ap. IIL Columbus to CoRTESi- Expei 
wounded^ begged he would fpeedily bring him home 
Water, becaufe he was perifhing for want of it. 
When landed near a Creek, /llaminos told them he 
knew the Place, having been there before with Juan 
Ponce de Leon, and that they muft be upon their Guard j 
having accordingly polled Centinels along an open Shore, 
they dug Pits^ where they found good \¥ater, drank 
fome, and walked out Linen for the wounded Men. 
When they were about returning, they perceived one ot 
the Sentinels come running, and crying, To Sea, to Sea-, 
for warlike Indians are coming. On the other hand, 
they fpied many Canoes coming down the Creek. I'he 
India?is with long Bows and Arrows, Spears and Swords, 
after their manner, cloathed in Deer-fleins and being 
of a large Size, were very dreadful. They let fly their 
Arrows, and at the firft Difcharge wounded flx ot the 
Soldiers but feeing the Effedl of the Crofs-bows, 
Mufleets, and Sw'ords, they made to the Canoes, which 
preflTed hard upon the Sailors, and had wounded Antony 
de Alaminos in the Throat. The Soldiers clofed with 
them, being up to the Walle in Water, and with their 
Swords made them quit the Boat they had taken. When 
ready to embark, they alked the Soldier who had flood 
Sentinel, What was become of the other Sentinel ? He 
faid, he had feen him flep afide with a Hatchet in his 
Hand, to cut down a Palmito going towards the Creek 
along which the Indians came, and prefently had heard 
the Cry of a Spaniard, which made him come to bring 
the Alarm. P'hat Soldier was the only one who efcaped 
at Potonchan, and it was his hard Fate to perifli there 
Ibr the others followed theTradl of Indians, and found 
a Palm Tree he had begun to cut, and near it a greater 
Trail than elfewhere, which made them conclude that 
they had carried him away alive, and though they had 
fearched for above an Hour, they returned to the Ships 
without finding him. 
■ The Men were fo extreme thirfty, and defirous of 
Water, that, as foon as the Boat came to the Ship’s fide, 
a Soldier leaped into it, and laid hold of a Jar, and 
drank fo much that he Swelled, and died within two Days. 
Sailing Irom thence, in two Days and Nights they ar- 
rived at the little Iflands, called los Martyres, where the 
greatefl. Depth being but fourFathoms,. the Ship touched 
Upon fome Rocks, and became very leaky i but it 
pleafed God that, after fo many Sulferings, they arrived 
at Port Carenas, now the Havanna from whence Captain 
Hernandez de Cordova lent an Account of his Voyage to 
the Governor James Velafq^uez, with the Particulars of all 
he had feen, and died ten Days after. Three of his 
Soldiers died alfo at the Havanna, which made up fifty- 
fix loll in the Expedition the reft difperfed themfelves 
about the Ifiand, and the Ships returned to the City of 
Santiago by which the Fame of their Voyage was fpread 
over ail Cuba. 
12. As indifferent Succefs as this firft Difcoverer met 
with, yet his Memoirs were highly efteemed by Velafquez, 
who frequently declared, that it was by no means his 
Intention to part with this Difcovery in fuch a manner ; 
but that, on the contrary, he was determined to purfue 
it when Opportunity ofered, for many Reafons, but 
chiefly for this, becaufe thofe People feemed more civi- 
lized than any other Indians, and were confequently 
more likely to prove rich. Thefe Sentiments of his 
were no fooner known, than feveral of the principal In- 
habitants of the Ifland offered him their Affiftance, fo 
that he was quickly in a Condition to put to Sea a fmall 
Squadron confifting of three Sail of Ships and one Bri- 
gantine, having on board in the whole two hundred and 
fifty Men, under the Command of the Captains Alva- 
redo, Montejo, and dS Avila -, but the Perfon who com- 
manded in chief was John Grijalva, a Man of Courage, 
Fidelity and Experience, to whom Velafquez gave this 
Order, That he ihould make what Difcoveries he could, 
but no Settlement. They failed from Cuba on the 8th 
ot May 1518, and, having viffted the Coaft of 
Florida, and doubled Cape St. Antony, difcovered the 
Ifland of Cozumel, to which their Commander gave the 
Narne of the Ifland of Santa Cruz, becaufe he tound it 
on the Feaft of Holy Crofs, but it retained, notwithftand- 
" ing, its old Name, by which it is ftill called. 
