490 THE CORONADO EXPEDITION, 1540-1542 [eth.ann.14 



to go on, because there was no water within three or four days, for when 

 they travel across this region themselves they take with them women 

 loaded with water in gourds, and bury the gourds of water along the 

 way. to use when they return, and besides this, they travel in one day 

 over what it takes us two days to accomplish. 



This was the Tison (Firebrand) river, much nearer its source than 

 where Melchior Diaz and his company crossed it. These were the 

 same kind of Indians, judging from what was afterward learned. 

 They came back from this point and the expedition did not have any 

 other result. On the way they saw some water falling over a rock and 

 learned from the guides that some bunches of crystals which were 

 hanging there were salt. They went and gathered a quantity of this 

 and brought it back to Cibola, dividing it among those who were 

 there. They gave the general a written account of what they had 

 seen, because one Pedro de Sotomayor had gone with Don Garcia Lopez 

 as chronicler for the army. The villages of that province remained 

 peaceful, since they were never visited again, nor was any attempt 

 made to find other peoples in that direction. 



Chapter 13, of how people came from Gicuye to Cibola to sec the Chris- 

 tians, and hoir Hernandode Alvarado /rent to .see thecows. 



While they were making these discoveries, some Indians came to 

 Cibola from a village which was 70 leagues east of this province, called 

 Cicuye. Among them was a captain who was called Bigotes (Whiskers) 

 by our men, because he wore a long mustache. He was a tall, well-built 

 young fellow, with a fine figure. He told the general that they had 

 come in response to the notice which had been given, to offer them- 

 selves as friends, and that if we wanted to go through their country 

 they would consider us as their friends. They brought a present of 

 tanned hides and shields and head-pieces, which were very gladly re- 

 ceived, and the general gave them some glass dishes and a number of 

 pearls and little bells which they prized highly, because these were 

 things they had never seen. They described some cows which, from 

 a picture that one of them had painted on his skin, seemed to be 

 cows, although from the hides this did not seem possible, because the 

 hair was woolly and snarled so that we could not tell what sort of skins 

 they had. The general ordered Hernando de Alvarado to take 20 com- 

 panions and go with them, and gave him a commission for eighty days, 

 after which he should return to give an account of what he had found. 1 



Captain Alvarado started on this journey and in five days reached a 

 village which was on a rock called Acuco- having a population of about 

 200 men. These people were robbers, feared by the whole country 



'Tin- report of Alvarado, translated herein, is probably the official account of what he accom- 

 plished. 



■ In regard to the famous rock fortress of Acoma see Bandolier's Introduction, p. 14. and his Final 

 Report, vol. i. p. 133. The Spaniards called it by a name resembling that which they beard applied to 

 it in Zuni-Cibola. The true Znui name of Acoma, on the authority of Mr F. W. Hodge, is Hakakia 

 thai of the Acoma people, llakukwe. 



