I 
6 Difcoverks of the Spaniards^ from the Death of Book L 
him the chief Command next himfelf, fo that he govern- 
ed all things under him. The Indians of the Province of 
Mayci being quite fuppreffed, Velafquex began to think 
of dividing them among the Spaniardj^ as Ohando had 
done by them in Hiffaniola^ and took to himfelf thofe of 
five Towns, where he had been Lieutenant •, and to this 
purpofe he founded a Town at a Harbour on the North 
Side, which Place was by the Natives cdll&d. Barracoa ^ 
and this was the firft Spamjh Colony in that Ifland. 
From this Place he fent Narvaez with thirty Men to 
the Province of Bayamo^ fifty Leagues from Barracoa^ a 
fine open Country, andvery agreeable : Only Narvaez rode, 
all the reft marching on foot. The Natives of the Country 
came out to meet them with Provifions, becaufe they had 
no Gold, being aftoniflied at the Sight of the Mare, and a 
Man on her Back. The Spaniards took up their Quar- 
ters ill an Indian Town, the Inhabitants whereof, obferv- 
ing their fmall Number, refolved to rid themfelves of 
them. Though Narvaez was not very cautious, he had 
his Mare in the fame thatched Houfe where he lay, and 
a Guard at Night. Near feven thoufand Indians aflembled 
from all Parts of the Province, with their Bows and Ar- 
rows : They fell upon Narvaez and his Men after Mid- 
nightj though it was unufual for them to fight at that 
time ; They gave the Attack in two Parties, and found 
the Sentinels afieep. The beft of it was, that being ear- 
neft to plunder the Spaniards, for they ever coveted to be 
cloathed fince firft they faw them, they did not obferve 
the time they had agreed on, fo that one Party was more 
forward than the other, and entered the Town fhouting. 
Narvaez awaked in a Confternation : The Indians went 
into the thatched Houfes, where finding the Spaniards, 
they neither wounded nor killed them, being wholly in- 
tent upon getting their Cloaths. The Shouts having fur- 
prized them, the Spaniards in their Fright knew not what 
they were doing. Thofe Indians Narvaez had carried 
with him from Jamaica lighted Firebrands ; and, this 
Ihewing the Spaniards their Danger, Narvaez^ though 
wounded by a Stone, found Means to get to his Mare 
and mount her : At that time, it feems. Part of the Spa- 
nijh Furniture was hung with Bells, and the Indians hear- 
ing the Sound of them, and Ittmg Narvaez coming after 
them on a round Trot, with his Sword drawn in his right 
Hand, they not only abandoned their Enterprize, but 
fled out of their Country ; and Velafquez being informed 
of this, fent a- Detachment to join Narvaez, and fo be- 
came abfolute Mafter of that Province, the Inhabitants 
taking fhelter in different Parts of the Ifland, and fome, 
from their firft Impreflions of Terror, flying to the full 
Diftance of fifty Leagues, leaving none but their old and 
decrepid People behind them. 
10. We , have already fhewn, how Juan Ponce de Leon, 
by the Intereft of Nicholas Ohando, was reftored to the 
Government of Puerto Rico, and how he fent his Prede- 
ceflbrs Cerron and Diaz Prifoners into Spain, which, tho* 
he looked upon it as a bold Stroke in Politics, turned 
upon himfelf -, for they, prefenting a Petition againft him 
to the. Court of Spain, and being ftrongly fupported by 
the Admiral’s Intereft, v/ere fent back again in their for- 
mer Employments ; by which Ponce de Leon found him- 
felf reduced to the State of a private Man. But having 
made a good ufe of his Time, he had acquired a large 
Fortune, which induced him to think of regaining his 
Credit and Power by making Difcoveries ; And accord- 
ingly, on the iftof March 1512, he failed from the Port 
of St. Germaji, v/ith two ftout Ships fitted out at his own 
Expence, fteering through the Hands called Lucayos, till, 
on the 2d of April, he difcovered Land unknown to the 
Spaniards Before that tiiue, in the Latitude of 30° 8'. 
Charmed with vHich Piece of good Fortune, he ran along 
the Coaft in fearch of fome Port, and at Night anchored 
near the Shore, in eight Fathom^ Water : Believing that 
Land to be an Ifland, they named it Florida, becaufe it 
appeared beautiful, having many pleafant Groves, and 
was all level, as alfo becaufe they difcovered it at Eajler, 
which the Spaniards call Pafcha de Flores. Juan Ponce 
went afhore there to difcover and take polfefllon. 
