58 Difcoveries of the Spaniards, from the Death of Book I. 
gantlne witli ail neceffary Stores : He lifted one Iiiindred 
and ten Soldiers,^ and failed from Santo D'omingo^ in Cuba^ 
to thtHavanna. They left the Havnana ©n the 8 th of Fe- 
bruary ^ 1517, and on the 12th they doubled Cape St.- 
Antony., holding on their Courfe to^ the Weftward,. be- 
caufe the Pilot Antony de Alaminos faid the firft Admiral 
had always inclined that Way when he failed with him,, 
being a Boy. 
They met with a great Storm that held them two Days, 
in which they expebled to have periftied ; and after 
twenty-one Days being at Sea, lying by at Nights, they 
faw Land, and, from their Ships, could defcry a large 
Town, which was about two Leagues from the Coaft. 
As they drew nigh two Canoes full of Men appeared : 
They haled them, the Canoes drew near, and thirty In- 
dians went aboard the Commodore, having Jackets v/ith- 
out Sleeves,, and pieces of Cloth wrapped about them in- 
ftead of Breeches. The Spaniards gave them Meat, fome 
Spanijh Wine, and firings of Beads. They made Signs, 
for there was no Interpreter, that they would be gone, 
and return the next Day with more Canoes to carry them 
afhore i Very much admiring the Ships, the Men, their 
Beards, their Cloaths, their Arms, and other things they 
had never feen before. The next Day they returned with 
twelve Canoes and an Indian, who was the Cazique, 
crying out Conez Cotoche, that is, come to my Houfe ; 
and, for this Reafon, that Place was called Cape Cotoche. 
The Spaniards, having confulted, hoifted out their Boats,, 
and in them, and the Canoes, went afhore with their Arms, 
where an infinite number of People waited to fee them. 
The Cazique ftill preifed them to go to his Houfe, 
and they, obferving fo many Tokens of Friendihip, con- 
cluded to do fo, in order to take a view of the Country ; 
when they came to the Wood, the Cazique called out to 
a great Number of armed Men that lay in Ambufh, and 
immediately there appeared a Multitude in Armour, 
made of quilted Cotton, with Targets, wooden Swords 
having edges of Flints, large Cutlafles, Spears and Slings, 
adorned with Plumes of Feathers, and their Faces painted 
of feveral Colours. They gave a hideous Shout, pour- 
ing in at the fame time fuch a fhower of Stones and 
Arrows that they wounded fifteen Spaniards, after which 
they fell on Sword in Hand, and fought with much Refo- 
lution. The Spaniards had only twenty-five Crofs-bows 
and Mufkets, wlftch were well plyed. But, when the 
Indians felt the Sharpnefs of the Spaniards Swords, they 
fled, many being wounded, and feventeen killed. There 
were taken in this Afilion two Youths who became Chrift- 
ians, and were called Julian and Melchior', the Spaniards 
returned to their Ships well pleafed, for having found a 
rational fort of People, and other things different from 
what there were at Darien, and in the Hands ; and, more 
efpecially, Houfes of Stone and Lime, which had not, 
till then, been feen in the Indies. 
They held on their Courfe down the Coaft, always 
lying by at Night •, and, having advanced fifteen Days 
after this manner, they found a large Town, and a Bay 
near it, which they believed to be a River where they 
might water, which was very acceptable, as they were 
in want. They landed, and underftanding the Indians 
called it ^impeche, they from thence called it Cam- 
peche, Being come to a Well of good Water, of which 
the Natives ufed to drink ; when they had taken what 
they wanted, and were ready to return to their Ships ; 
fifty Indians clad in Jackets, with large Cotton Cloths in- 
ftead of Cloaks, came, and, by Signs, aflced them what 
they wanted, and, whether they came from thofe Parts 
where the Sun riles, inviting them to go to their Town : 
When they had ferioufly confidered on it, and put them- 
felves into a good pofture of Defence, for fear of being 
ferved as they had been at Cotoxhe, they went to certain 
Places of Worftiip built with Lime and Stone, where there 
were Idols of various ugly Shapes, as they had feen in 
the former, with frefh Signs of Blood, as alfo Croffes 
painted, which they were much amazed at. 
