swanton] EARLY EISTORY OF THE CREEK INDIAN'S 145 
his abode. The dwellings were of matting and seemed to be permanent. When we 
entered the home of the chief he gave us plenty of fish, while we gave him of our 
maize, which they ate in our presence, asking for more. So we gave more to them, 
and the governor presented him with some trinkets. While with the cacique at his 
lodge, half an hour after sunset, the Indians suddenly fell upon us and upon our sick 
people on the beach. 
They also attacked the house of the cacique, where the governor was, wounding 
him in the face with a stone. Those who were with him seized the cacique, but 
as his people were so near he escaped, leaving in our hands a robe of marten-ermine 
skin, which. 1 believe, are the finest in the world and give mil an odor like amber 
and musk. A single one can be smelt so far off that it seems as if there were a great 
many. We saw more of that kind, but none like these. 
Those of us who were there, seeing the governor hurt, placed him aboard the barge 
and provided that most of the men should follow him to the boats. Some fifty of us 
remained on land to face the Indians, who attacked thrice that night, and so furiously 
as to drive us hack every time further than a stone's throw. 
Not one of us escaped unhurt. I was wounded in the face, and if they had had 
more arrows (for only a few were found) without any doubt they would have done us 
great harm. At the last onset the Captains Dorantes, Pefialosa and Telle/., with 
fifteen men. placed themselves in ambush and attacked them from the rear, causing 
them to flee and leave us. The next morning I destroyed more than thirty of their 
canoes, which served to protect us against a northern wind then blowing, on account 
of which we had to stay there, in the severe cold, not venturing out to sea on account 
of the heavy storm. After this we again embarked and navigated for three days, 
having taken along but a small supply of water,- the vessels we had for it being few. 
So we found ourselves in the same plight as before. 
Continuing onward, we entered a firth and there saw a canoe with Indians approach- 
ing. As we hailed them they came, and the governor, whose barge they neared first, 
asked them for water. They offered to get some, provided we gave them something 
in which to carry it, and a Christian Greek, called Doroteo Teodoro (who has already 
been mentioned) , said he would go wit h t hem. The governor and others vainly tried to 
dissuade him, but he insisted upon going and went, taking along a negro, while the 
Indians left two of their number as hostages. At night the Indians returned and 
brought back our vessels, but without water; neither did the Christians return with 
them. Those that had remained as hostages, when their people spoke to them, 
attempted to throw themselves into the water. But our men in the barge held them 
back, and so the other Indians forsook their canoe, leaving us very despondent and 
sad for the loss of those two Christians. 
In the morning many canoes of Indians came, demanding their two companions, 
who had remained in the barge as hostages. The governor answered that he would 
give them up. provided they returned the two Christians. With those people there 
came five or six chiefs, who seemed to us to be of better appearance, greater authority 
and manner of composure than any we had yet seen, although not as tall as those of 
whom we have before spoken. They wore the hair loose and very long, and were 
clothed in robes of marten, of the kind we had obtained previously, some of them 
done up in a very strange fashion, because they showed patterns of fawn-colored furs 
that looked very well. 
They entreated us to go with them, and said that they would give us the Christians, 
water and many other things, and more canoes kept coming towards us, trying to 
block the mouth of that inlet, and for this reason, as well as because the land appeared 
very dangerous to remain in, we took again to sea, where we stayed with them till 
148061°— 22 10 
