554 THE CORONADO EXPEDITION, 1540-1542 [eth.axn.u 



which we had left behind, and a large extent of tilled ground. There 

 was no corn for food among them, but as I heard that there was some in 

 another valley called Sefiora, which I did not wish to disturb by force, 

 1 sent Melchior Diaz with goods to exchange for it, so as to give this to 

 the friendly Indians whom we brought with us, and to some who had 

 lost their animals along the way and had not been able to carry the food 

 which they had taken from Ouliacan. By the favor of Our Lord, some 

 little corn was obtained by this trading, which relieved the friendly 

 Indians and some Spaniards. Ten or twelve of the horses had died of 

 overwork by the time that we reached this Valley of Hearts, because 

 they were unable to stand the strain of carrying heavy burdens and 

 eating little. Some of our negroes and some of the Indians also died 

 here, which was not a slight loss for the rest of the expedition. They 

 told me that the Valley of Hearts is a long five-days' journey from the 

 western sea. I sent to summon Indians from the coast in order to learn 

 about their condition, and while I was waiting for these the horses 

 rested. I stayed there four days, during which the Indians came from 

 the sea, who told me that there were seven or eight islands two days' 

 journey from that seacoast, directly opposite, well populated with peo- 

 ple, but poorly supplied with food, and the people were savages. 1 They 

 told me they had seen a ship pass not very far from the laud. I do not 

 know whether to think that it was the one which was sent to discover 

 the country, or perhaps some Portuguese. 2 



They come to Chichilticale; after having taken two days'' rest, they enter a 

 country containing very little food and hard to travel for 3<> leagues, 

 beyond which the country becomes pleasant, and there is a river called 

 the River of the Flax (del Lino); they fight against the Indians, being 

 attached by these; and having by their victory secured the city, they 

 relieve themselves of the pangs of their hunger. 



I set out from the Hearts and kept near the seacoast as well as I 

 could judge, but in fact I found myself continually farther off, so that 

 when I reached Chichilticale I found that I was fifteen days' journey 

 distant from the sea, 3 although the father provincial had said that it 

 was only 5 leagues distant and that he had seen it. We all became very 

 distrustful, and felt great anxiety and dismay to see that everything 

 was the reverse of what he had told Your Lordship. The Indians of 

 Chichilticale say that when they go to the sea for fish, or for anything 

 else that they need, they go across the country, and that it takes them 



1 These wore doubtless the Seri, of Yuman stock, who occupied a strip of the Gulf coast between 

 latitude 28° and 29° and the islands Angel de la Guardia and Tiburon. The latter island, as well as 

 tin- coast of the adjacent mainland, is still inhabited by this tribe. 



5 As Indian news goes, there is no reason why this may not have been one of Ulloa's ships, which 

 Bailed along this coast during the previous summer. It can hardly have been a ship of Alarcon's 

 fleet. 



3 Kamusio: "mi ritrouauo lunge dal mare quiudici giornate.'' Hakluyt (ed. 1600) : "I found my eelfe 

 tenne dayes iourney from the Sea." 



