the Amazons. In many histories they are verified to have been, and in
divers ages and provinces; but they which are not far from Guiana do
accompany with men but once in a year, and for the time of one month,
which I gather by their relation, to be in April; and that time all
kings of the borders assemble, and queens of the Amazons; and after the
queens have chosen, the rest cast lots for their valentines. This one
month they feast, dance, and drink of their wines in abundance; and the
moon being done they all depart to their own provinces. They are said
to be very cruel and bloodthirsty, especially to such as offer to invade
their territories. These Amazons have likewise great store of these
plates of gold, which they recover by exchange chiefly for a kind of
green stones, which the Spaniards call piedras hijadas, and we use for
spleen-stones (stones reduced to powder and taken internally to cure
maladies of the spleen); and for the disease of the stone we also
esteem them. Of these I saw divers in Guiana; and commonly every king
or cacique hath one, which their wives for the most part wear, and they
esteem them as great jewels.

But to return to the enterprise of Berreo, who, as I have said, departed
from Nuevo Reyno with 700 horse, besides the provisions above rehearsed.
He descended by the river called Cassanar, which riseth in Nuevo Reyno
out of the mountains by the city of Tunja, from which mountain also
springeth Pato; both which fall into the great river of Meta, and Meta
riseth from a mountain joining to Pamplona, in the same Nuevo Reyno de
Granada. These, as also Guaiare, which issueth out of the mountains by
Timana, fall all into Baraquan, and are but of his heads; for at their
coming together they lose their names, and Baraquan farther down is also
rebaptized by the name of Orenoque. On the other side of the city and
hills of Timana riseth Rio Grande, which falleth into the sea by Santa
Marta. By Cassanar first, and so into Meta, Berreo passed, keeping his