586 THE CORONADO EXPEDITION, 1510-1542 [eth.ahn.14 



From this river back ;it Nexpa, as I have .said, it seems to me that the 

 direction was nearly northeast. From here, I believe that we went in 

 tbe same direction for three days to a river which we called Saint John 

 (San Juan), because we reached it on his day. Leaving here, we went 

 to another river, through a somewhat rough country, more toward the 

 north, to a river which we called the Rafts (<le las Balsas), because 

 we had to cross on these, as it was rising. It seems to me that we 

 spent two days between one river and the other, and I say this because 

 it is so long since we went there that I may be wrong in some days, 

 though not in the rest. From here we went to another river, which we 

 called the Slough (de la Barranca.) It is two short days from one to 

 the other, and the direction almost northeast. From here we went to 

 another river, which we called the Cold river (el rio Frio), on account 

 of its water being so. in one day's journey, and from here we went by 

 a pine mountain, where we found, almost at the top of it, a cool spring 

 and streamlet, which was another day's march. In the neighborhood 

 of this stream a Spaniard, who was called Espinosa, died, besides two 

 other persons, on account of poisonous plants which they ate, owing to 

 the great need in which they were. From here we went to another river, 

 which we called the Bed river (Bermejo), two days' journey iu the 

 same direction, but less toward the northeast. Here we saw an Indian 

 or two, who afterward appeared to belong to the first settlement of 

 Cibola. From here we came in two days' journey to the said village, 

 the first of Cibola. The houses have fiat roofs and walls of stone and 

 mud, and this was where they killed Steve (Estebanillo), the negro 

 who had come with Dorantes from Florida and returned with Friar 

 Marcos de Niza. In this province of ( libola there are live little villages 

 besides this, all with fiat roofs and of stone and mud, as I said. The 

 country is cold, as is shown by their houses and hothouses (estufas). 

 They have food enough for themselves, of corn and beans and melons. 

 These villages are about a league or more apart from each other, 

 within a circuit of perhaps leagues. The country is somewhat sandy 

 and not very salty [or barren of vegetation 'i, and on the mountains the 

 trees are for the most part evergreen. The clothing of the Indians is 

 of deerskins, very carefully tanned, and they also prepare some tanned 

 cowhides, with which they cover themselves, which are like shawls, 

 and a great protection. They have square cloaks of cotton, some 

 larger than others, about a yard and a half long. The Indians wear 

 them thrown over the shoulder like a gipsy, and fastened with one end 

 over the other, with a girdle, also of cotton. From this first village of 

 ( libola, looking toward the northeast and a little less, on the left hand, 

 there is a province called Tucayan, about five days off, which has seven 

 flat-roof villages, with a food supply as good as or better than these, and 



1 Tin- Spiiuisli text ia either "inouiui salada tie yerva " (B. Smith), <>r "y no limy solada de yerva" 

 (l'ai'hero v Cardenas). Doubtless (lie refeienee is to the alkali soil and vegetation. 



