VASQUEZ DE CORONADO ad. 



1540. 

 Many Indians returned to the towne with the women 

 and children, and defended themselves, untill our men 

 set fire on the towne. In this countrey there are melons, Melons. 

 and white and redde cotton, whereof they make farre y^^°^- 

 larger mantels, then in other parts of the Indies. From ciaii^fourT 

 Tigues they went in foure dayes journey to Cicuic, which day es journey 

 is a small towne, and foure leagues from thence they met from Tiguex. 

 with a new kind of oxen wild and fierce, whereof the first 

 day they killed fourescore, which sufficed the armie with 

 fiesh. From Cicuic they went to Quivira, which after Quhira. 

 their accompt, is almost three hundred leagues distant, 

 through mighty plaines, and sandie heathes so smooth, and 

 wearisome, and bare of wood, that they made heapes of 

 oxe-dung for want of stones and trees, that they might Heapes of oxe 

 not lose themselves at their returne : for three horses were d^^^g^^^^M 



, 1 ,. , 0-11-1 ^ r ^ • markestokriGw 



lost on that plaine, and one Spaniard, which went rrom his ^^^ 

 companie on hunting. All that way & plaines are as full 

 of crookebacked oxen, as the mountaine Serena in Spaine 

 is of sheepe : but there is no people but such as keepe 

 those cattell. They were a great succour for the 

 hunger and want of bread which our people stoode in. 

 One day it rayned in that plaine a great showre of 

 haile, as bigge as Orenges, which caused many teares, 

 weakenesse, and vowes. At length they came to Qui- 

 vira and found Tatarrax, whome they sought, an hoarie 

 headed man, naked, and with a Jewell of copper hang- 

 ing at his necke, which was all his riches. The The Spatiiards 

 Spaniards seeing the false report of so famous riches, returne to Tt- 

 returned to Tiguex, without seeing either crosse or ff^^/^/i/!/ 

 shewe of Christianitie : and from thence to Mexico. TheSpaniards 

 In the ende of March of the yeere 1542. Francis Vas- zcouldhavein- 

 quez fell from his horse in Tiguex, and with the fall habited the 

 fell out of his wits, and became madde. Which some ^''^^'^O- 

 tooke to bee for griefe, and others thought it to be 

 but counterfeited : for they were much offended with 

 him, because hee peopled not the countrey. 



Quivira is in fortie degrees : it is a temperate coun- 

 trey, and hath very good waters, and much grasse, 



165 