Grijalva landed with a competent Number of Soldiers? 
and no body appeared, becaule theNatives having never 
feen Ships before, when they perceived them under fail, 
fled •, Vvhilft fome went to feek them he ordered Mafs 
to be laid. Two old Men being found in a Field oi Indian 
Wheat, and underftanding the Language of the Indians^ 
Melchior and Julian, who had been taken in the former ' 
Expedition, Grijalva made much of them, and giving 
them fome Beads and Looking-glaffes, fent them away to 
their Lord, but they never returned. Whilftthey w^aited 
for them, a young Woman, exceeding handfome, came, 
and in the Language of Jamaica faid. The People were 
all fled into the Wood for fear •, but that fhe, being ac- 
quainted with Ships and Spaniards, was come to them • 
Many that came on board the Ships underftanding her, 
and admiring at it, alked. Who had carried her to that 
Ifland ^ file anfwered. That a Canoe going out a fifning 
from Jamaica two Years before, with ten Men in it, a 
Storm, and the Currents, had drove them to Cozumel, 
where her Hulband and all the reft had been facrificed 
to their Idols. Grijalva believing that V/oman would 
be a trufty Meffenger, fent her to call the Natives, not 
confiding in Melchior or Julian for fear they would not 
return. The W^oman came again two Days after, ac- 
cording to Promife, telling them. That though ftie had 
done all Ihe could to perfuade them, they would not 
by any Means be brought to go back. 
13. Grijalva finding no Good could be done there, went 
aboard again, and took with him the Jamaica W^oman, 
becaufe Ihe begged him not to leave her there. In 
this Ifland they found many Flives of good Honey, 
Batatos, and Swine of that Country having their Navel 
on their Backs, which much refrefhed them. They faw 
feveral Temples, and one particularly like a fquare 
Tower, wide at the Bottom, and hollow at the Top, 
with four large Windows and Galleries ; and in the hol- 
low Part, being the Chapel, were the Idols, behind 
which was a fort of Veftry ; where the Things belong- 
ing to the Service of the Temple were kept: At the Foot 
of it was an Inclofure of Lime and Stone, with Battle"^ 
ments, v/ell plaiftered ; and in the Midft of it a Crofs of 
white Lime three Yards high, which they held to be the 
God of Rain, affirming, that they never wanted it when 
they devoutly begged it of the fame. Tht Spaniardsi 
embarking again, failed along the Coaft, much admi- 
ring to fee large and beautiful Strudlures of Stone, with 
feveral high dovv^ers which at a Diftance made a good 
Appearance •, fot which Reafon, no fuch Thing having 
been feen at the Indies, as alfo on Account of the Crofs^ 
Grijalva faid they had found a New Spain. Eight Days 
after they arrived at the Shore of Potonchan"% Town, 
came to an Anchor, and landed the Soldiers with all the 
Boats near fome Houfes, where the Indians being grown 
vain with the Thoughts of having drove HernandeA& 
Men out of the Country, flood drawn up to hinder the 
Spaniards from landing, fiiouting, and making a great 
Noife with their Trumpets and Kettle-drums,' and tho’ 
fome Falconets, in the Boats, put the Men to a great 
Fright, being a Thing they had never feen, yet, 
when the Boats came near, they began to fhoot their 
Arrows, and caft Stones and Darts with their Slings, 
running into the Vfater to wound the Spaniards with 
their Spears ; but as foon as they landed they made 
them give way with their Swords ; for the Spaniards be- 
ing taught by Experience, began to ufe the fame fort of 
defenfive Armour fluffed with Cotton, as the Indians did 5 
fo that they received lefs Harm by the Arrows, 
and yet fixty Soldiers were wounded, three killed, and 
John de Grijalva, the Commander in chief, was fhot 
with three Arrows, one of which broke fome of his 
Teeth. 
The Boats coming' with the Soldiers that had been left 
aboard, the Indians quitted the Field, and the Spaniards 
went to the Town, drelfed the wounded Men, buried 
the Dead, and found only three of the Natives. Grijalva 
ufed thole three well, gave them fome Toys, and fent 
them to call the Inhabitants, promifmg not to hurt any 
Man ; but they never returned, nor would he fend Mel- 
chior or Julian, becaufe he fufpedled them. Grijalva 
embarked again, and came to a large, wide Gulph of 
frefli 
