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Show THE FIRST SPANISH EXPLORERS 113 who had been in the moun tains and with these were fifteen men. They presented us with bead s, turquoises and feathers and the messengers said the people from the river whence we had star not be found, as the Chri ted could stians had again driven them into the wilderness. ‘Melchior Diaz told the inte rpreter to speak to the Indi our name and say that he came ans in in the name of God, Who is in Heaven, and that we had travelled the world over for many year s, telling all the people we met to believe in God and serve Him, for He was the Lord of everything upon earth , Who rewarded the good, wher eas to the bad ones He meted out eter nal punishment of fire. That the good ones died He took them when up to heaven, where all lived forrst, nor any other wants — that those who would not nts He thrust into a huge any of demons, where the m forever. Moreover, he served God in the manner e done them; neither should they be taken out of their country, and the Christians would become their great friends. If they refused to do so, then the Christians would ill-treat them and carry them away into slavery. ‘To this they replied, through the interpreter, that they would be very good Christians and serve God_.1 20 ‘“‘Upon being asked whom they worshipped and to whom they offered sacrifices, to whom they pray ed for health and water for the fields, they said, to a man in Heaven. We asked what was his name, and they said Aguar, and that they believed he had created the world and everything in it. We again asked how they came to know this, and they said their fathers and gran dfathers had told them, and they had known it for a very long time; that water and all] good things came from him. We explained that this being of whom they spoke was the same we called God, and that thereafter they should give Him that name and worship and serve Him as we commanded, when they would fare very well. They replied that they understood us thoroughly and would do as we had told. ““So we bade them come out of the moun tains and be at ease, peaceable and settle the land again, rebui lding their houses. Among these houses they should rear one to God, placing at its entrance a cross like the one we had, and when Chris tians came, they should go out to receive them with crosses in their hands, in place of bows and arrows and other weapons, and take the Christians to their homes, 120 These people were the ancestors of the Yaqui Indians of today. |
