winship] TRANSLATION OF CASTANEDA 545 



neighborhood of the border land, or the country of the Sacatecas, 1 of 

 which we now have some knowledge. 



This way would be somewhat better and more direct for anyone 

 going back there in search of Quivira, since some of those who came 

 with the Portuguese are still in New Spain to serve as guides. Nev- 

 ertheless, I think it would be best to go through the country of the 

 Guachichules, 2 keeping near the South Sea mountains all the time, for 

 there are more settlements and a food supply, for it would be suicide 

 to launch out on to the plains country, because it is so vast and is bar- 

 ren of auythiug to eat, although, it is true, there would not be much 

 need of this after coming to the cows. This is only when one goes in 

 search of Quivira, and of the villages which were described by the 

 Indian called Turk, for the army of Francisco Vazquez Corouado went 

 the very farthest way round to get there, since they started from Mexico 

 and went 110 leagues to the west, and then 100 leagues to the northeast, 

 aud 250 to the north.' and all this brought them as far as the ravines 

 where the cows were, aud after traveling 850 leagues they were not more 

 than 400 leagues distant from Mexico by a direct route. If one desires to 

 go to the country of Tiguex, so as to turn from there toward the west in 

 search of the country of India, he ought to follow the road taken by the 

 army, for there is no other, even if one wished to go by a different way, 

 because the arm of the sea which reaches into this coast toward the north 

 does not leave room for any. But what might be done is to have a fleet 

 and cross this gulf and disembark in the neighborhood of the Island of 

 Negroes 4 and enter the country from there, crossing the mountain chains 

 in search of the country from which the people at Tiguex came, or other 

 peoples of the same sort. As for entering from the country of Florida 

 and from the North sea, it has already been observed that the many 

 expeditions which have been undertaken from that side have been 

 unfortunate and not very successful, because that part of the country 

 is full of bogs and poisonous fruits, barren, and the very worst country 

 that is warmed by the sun. But they might disembark after passing 

 the river of the Holy Spirit, as Don Hernando de Soto did. Neverthe- 

 less, despite the fact that I underwent much labor, I still think that the 

 way I went to that country is the best. There ought to be river coiyses, 

 because the necessary supplies can be carried on these more easily in 



'Captain John Stevens' Dictionary saya that this is " a northern province of North America, rich in 

 silver mines, but ill provided with water, grain, and other substances; yet by reason of the mines there 

 are seven or eight Spanish towns in it.'' Zacatecas is now one of the central states of the Mexican 

 confederation, being south of Coahuila and southeast of Durango. 



2 Ternaux, p. 242, miscopied it Quachichiles. 



3 Ternaux, p. 243, reads: "puis pendant six cent cinquante vers le nord, . . . Do sorte qu'apres 

 avoir fait plus de huit cent cinquante lieues." . . . The substitution of six for two may possibly 

 give a number which is nearer the actual distance traversed, but the fact is quite unimportant. The 

 impression which the trip left on Castafieda is w hat should interest the historian or the reader. 



<The dictionary of Domiuguez says: "Isla de negros; 6 isla del Almirantazgo, en el grande Oceano 

 equiuoccial; grande isla de la America del Norte, sobre la costa oeste/' Apparently the location of 

 this island gradually drifted westward with the increase of geographical knowledge, until it was finally 

 located in tlie Philippine group. 

 14 ETH 35 



