and refreshing; but if a Man eats 15 or 20 of them they will colour his Water, making it look like blood. This I have often expe- rienced, yet found no harm by it.
There are many Sugar-works in the Country, and Estantions or Beef Farms: There is also a great deal of Pitch, Tar, and Cordage, made in the Country, which is the chief of their Trade. This Town we approached without any opposition, and found nothing but empty Houses; besides such things as they could not, or would not, carry a- way, which were chiefly about 500 Packs of Flow- er, brought hither in the great Ship that we left at Amapalla, and some Pitch, Tar, and Cordage. These things we wanted, and therefore we sent them all aboard. Here we received 150 Beefs, promised by the Gentleman that was released co- ming from Leon; besides, we visited the Beef Farms every day, and the Sugar-works, going in small companies of 20 or 30 Men, and brought away every Man his load: for we found no Horses, which if we had, yet the ways were so wet and dirty, that they would not have been serviceable to us. We stay'd here from the 17th till the 24th day, and then some of our destructive Crew set fire to the Houses: I know not by whose order, but we marched away and left them burning: at the Breft-work we imbarked into our Canoas, and re- turned aboard our Ships.
The 25th day Captain Davis and Captain Swan broke off Consortships; for Captain Davis was minded to return again on the Coast of Peru, but Captain Swan desired to go farther to the West- ward. I had till this time been with Captain Davis, but now left him, and went aboard of Captain Swan.