FERNANDO ALARCHON a.d. 



1540. 

 selves, an Indian came and strooke me on the arme, 

 pointing with his finger to a wood out of which I 

 saw two companies of men come w'' their weapons, & 

 he told me that they came to set upon us : & because 

 I meant not to fall out with any of them, I retired my 

 company into our boats, & the Indians which were with 

 me swam into the water, and saved themselves on the 

 other side of the river. In the meane season I inquired 

 of that Indian which I had with me, what people they 

 were that came out of ye wood : and he told me that 

 they were their enemies, and therefore these others at 

 their approch without saying any word leapt into the 

 water : and did so, because they meant to turne backe 

 againe, being without weapons, because they brought 

 none with them, because they understood my wil & 

 pleasure, that they should cary none. I inquired the 

 same things of this interpreter which I had done of the 

 other of the things of that countrey, because I under- 

 stood that among some people one man used to have 

 many wives, and among others but one. Now I under- 

 stood by him, that he had bin at Cevola, and that it 

 was a moneths journey from his country, and that from 

 that place by a path that went along that river a man Cevola 40 

 might easily travel thither in xl. daies, and that the dayes joume:^ 

 occasion that moved him to go thither, was only to see H^^i^J^y^^ ^ 

 Cevola, because it was a great thing, & had very hie 

 houses of stone of 3. or 4. lofts, and windowes on ech 

 side ; that the houses were compassed about with a wall 

 conteining the height of a man & an halfe, and that aloft 

 & beneath they were inhabited with people, and that they 

 used the same weapons, that others used, which we had 

 scene, that is to say, bowes & arrowes, maces, staves 

 & bucklers : and that they had one governor, & that 

 they were apparelled with mantles, and with oxe-hides, & 

 that their mantles had a painting about them, and that 

 their governour ware a long shirt very fine girded unto 

 him, and over the same divers mantles : and that the 

 women ware very long garments, and that they were 



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