Abundance of People, Men, Women, and Children, 
jCame flocking, looking upon them with Aftonifhment, 
and fome of them fmiled ; foon after two Parties of arm- 
ed Men appeared in good order, like thofe of Cotoche 
from one of the Temples iffued ten Men in Veiy long 
white Mantles, their Hair long, black, and twifted up ii> 
Rolls behind : In their Hands, they had little earthen Fire- 
pans, into wlfich they caft Gum Anime,. vchich tboy cal- 
led Copal, and perfumed the Spaniards, bidding them to 
depart their Country or they would kill them •, then they 
began fo beat their little Kettle-Drums, and to found 
their ITorns, Trumpets, and Pipes. The Spaniards, be- 
caufe the Men that had been wounded at Cotoche were not 
yet well recovered, and two died, retired to the Shore in 
good Order, ftill purfued by the armed Parties, and em- 
barked again without any Lofs. When they had failed 
fix Days longer the Wind blew North, bearing upon the 
Coaft, fo that they had like to have perifhed. When 
the Storm ceafed they endeavoured to draw near the Shore 
to water, becaufe their Cafks were leaky, fo that their 
Water iafted not long. They anchored near a down, in 
a Bay, v/here they landed in the Afternoon,, a League^ 
fromtlitlSoymcdiWtdiPotonchan, and filled their Veffels at' 
fome Wells they found near certain Places of Worfnip of 
Lime and Stone, like the former. When ready to re- 
turn they perceived armed Men advancing towards them 
from the Town, juft as before. They aflced whether they 
came from thofe Parts where the Sun rifes, the Spaniards- 
anfwered they did ; and then the Indians drew back to 
fome Houfes, becaufe the Night came on, and the Spa- 
niards, for the fame Reafon, refolved to ftay there ;; a. 
great Noifo being heard foon after, the Spaniards, upon 
Debate, were divided, fome being for embarking, and 
others thinking the Retreat dangerous, becaufe there 
feemed to be tliree hundred Indians to one of them. 
When Day appeared they perceived that the firft Par- 
ties had been joined by others, who, incompalTing them, 
poured in a great fhower of Arrows, Stones and Darts, 
which wounded near eighty Spaniards, with whom they 
clofed, ufmg their Swords and Spears ; and, though the: 
Spaniards were not idle with their Fire-arms, Crofs-bows,. 
and Swords, the Indians ftreightened them, but, when 
they felt the Spanijh Swords, they drew farther off, the 
better to take aim with their Arrows •, whilft they fought 
they cryed out Calachani, Calachani, which, in the Lan- 
guage of Tucatan, fignifies Cazique, or Captain, meaning 
that they Ihould fhoot at the Comivnmdtrfflernand de Cor- 
dova, and they were not wanting in Endeavours, for they 
fhot twelve Arrows into him, which, it was generally 
faid, he might have avoided, for there was no Encounter 
in which he was not foremoft, though there was moreOc- 
cafion for his diredting than adling. He finding himfelf 
fo much wounded, and, that the Courage of his Men 
could not vanquifli fuch a Multitude, continually en- 
creafmg,. they made a moft furious Onfet, and broke 
through them, the Indians ftill purfuing them with hideous 
Noife and Cries ; when they came to the Boats, their 
Number being great they were ready to fink, but ftill 
they made off’, the Natives fhouting at them, and running 
into the Water to wound them with their Spears : Seven 
and forty Spaniards were killed in this Adlion, and five 
died aboard the Ships. The wounded Men endured moft 
piercing Pains, their Wounds having been wet with the 
Sea-water, and fwelling, curfing the Pilot Alaminos for 
his Difeovery, who ftill perfifted that this Country was 
an Hand, and they called this Bay de MalaPrelea, that is 
of the bad Fight, for the ill Succefs they had met with. 
The Spaniards that efcaped aboard the Ships gave God 
Thanks for their Deliverance out of that Danger j but, 
being all wounded except one, they refolved to return to 
Cuba, and, in order to it, burnt one of their Ships that 
was leaky, becaufe they wanted able Hands to fail them 
both, and ply the Pump. Being diftreffed for want of 
Drink, having left their Caflcs at Potonchan, fome of the 
foundeft Men went aflrore, who could get no Water but 
what was brackilh, which they took at a Creek where 
there were many Alligators, and therefore they called it 
de los Lagartos, or of Alligators. Antony de Alaminos ad- 
vifing with the other Pilots, it was refolved to ftand over 
for Florida, and, accordingly, in four Days they dif- 
covered that Country. .Alatninos v/as fent afhore with 
twenty; of the ftouteft Soldiers, cariying Crofs-bov/s and 
Mulkets, and Captain Francis Hernandez, who w^as much 
w'oundeda 
