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more fenfe of decency than the natives of Cuba, with whom this drefs 

 was ufed by the women only. On the enfuing day, the fame chief 

 came with twelve large Canoes, and made fignals to our Captain that he 

 would bring us to land. This he expreffed by faying, ^' Con-Efcotoch," 

 ** Con-Efcotoch," which fignifies, come to our town : and it was from this 

 that we gave it the name of Punta de Cotoche. It was deterniined by us 

 to accept the invitation, obferving the proper precaution of going all in a 

 body, and by one embarkation, as we perceived the fliore to be lined 

 with Indians. We therefore hoifted out our own boats, and in them » 

 with twelve Canoes brought to us by the chief, and our fmalleft vefTel 

 we proceeded to the land. On arriving there we halted for a time ta 

 confider what fliould be done, but the Cacique or Chief ftill urging us by 

 iigns to advance, we proceeded in good order, with fifteen crofs-bows and 

 ten mufquets, the chief guiding us, and accompanied by a number of 

 the natives. On a fudden, as we paffed by fome thick woods, the 

 Cacique began to call out loudly to a body of Indians which he had 

 pofted there in ambufcade,- they fallicd out upon US at the fignal, and 

 poured in a difcharge of arrows, whereby they wounded fifteen of our 

 foldiers. 



Thefe warriors were armed with thick coats of cotton, and carried, 

 befides their bows and arrows, lances, flaields and flings j they alfa 

 wore ornaments of feathers on their heads. Having difcharged their 

 arrows they advanced, and attacked us with their lances, but the keen- 

 nefs of our fwords and the effed: of our crofs-bows and mufquetry foon 

 drove them to a diflance, with the lofs of fifteen left dead upofi the fpot. 

 Near the place of this ambufcade were three buildings of lime and ftone, 

 wherein were idols of clay with diabolical countenances, and in ftrange 

 unnatural poftures, and feveral wooden chefts which contained fimilar 

 idols but fmaller, fome velTels, three diadems, and fome imitations of 

 birds and fiOies in alloyed gold. The buildings of lime and fi:one, and 

 the gold gave us a high idea of the Country we had difcovered. On 

 our return to the fliore we had the fatisfadion to find, that while we 

 were fighting, our chaplain Gonzales had taken care of the chefts and 



their 



