I asked the old Cacique what crimes he had to punish among his subjects; he told me, very few: theft he punished, he said, by taking from the thief double what he had stolen, which he gave to the person injured; if the thief could not satisfy the fine, he was delivered to the plaintiff as a slave until his services might satisfy the claim. Adultery he punished by obliging the man to maintain the woman as long as the husband might think proper, or else by keeping him in the stocks, which were under the house, till the husband begged his release. Murder, said he, never happens among us; and all small crimes I punish by flogging the criminals myself.
After remaining two days I left the Cacique of the Malabas, and returned to Cayapas, his two sons being my palanqueros or canoe men. On leaving him, he begged of me to send him some salt, which is very scarce among them, and that when I was tired of living among the whites to come and live at Malaba, assuring me, that I should have one of his daughters for a wife, and be the Cacique. When I stood on the river side all the females came to me and kissed me, and as the canoe floated down the stream they all joined in a farewell ditty, which was answered by my two young Indians. Nature claimed her tribute, and I paid it: I turned my face to wipe away my tears, and blushed that I was ashamed at shedding them.
On my arrival at Cayapas, I found that the cura of the Tola, on hearing of my trip to Malabas, had come up to Cayapas with my four soldiers, with the intention of demanding me of the Cacique; however, to his great joy, my arrival made this unnecessary: his surprize, and that of my soldiers and servant at seeing me step ashore in the garb of a Malaba cannot be expressed: to complete the costume I had borrowed the lance, made of chonta, of one of the indians. I sent to the kind Cacique Cushicagua as much salt as the canoe could carry, and gave some trifles to his two sons, who took leave of me in a very tender manner: they came to me separately, and each laying his hands on my shoulders, kissed my breast and retired. How easily such men might be reduced to what is called civilized society! But would they be benefited by it? Would they be more virtuous? Would they be more happy?
From Cayapas I returned to La Tola, and thence proceeded by the estuary of Limones to Pianguapi, and crossing a small gulf I arrived in the evening at Tumaco. This is an island in the bay, called Gorgona, which takes its name from that of the Cacique Gorgona, who governed the island on the first arrival of the Spaniards. The bay has a very good anchorage for small vessels, but large ones generally anchor at the outer roadstead, called el Morro. The island of Tumaco is about two miles long and one broad, remarkably fruitful, and well cultivated, abounding in tropical fruit trees. The town is formed of about a hundred houses; they stand on the western side of the island, facing the anchorage, and present a very beautiful view. The inhabitants are generally mulattos, but call themselves Spaniards. It is the residence of a lieutenant-governor, and is of itself a parish. Besides the island of Tumaco there are in the same bay the islands called el Viudo, la Viuda, el Morro, and Placer de Pollas. The river Mira enters the sea here at three embouchures, called Boca Grande, Rio Claro, and Mira.
Tumaco is the sea-port to the city and province of Barbacoas, which is approached by an estuary; at the head of this the canoes are dragged across a piece of low ground, called el Arrastradero, and then launched in the river which leads to Barbacoas, called el Telembi.
Barbacoas was founded in the year 1640 by the Jesuit Lucas de la Cueva, who was a missionary sent from Quito for the conversion of the tribe of indians called Barbacoas. After some time it was discovered that the sand along the side of the river contained grains of gold: this induced several persons to settle in the neighbourhood, and to employ themselves in collecting the precious metal. Their success brought down others from Quito and different parts of the interior, and a town was formed, which was afterwards honoured with the title of city.
The climate of Barbacoas is extremely warm, and the rains continue during the greater part of the year, so as to preclude the cultivation of the land; hence all kinds of provisions are extremely dear, the supplies being chiefly brought from the Province de los Pastos on the shoulders of men, because it is impossible in the present state of the road for any beast of burthen to travel; and so accustomed are the carriers to their laborious way of living, that when, in 1804, it was proposed to open a road, those men used all their influence to oppose the execution of the plan; and as it was not of any pecuniary importance to the Government, it was abandoned.
Among the inhabitants of Barbacoas are some very respectable families, and many rich ones, all of which are employed in the lavaderos; but the principal labour is done by negro slaves, who are here treated with greater cruelty by their masters than in any other part of the colonies that I visited; nakedness is of little importance to them in such a climate, but hunger in all countries requires the antidote, food, and this is really distributed to them very sparingly.
The city is the capital of the province of the same name, and the residence of the lieutenant-governor. Here is also a casa de fundicion, where the gold which is collected at the lavaderos is melted, and where it pays the royal fifth. It is also the residence of the vicar of the province, who exercises the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the whole coast belonging to the bishopric of Quito; the cabildo has six regidores, and two alcaldes annually elected.
I returned from Barbacoas to Tumaco, and thence to La Tola, but before I took my departure for Quito, by the road of Malbucho, I went to the Playa de Oro, a gold mine belonging to the Valencias. At that time (1809) this was one of the most popular mines, and I visited it for the purpose of observing the manner of working them on a large scale, which I had not then seen.