isle named Ranchina, which produces great plenty of certain trees called
_Palma-Maria_. These are straight, tough, and of good length, and are
consequently fit for masts, the grain of the wood having a gradual twist
or spiral direction; but, notwithstanding the name, they have no
resemblance to palms. To the N.E. of Quibo are the small islands of
_Canales_ and _Cantarras_, in the channels between which there is good
anchorage. These islands have plenty of wood and water, and appear at a
distance as if part of the continent; and as the island of Quibo is the
most considerable, these isles are generally named collectively the
Quibo islands.

Having failed in our designs at sea, it was agreed to try our fortune on
land, and the city of Leon, near the coast of Nicaragua in Mexico, was
pitched upon, as being nearest us. Being in want of canoes for landing
our men, we cut down trees to make as many as we had occasion for, and
in the mean time 150 men were detached to take _Puebla nova_, a town on
the continent, near the Quibo island,[176] in hopes of getting some
provisions. They easily took that town, but got nothing there except an
empty bark, and returned to us on the 26th June. Captain Knight came
back to us on the 5th July, having been farther to the west, but meeting
with no prize, he had gone south to the bay of Guayaquil, where he took
two _barco-longas_, with wine, oil, brandy, sugar, soap, and other
commodities. Knight learnt from his prisoners that certain merchant
ships, designed to have accompanied the Spanish fleet to Panama,
remained behind at Payta, which he might easily have taken if he had
been provided with a stronger force.

[Footnote 176: The only place in modern geography resembling the name,
and agreeing with the description in the text, is San Pablo on the S.
coast of Veragua, in lat. 8° 9' N. and long. 83° W. from Greenwich.--E.]