On the 8th they failed again, and on the 20th of April 
they perceived fome Indians, whei-e they anchored. Jua7% 
Ponce being called by the Indians \vent afhore, and they 
immediately endeavoured to poffefs themfelves of the 
Boat, the Oars, andyhe Anns; which was not refented, 
that they might not provoke them, till one of them ftun- 
ning a Sailor with a Stroke of a Cudgel he gave him on 
the Head, the Spaniards v/ere obliged to fight, and had 
two of their Men v/ounded with Darts and Arrows point- 
ed with fliarp Bones, and the Indians received little Da- 
mage. Night parting them, Juan Ponce with fome Dif- 
ficulty got his Men together, and failed thence to a River, 
where they wooded and watered ; fixty Indians came to 
oppofe them, one of whom was taken to give Lome In- 
formation, and to learn Spanijh. The River they called 
de la Cruz, or of the Crofs, leaving one of Stone there, 
with an infeription. On the 8th of May they doubled 
the Cape of Florida, giving it the Name of Cabo de las 
Corrientes, or Cape Currents, becaufe they are ftronger 
there than the Winds, and came to an Anchor near to a 
Town called Ahacoa. All this Coaft, from Cape Arraci- 
fes to this Cape Corrientes, lies North and South one Point 
to the Eaft ward, is clean, and has fix Fathom Water; 
the Cape lying in eighteen Degrees fifteen Minutes North 
Latitude. They failed on till they met with two Hands 
to the Southward, in twenty-feven Degrees ; one of which, 
being a League in Com.pafs, they named Santa Monta, 
and watered there. 
On the 1 5th of May they proceeded ten Leagues, along 
a Ridge of fm.all Hands, as far as to two white ones, and 
called them all together los Mar tyres, or the Martyrs, 
becaufe the high Rocks at a diftance look like Men that 
are fuffering, and the Naiue has been regarded as pro- 
phetic, on account of the many that have fince been call 
away there : They held on fometimes North and fome- 
times North-eaft, and on the 24th ran along the Coaft to 
the Southward, as far as fome fmall Hands that lay out at 
Sea, and yet did not perceive that was the Continent. A 
Way appearing to be between them and the Coaft for the 
Ships to take in Wood and Water, they continued there till 
the 3d of June, and careened one of the Ships called St. 
Chrijiopher. Here the Indians came out in Canoes to view 
the Chriftians, being the firft time they did fo, for the Spa- 
niards, tho’ called by them, w'ould not go afhore. When 
they went about to weigh an Anchor, only to remove it, 
thofe People, thinking they were going away, came out 
in their Canoes, and laid hold of the Cable to draw the 
Ship away; whereupon the Long-boat was fent after 
them, and the Men going afhore took four Women, and 
broke two old Canoes. At other times when they came, 
there was no failing out, as finding no Opportunity, but 
on the contrary they bartered fome Skins and Gold, tho’ 
but indifferent. 
On the 4th of June, while they were waiting for a 
Wind to go in fearch for the Cazique Carlos, who the 
Indians that were aboard faid had Gold, a Canoe came to 
the Ships witli an Bidian that underftood the Spaniards, 
fuppofed to be a Native of Hifpaniola, or fome of the 
Hands inhabited by Chriftians ; he bid them flay, for the 
Cazique would fend Gold to barter. They waiting ac- 
cordingly, faw twenty Canoes, Part of them made faft 
two and two together ; Lome of them v/ent to the An- 
chors, others to the Ships, arid began to fight : Thofe 
at the Anchors, not being able to weigh them, attempted 
to cut the Cables ; but a Long-boat was fent out, which 
obliged them to fly, taking four, and killing fome. 
Juan Ponce fent two of them to tell the Cazique, that, 
though he had killed a Spaniard, he would make peace 
with him. The next Day the Boats went to found 
the Harbour, and the Men landed. Some Indians came 
and told them, that the Cazique would come the next 
Day to trade ; but it was to gain Time, to draw Men 
and Ca;noes together, as it appeared ; for at eleven o’ 
Clock eighty Canoes well equipped attacked the neareft 
Ship, and fought from Morning to Night, without doing 
the Spaniards any harm, the Arrows falling fliort, becaufe 
they durft not come near, for fear of the Crofs-bows and 
great Guns : At length they drew off, and I'm Spaniards, 
having ftaid there nine Days, refolved on Monday the 
c. 
