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Show 74 4JUW ae LEADING FACTS OF NEW MEXICAN HISTORY THE manner, running into a turbulent sea, not a single one who went having a knowledge of navigation.’’ Sailing to the west, Narvaez made his way through bays and sounds, and, finding finally. an exit between the islands along the shore, they followed the coast in the direction of the Rio de las Palmas to the southwest. Their horse-hide water bottles soon rotted, their supply of provisions was rapidly decreasing, and they were about reduced to the last extremities of hunger and thirst, when, to increase their difficulties, they were overtaken by a violent storm, which delayed them on one of the islands. Five canoes, loaded with Indians, started from the main land to meet them, but becoming alarmed they deserted their canoes, which fell into the hands of the Spaniards, and were used by them in raising the height of the gunwales, thereby making their boats the safer. On the island they found some mullets and mullet roes. They remained on the island only a short time when they re-embarked and pursued their voyage. They coasted for thirty days, now and again entering the coves and inlets. They suffered greatly from thirst. Five days they were without water and their thirst was so excessive that they were put to the extremity of drinking salt water, by which some of the men became so crazed that four of them died. A very violent storm arose while they were upon one of the islands; they again re-embarked, preferring to trust themselves to the perils of the wind and waves than to remain upon the island enduring such great thirst with no prospect of obtaining relief. The sea ran high, and about sunset they doubled a point of land behind which they found calm water in a sheltered inlet. As they neared the shore some Indians came off to meet them and followed them in to the land. The Indians conducted them to their village, where they offered the Spaniards fish, receiving in exchange some corn and trinkets. The chief invited the governor to his hut, where he tendered him the hospitalities of the tribe. Their friendship was only a pretext to conceal their hos- tility, for in the night-time they made an attack upon the Spaniards who were in the houses or scattered along the shore and they were with difficulty finally beaten off. Narvaez was wounded in the face and hardly a man escaped injury of some sort. The Indian chief was taken prisoner in the conflict, but was afterwards liberated by his people. He left behind him, in his escape, his robe of skins of the FIRST SPANISH EXPLORERS 15 civet-martin, which had a fragrance of amber and musk. The Indians renewed the attack three times and fought fiercely. At the last assault, fifteen men, under Captains Dorantes, Pefialosa, and Tellez, were placed in ambush and attacked them in the rear, when, after a short resistance, the Indians fled and did not return.”° The Indians having been repulsed, the Spaniards passed the night quietly and in the morning no sign of the enemy appeared. The weather was cold and, being NARVAEZ RE-EMBARKS AND THE BOAT without shelter, Alvar IN COMMAND OF ALVAR NUNEZ CABEZA Nufiez broke up thirty caDE VACA IS CAST UPON THE SHORE noes which had belonged to the Indians, using them for fuel. The sea still continued heavy and they were unable to embark. As night came on the sea became calm and on the following morning they continued their voyage. They rowed three days in a westerly direction, and entering an estuary, a canoe filled with Indians came out to meet them. Narvaez asked them for water, which they promised to bring if he would furnish something in which to carry it. The Greek and the negro accompanied the Indians for water, against the advice of the governor, the Indians leaving two of their men as hostages. During the night the Indians returned with the vessels empty and without the Greek and the negro.” The following day the Indians came in considerable force for the purpose of releasing the hostages left with Narvaez, but the Spaniards put out into the gulf and at last the boat commanded by Alvar Nufiez Cabeza de Vaca rounded a cape by which flowed a great He cast anchor near a small island, waiting until the gov- river.72, a co Prinee, men were L D ee istory ee, ee ve says, p. 90, it was oe either Pensacola Publications of the Hakluyt Society, ix, Miccaltve m Fes ‘‘Having set out for this Says of the De Soto expedition in 1539: found a large river which we supposed to be that which falls into Chuse (Pensacola Bay); we learned that the vessels of Narvéez 1-83, 1851, village, eS the Bay o had arrived there in want of water, and that a Christian named Teodoro and an Indian a remained among these Indians; at the same time they showed us a dagger which had belonged to the Christian.’’ ; . Smith, Packie thn! Relation, thinks that Teodoro wandered inland into country of the buffalo and passed his life among the hunters of that star: 72 Hodge, note: ‘<The F. W., Spanish Mississippi, Explorers the waters fourteen years before the ‘discovery’ in the of which Southern were of the stream now United aT seen by by De Soto. ae white me 2 |