PERILOUS SITUATION OF MONTEJO. 61 



man. At night the Spaniards escaped. From the 

 meager and unsatisfactory notices of these events 

 that have come dow^n to us, it is not known with ac- 

 curacy by what route they reached the coast; but 

 the next that we hear of them is at Campeachy. 



The fortunes of Davila were no better. Arrived 

 at the province of Ba Khalal, he sent a message to 

 the Lord of Chemecal to inquire about gold, and re- 

 questing a supply of provisions ; the fierce answer of 

 the cacique was, that he would send fowls on spears, 

 and Indian corn on arrows. With forty men and 

 five horses left, Davila struggled back to the coast, 

 and, two years after their unfortunate separation, he 

 joined the adelantado in Campeachy. 



Their courage was still unbroken. Roused by 

 the arrival of Davila, the adelantado determined to 

 make another attempt to penetrate the country. 

 For this purpose he again sent off Davila with fifty 

 men, himself remaining in Campeachy with but for- 

 ty soldiers and ten horsemen. As soon as the In- 

 dians discovered his small force, an immense multi- 

 tude gathered round the camp. Hearing a tumult, 

 the adelantado went out on horseback, and, riding 

 toward a group assembled on a Httle hill, cried out, 

 endeavouring to pacify them ; but the Indians, turn- 

 ing in the direction of the voice, and recognising 

 the adelantado, surrounded him, laid hands upon the 

 reins of his horse, and tried to wrest from him his 

 lance. The adelantado spurred his horse, and ex- 

 tricated himself for a moment, but so many Indians 



6 



