909 / 1070
1¡,
BooK
VI.
Royal Com~entarie1.
he ·difmifi:-his Souldiers, advifing cvery man to fhifc :for himfelf, and told them
that
their
beíl:
way would be to make towards
the Sea,
~here.his-Brother
Pedro.
dé
Co11trera1
wotild receive them a-board.a Ship,
and
that he himfelf Íiltended to
-rake tbat
w,ay,
.md
fo
they difperíed, e-very man thifting for himfelf: fome few
·days after which, che King's Party going
in
purfuic of them over Mounrairí~
,Boggs·and
wet
places, they found che
Body
of
Hrrnando
de ContrtrfU
drowned
_!9.
2
Mora~;
the Head they cut offand carried-it to
Pa,Mma,
and though ic was very
-much -disfigured, yet he was known by his Hat, being of a fmgular failiioó, .antl
by
a Cbain
of Gold which he ufually wore about
bis
Nec;k.
His Brother
Pedro
Je
Contrer:ifl,
'heariug this fad fate, with the deftruétion and ruine of
¡ohn
de
Bermejo
:and all
·his Companions, attempted to make
his
efcape by Sea ; bue the
Winds
and Wacers, and all che Elemencs confpired againft him to hinder ,bis Ships from
.going 0ut
of
Port ; wherefore he eodcr.ivoured
ro
1make
bis
efoape
"in
little Boars;
nodmowirrg where to go or fly, in regard
2ll
,the Wot:td was
be-eóme
bis
Enemy...
Sut
che
'Inhabicants of che Cicy armed out ·other Boats in cha~e ofhim, wich
which
~ey recovel.'ed their own, and took alfo
t~e
Enemy's Ships: :An?ther Par~
ty
a{>
pomr.edto
ifollow thofe over the Mountaitls, who had taken their way
by,
Land
1
took ·fome of chofe belonging to
Hernando:
bue
as
to
Pedro
de
'Contrmu,
no
man Imew whac became of him ; diough it
was
generallY beHeved, that he was.
.killed by the
In/J.i-ans,
or devoured
by
Tygers
or other wild
Beafis,
of which there
are great numbers in thac Councrey ; for they never received news ·of
bim
after–
wards.
This was
ithe
end and iífue of chat wicked deftgn ; of which no better fucce(s
.could be expeéted, having commenced with che Murthet ofaBifuop; and though
fome meo would excufe chis faét by laying.a blame on the Biíh0p for bis immode–
race language, whereby chey were provoked to che performance of chis QU.trageoús
Aét ; }let cerrainly nothing can be alledged in excufe of chis hei:nous and abomi-
aable Murther. But at lengch chey paid for ali, ·as before related.
·
CH A P. XIIL
·
The Prefident recovers thé·
Treafurc he_
had /oft.
He
p11ni–
/bes the 0/fenders. He arrives in
Spain,
where he hdp-
pily
ends
·
his 'days.
·
'WHilft
Lieend4da
GAfta
was at
NimJhre
1k
Dio1
he received news ofthe arrival
of che
Co11treras,
and of tp; Robberies and Piracies they had committed
in
Panama,
he was much affiiéted to co·nfider, chat fuch a ftrange turn of,fortunc
fhould
be
referved for him at che conclufion of
all
his affairs ; and which a certain
·Authour f~ys was che more furpriíing, in regard it was never imagincd, nor
poffibly to
be
prevemed by ali che care and diligence thac could have been contri–
ved. Buc now to hinder the farcher progrefs of thisevil, he fecured m·the
beft man–
ner he was able the Treafure which he had with him ; and then with what Forces
he had, and with che Auxiliaries ofche Town, he prepared to retum to
'PanA111a
to
recovec his lofi Treafure and puniíh the Robbers : and though he coficeived little
hopes of fuccefs, fuppofing that they had been
fo
wife as to have cartied awáy
their prize, and provided for their own fafcty : howfoever, noc to
b€
wanting to
his duty, orto loofe an opportuoity,
as
he had never done, when offered; he mar–
ched out of
Nomhre de Dios
with fuch meo and arms as could be provided on
~
fudden : and in t~e
fir{l
days journey
he
teceived intelligence of the happy focéefs
at
Panam11,
with che death of
rohn
Je
Bermejo,
and
SalgHero,
and of the
flight
of
Hernando de Contrmu
over the Mountains, and of his Brother by Sea; with which
the good Prefident being comforted, proceeded on
his
journey with great alacricy,
rendriog thanks ro Almighcy God ( as
Gomara
faith) for fuch a tide and current
of happy fortune as would ever
be
recorded in future ages to bis honour and
fame,
&..
The Prefident entred into
Pan1111111
with gream glory and criumph than
T
tt
c
t
1-
ever