CRITICAL SITUATION OF THE SPANIARDS. 71 



to their homes. The Spaniards remained more at 

 their ease. The Indians, seeing that they could 

 not be driven out of the country, and did not intend 

 to leave it, contracted a sort of friendship with them, 

 but they w^ere not able to make any advances into 

 the interior. On every attempt they w^ere so badly 

 received that they w^ere compelled to return to their 

 camp in Champoton, which was, in fact, their only 

 refuge. 



As Champoton was on the coast, which now be- 

 gan to be somewhat known, vessels occasionally 

 touched there, from which the poor Spaniards re- 

 lieved some of their necessities. Occasionally a 

 new companion remained, but their numbers still di- 

 minished, many, seeing the delay and the little fruit 

 derived from their labours, abandoning the expedi- 

 tion. The time came when there were only nine- 

 teen Spaniards in Champoton, the names of some 

 of whom are still preserved, and they affirm in their 

 judicial declaration, that in this critical situation 

 they owed their preservation to the prudence and 

 good management of Don Francisco Montejo, the 

 son of the adelantado. 



Again they were relieved, and again their force 

 dwindled away. The fame of the riches of Peru was 

 in every mouth. The poverty of Yucatan was no- 

 torious. There were no mines ; there was but little 

 encouragement for others to join the expedition, and 

 those in Champoton w^ere discouraged. Strugghng 

 with continual hardships and dangers, they made no 



