( 4^4 ) 



The general trufted the care of the embarkation to SandovaL One 

 Saavedra, prefuming upon his rclationfliip with Cortes, would not pay 

 refped: to the captain's orders, and endeavouring to force his paflage, 

 laid his hand to his poniard with difrefpedlful expreffions to Sandoval. 

 The latter made few words, but feizing him inftantly, threw him into 

 the water ; where he was nearly drowned. Our fuffering at this time 

 from hunger was beyond my expreffion. For thefe four days we had 

 literally nothing but the few nuts that we could gather, and fome wild 

 fruits ; and when we arrived on the other fide our condition was not 

 bettered. 



We found this colony to confifl of forty men and fix women, all 

 yellow and fickly, and without any thing to eat. .Of courfe we were 

 anxious for the moment of fetting out in order to fearch the country for 

 provifions. About, eighty of us went on foot, under the command of 

 Captain Luis Marin, to a town at the diftance of eight leagues, where 

 we found provifions of all kinds, cocoa in the greateft quantity, and 

 plenty of corn, and vegetables. This place was exadly on the route of 

 Naco, whither it was the intention of Cortes to go. On receiving our 

 intelligence, he difpatched Sandoval with the principal part of his troops 

 to join us. We fent a plentiful fupply of maiz to our wretched colo- 

 nics, who having been fo long ftarving, eat to fuch an excefs that fe- 

 ven of them died immediately. At this time alfo a vefTel arrived there, 

 with feven horfes, forty hogs, eight pipes of faltcd meat, bifcuit, and 

 fifteen pafTengers, adventurers from the Ifland of Cuba. All the pro- 

 vifions Cortes bought immediately, and diflributed them amongft the 

 colonifls, with an equally fatal refult. They eat of the falted meat to 

 fnch an excefs that it gave them diarrheas, which in a very few days 

 carried off fourteen. 



Cortes now determined to examine this great river, for which pur- 

 pofe he fitted out one of the brigantines of Avila which had been ftrand- 

 ed, and with this vefTel, a boat, and four double canoes, in which he 

 embarked thirty foldiers, with eight failors of the vefTel which lately 



arrived, 



