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Show HISTORY FRANCISCO wearied by Vermejo on account of the reddish color of the water. Here they saw the first Indians of the country who fied as soon The next evening when within about two as they were discovered. leagues of Cibola, they saw some Indians watching their move- When the army ments from a high mesa that could not be reached. came into view the natives raised piercing cries that spread alarm among the Spaniards, and Castafieda says that some of the soldiers were so frightened that they ‘‘saddled their horses wrong-end foremost.’ The soldiers did their utmost to capture some of these The following day Coronado enIndians, but were unsuccessful. tered the inhabited country and came in sight of the far-famed Cibola, but they were so much disappointed in its appearance that the soldiers broke out in maledictions against the friar Marcos.?” The next day the captain-general ordered an advance upon the first town, which was Hawaikth, a small village of two hundred about fifteen miles southwest of the present Zufi. 204 Castafieda, Pedro de, Relacion: at Friar Mota divided village opening houses, The disappoint- ‘‘Such were the curses that some hurled Marcos that I pray God may protect him from them.’’ Padilla, p. 113, says: ‘‘They reached Tzibola, which was a village into two parts, which were encircled in such a way as to make the round, and the houses adjoining three and four stories high, with doors on a great court or plaza, leaving one or two doors in the wall, so as to go in and out. In the middle of the plaza there is a hatch-way or trap-door, by which they go down to a subterranean hall, the roof of which was of large pine beams, and a little hearth in the floor, and the walls plastered. The Indian men stayed there days and nights playing (gaming) and the women brought them food, and this was the way the Indians of the neighboring villages lived.’ ' This kiva of Hawaikih was probably the first ever seen by the Spaniards. begin the attack and drive back the enemy from the defenses, so that they could not do us any injury. I assaulted the walls on one side, where I was told there was a scaling ladder, and there was also agate. But the cross-bowmen broke all the strings of their cross- bows and the musketeers could do nothing, because they had arrived so weak and feeble that they could scarcely stand on their feet. On this account the people who were on top were not prevented at all from defending themselves and doing us whatever injury they were able. Thus, for myself, they knocked me down to the ground twice with countless great stones which they threw down from above, and if I had not been protected by the very good head-piece I wore, I think that the outcome would have been bad for me. They picked a and me up from the ground, however, with two small wounds in my face and an arrow in my foot, and with many bruises on my arms and legs, and in this condition I retired from the battle, very weak. think that if Don Garcia Lopez de Cardenas had not come to my I “S thirst a with ~ dead een almost eee desert, ee barren ment of the soldiers was great, as the historian of the expedition says, ‘‘it looked as if it had been crumpled up altogether. There are mansions in New Spain which make a better appearance at a distance.’’ The village stood upon a rocky mesa of no very great height and overlooked the plains that extended on the southern side of the Rio Zuhi. The entrance was narrow and crooked, and, in the plain below, were the irrigated ‘‘fields’’ mentioned by Coronado. No women or children were to be seen but warriors were there in plenty to defend the town. As the Spaniards drew near the Indians came out to meet them. The captain-general sent forward two friars and two officers and a body of cavalry, but, as these approached, they were met with a volley of arrows, and were so closely pressed that Coronado, giving the war ery of ‘‘Santiago,’’ charged upon them and drove them into the town. This was next attacked but was not taken without great effort. Its only approach consisted of a narrow and steep pathway that led from the valley to the top of the rock, and this the Indians had prepared to defend. As Coronado advanced he was received with a volley of arrows, and large stones were hurled down upon his men. Coronado himself was stricken to the earth and would have been killed had it not been for Don Garcia Lopez de Cardenas, who came to his aid. As Coronado describes this: ‘‘I ordered the musketeers and cross-bowmen to ee and At the end of fifteen days they came fatigues of the terrible march. to a narrow river where they camped and called the stream the Rio 187 tle emanate sandy CORONADO ag gare... eeindtaaa The country, for he had as yet seen nothing that was encouraging. the most part, was mountainous and barren and inhabited by miserChichilticalli, instead of being a fine large town, as able Indians. The he had been led to believe, dwindled down to a single ruin. assurances which he received from his companions that wonderful things were further on did not restore his spirits, for he had been so often deceived that he could no longer believe them. The prospect was very gloomy, but Coronado determined to advance and left Chichilticalli and entering the wilderness traveled to the northeast. During fifteen days they marched across the VASQUEZ Set MEXICAN a OF NEW ‘ae! FACTS - LEADING 186 |