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Show 108 LEADING FACTS OF NEW MEXICAN HISTORY persons came with all the maize they had, in pots closed with clay, which they had buried for concealment. They also brought nearly everything else they possessed, but we only took the food, giving the rest to the Christians for distribution among themselves. ‘“Thereupon we had many and bitter quarrels 12” with the Christians, for they wanted to make slaves of our Indians, and we grew so angry that, at our departure, we forgot to take along many bows, pouches and arrows, also the five emeralds, and so they were left and lost to us. We gave the Christians a great many cowskins, robes, and other objects, and had much trouble in persuading the Indians to return home and plant their crops in peace. They insisted upon accompanying us until, according to their custom, we should be in the custody of other Indians, because otherwise they were afraid to die; besides, as long as we were with them, they had no fear of the Christians and their lances. At all this the Christians were greatly vexed and told their own interpreter to say to the Indians how we were of their own race, but had gone astray for a long while, and were people of no luck and little heart, whereas they were the lords of the land, whom they should obey and serve. ‘The Indians gave all that talk little attention. They parleyed among themselves, saying that the Christians lied, for we had come from the sunrise, A Mab ecm ROt) ella i 4 v8 Y i ifiy . % is” g te ay MMI. lf 1 ’ while the others came from where the sun sets ; that we cured the sick, while the others killed those who were healthy; that we went naked and shoeless, whereas the others wore clothes and went on horseback and with lances. Also, that we asked for nothing, but gave away all we were presented with, meanwhile the others seemed to have no other sin than to steal what they could, and never gave anything to anybody. In short they recalled all our deeds and praised them highly, contrasting them with the conduct of the others. ‘This they told the interpreter of the Christians, and made understood to the others by means of a language they have among them, and by which we understood each other. We call those who use that language properly Primahaitu,“® which means the same as say- THE FIRST SPANISH EXPLORERS 109 i i ans. For more than four hundred leagues, of those we found this language in use, and the only one among a Finally we never could cone aie them over that extent of country. the Indians that we belonged to the other Christians, and only wi much trouble and insistency could we prevail upon them to go home. ‘“We recommended to them to rest easy and settle in their villages, Nore bp tilling and planting their fields as usual, which, from were overgrown with shrubbery, while it Js beyond all o ‘ Me 00 ; best land in these Indies, the most fertile and eaemuaepher? where they raise three villages, provided the Christians would not interfere, and so ; ud and affirm that, if they should not do it, it will be the fault of the hristians. ; M ‘‘After we had despatched the Indians in peace, and with thanks for what they had gone through with us, the Christians ( out of fi trust) sent us to a certain alealde, Cebreros, who had with him two other men. He took us through forests and uninhabited ae in order to prevent our communicating with the Indians, in reality, also, to prevent us from seeing or hearing what the Christians were carrying on. : ‘cDhis clearly shows how the designs of men sometimes Re yeeit § We went on with the idea of insuring liberty of the Indians, an , when we believed it to be assured, the opposite took place. one ac Spaniards had planned to fall upon those Indians we arriba se ‘ in fancied security and in peace, and that plan they carried out. ‘They us through took the for two timber days, no with es : bewildered and without water, so we all expected to die from thirst. Seven of our men perished, friends whom and many the Senne 117 Buckingham Smith, Narrative (ed. 1871), Says that they told the Indians that Cabeza and his companions ‘‘ were persons of mean condition.’’ 118 Hodge, F. W., note , p. Spanish 115, Ezplorers in the Southern United States, says: ‘Evidently intended These tribes who lived in perma nent place where ment of spoke related languages. The Pima ‘men,’ ‘people.’ Pima means ‘no’ 3 Bandelier, A. ri 2, Vaca, says: , uch Melchior Diaz 1° was chief alcalde and the captain of the province. . sain “ anguage (0 may whe and consequently do( not eall t hemselves Pima, but O-otam, pimahaitu, ‘no thing.’ ’’ The Journey of Alvar Nujfiez Cabeza de. an idiom in Oviedo, and I do not venture guage it might have been. The references to the mean that it was as difficult to understand as that O er an abun It has year. every crops eh fruit, very handsome rivers and other waters of good virtues. are many evidences and traces of gold and silver; the inha itant are well conditioned, and willingly attend to the Christians, that 1s those of the natives who are friendly. They are much better inclined than the natives of Mexico; in short, it is a country that lacks nothing to make it very good. When the Indians took leave e us they said they would do as we had told them and settle in } elr we found water that same night. — » Culiacan, w gh them twenty-five leagues, more or less, and at last came to ahead, peaceable three Indians. leagues further, There the to a place alealde left called 119 Melchior Diaz was not the same sort of man as ce 1 travelle We o © - had taken along could not reach before noon the sips us one an i subaltern officers, Alearaz and Cebreros. He — k “8 sceaehiiie by law lieve in the enslaving of the natives, except as distinc v ~ “6 a ai Bandelier, A. F., Investigations in the Southwest, Final heport, } — » P- |