314 CORONADO's MARCH. 



"Nevertheless, it was necessary to get possession of Cibola, which was 

 no easy achievement, for the road leading to it was both narrow and 

 winding. The general was knocked down by the blow of a stone as he 

 mounted in the assault, and he would have been slain had it not been 

 for Garci Lopez de Cardenas and Hernaudo d'Alvarado, who threw them- 

 selves before him and received the blows of the stones which were de- 

 signed for him and fell in large numbers; nevertheless, as it is impos- 

 sible to resist the first impetuous charge of Spaniards, the village 

 was gained in less than an hour. It was found filled with provisions 

 which were much needed, and, in a short time the whole province was 

 forced to accept peace."* 



The main army, which had been left at Culiacan under the command 

 of Don Tristan d' Arellano, followed Corouado as directed by him, 

 every one marching on foot, with lance in hand and carrying supplies. 

 All the horses were laden. Slowly and with much fatigue, after estab- 

 lishing and colonizing Sonora, and endeavoring to find the vessels under 

 Alarcon already referred to, by descending the river, in which they 

 failed, the army reached Cibola, Here they found quarters prepared 

 for them and rejoiced in the reunion of the troops, with the exception 

 of certain captains aud soldiers who had been detached on explorations. 



Meantime, Captain Melchior Diaz, who had been left at Sonora, placed 

 himself at the head of twenty-five choice men, and under the lead of 

 guides directed his steps towards the southwest in hopes of discovering 

 the coasts. His course was probably down the Rio Souora, and not 

 finding the vessels there he doubtless marched northward, keeping as 

 close to the coast as the rivers would permit him. After traveling 

 about one hundred and fifty leaguest it appears he arrived in a country 

 iu which there was a large river, called Rio del Tizon, whose mouth was 

 two leagues wide. Here the captain learned that the vessels under 

 Alarcon had been on the sea-coast, at a distance of three days' journey 

 from that place. In the language of Castaneda, " When he reached the 

 spot that was indicated, and which was on the bank of the river more 

 than fifteen leagues from its mouth, he found a tree on which 

 was written 'Alarcon has come thus far ; there are letters at the foot of 

 this tree.' They dug and found the letters, which apprised them that 

 Alarcon, after having waited a certain length of time at that spot, had 

 returned to New Spain, aud could not advance further because that 

 sea was a gulf 5 that it turned around the Isle of the Marquis, which had 

 been called the Isle of California, and that California was not an island, 

 but a part of laud forming the gulf."! 



It appears that after a good deal of difficulty and a threatened attack 

 from the natives, the party crossed the Rio del Tizon, on rafts, some five 

 or six days' travel higher up, and continued its journey along the coast. 

 Quoting from Castaneda, " When the explorers had crossed the Rio del 

 Tizon, they continued following the coast, which at that place turns to- 

 ward the southeast, for this gulf penetrates the land directly toward 

 the north, aud the stream flows exactly toward the mouth from north 

 to south." No better description could be given of the relative posi- 

 tion of the Gulf of California, with respect to the Rio Colorado flowing 

 into it from the north, than the foregoing. 



This expedition was terminated by the death of Melchior Diaz, which 

 occurred in a very singular manner, as follows: "One day a greyhound 

 belonging to a soldier attacked some sheep which the Spaniards were 



* Castaueda's Relations, Ternaux Compuns, pp. 40, 41, 4iJ, 43. 



t Castaiieda's Relations, Ternaux Compans, p. 49. 



t Castaiieda's Relations, Ternaux Compaus, pp. 50, 51. Ibid, p. 104, 



