anita 
YPARRA] LETTER OF DR. DIEGO ALVAREZ CHANCA Aa 
land at the break of day in order to talk with the natives, and to 
learn, if possible, what sort of people they were, although we had 
already great suspicion, judging by the appearance of those who 
fled at our approach, that they were naked people like those whom 
the admiral had seen in his former voyage. In the morning several 
detachments under their respective captains started in different 
directions. One of the parties returned at the dinner hour with a 
boy about fourteen years of age, who said that he was one of the 
prisoners taken by these people. Another detachment brought in 
a little boy whom a man was leading by the hand, but he left him 
and fled. This boy was sent on board immediately with some of 
our men. Other detachments remained away longer, and brought 
along with them several women, natives of this island, together 
with other women from among the captive ones, who came wil- 
lingly and of their own accord. The captain of another detach- 
ment of six men,’ not knowing that we already had information 
about the inhabitants of this island, advanced farther away into the 
interior and all were lost. They could not find their way back to 
the coast until after four days. We thought they had been killed 
and eaten up by the people called Caribbees, for we could not 
account for their long absence in any other way, since there were 
among them pilots who, by their knowledge of the stars, could navi- 
gate either to or from Spain, so that we imagined they could not 
lose themselves in so small a place.2, When they at last came back, 
they reported they had found many aromatic plants, delicious fruits, 
several kinds of unknown birds, and some considerable rivers,* but 
all in a woodland so thick with luxuriant vegetation and high trees 
that they could not see the sky even by climbing the trees, and only 
with great difficulty walk. Finally they came out upon the sea- 
shore, and following the line of coast returned to the fleet. They 
brought with them some women and boys, ten in number. 
“These stragglers came back from the interior of the island in 
such an emaciated condition, that it was distressing to see them. 
The admiral had sent searching parties into the woods to find them; 
they hallooed, and sounded their trumpets, and fired their arque- 
buses, but to no avail. 
'Some other authorities have said eight instead of six men. 
2The captain of this detachment was Diego Marquez, the overseer of the 
fleet and master of one of the caravels, who had landed early in the morn- 
ing with several men belonging to his vessel, and went, without permission 
of Columbus, on an exploring expedition into the interior of the island. 
3The principal rivers of the island of Guadeloupe are now called the 
Goyaves, the Lamentin, and the Lazarde. 
