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04 - Journey of Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca by Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca · Journey of Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca

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Speaker 1: Section three of the Journey of Alvar Nunis Cavesa Devaka
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Speaker 1: and his Companions from Florida to the Pacific, fifteen twenty eight,
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Speaker 1: fifteen thirty six. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox
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Speaker 1: recordings are in the public domain. For more information or
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Speaker 1: to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by sus Anderson,
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Speaker 1: The Journey of Alvar Nunis Cavesa Ivaca and his Companions
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Speaker 1: from Florida to the Pacific, fifteen twenty eight, fifteen thirty six,
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Speaker 1: translated by Fanny Bandelier. Section three. That bay from which
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Speaker 1: we started is called the Bay of the Horses. We
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Speaker 1: sailed seven days among those inlets, in the water waist deep,
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Speaker 1: without signs of anything like the coast. At the end
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Speaker 1: of this time we reached an island near the shore.
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Speaker 1: My barge went ahead, and from it we saw five
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Speaker 1: Indian canoes coming. The Indians abandoned them and left them
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Speaker 1: in our hands when they saw that we approached. The
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Speaker 1: other barges went on and saw some lodges on the
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Speaker 1: same island, where we found plenty of ruffs, fish and
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Speaker 1: their eggs dried. And that was a very great relief
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Speaker 1: in our needy condition. Having taken them, we went further,
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Speaker 1: and two leagues beyond found a strait between the island
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Speaker 1: and the coast, which strait we christened San Miguel, It
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Speaker 1: being the day of that Saint. Issuing from it, we
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Speaker 1: reached the coast, whereby means of the five canoes I
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Speaker 1: had taken from the Indians, we mended somewhat the barges,
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Speaker 1: making washboards and adding to them, and raising the sides
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Speaker 1: two hands above water. Then we set out to sea again,
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Speaker 1: coasting toward the River of Palms. Every day our thirst
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Speaker 1: and hunger increased because our supplies were giving out, as
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Speaker 1: well as the water supply for the pouches we had
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Speaker 1: made from the legs of our horses soon became rotten
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Speaker 1: and useless. From time to time we would enter some
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Speaker 1: inlet or cove that reached very far inland, but we
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Speaker 1: found them all shallow and dangerous, and so we navigated
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Speaker 1: through them for thirty days, meeting sometimes Indians who fished
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Speaker 1: and were very poor and wretched people. At the end
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Speaker 1: of these thirty days, and when we were in extreme
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Speaker 1: need of water and hugging the coast, we heard one
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Speaker 1: night a canoe approaching. When we saw it, we stopped
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Speaker 1: and waited, but it would not come to us, and
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Speaker 1: although we called out, it would neither turn back nor wait. It.
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Speaker 1: Being night, we did not follow the canoe, but proceeded.
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Speaker 1: At dawn we saw a small island where we touched
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Speaker 1: to search for water, but in vain as there was none.
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Speaker 1: While at anchor, a great storm overtook us. We remained
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Speaker 1: there six days without venturing to leave, and it being
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Speaker 1: five days since we had drank anything. Our thirst was
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Speaker 1: so great as to compel us to drink salt water,
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Speaker 1: and several of us took such an excess of it
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Speaker 1: that we lost suddenly five men. I tell this briefly,
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Speaker 1: not thinking it necessary to relate in particular all the
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Speaker 1: distress and hardships we bore. Moreover, if one takes into
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Speaker 1: account the place we were in and the slight chances
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Speaker 1: of relief, he may imagine what we suffered. Seeing that
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Speaker 1: our thirst was increasing and the water was killing us
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Speaker 1: while the storm did not abate, we agreed to trust
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Speaker 1: to God, our lord, and rather risk the perils of
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Speaker 1: the sea than wait there for certain death from thirst.
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Speaker 1: So we left in the direction we had seen the
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Speaker 1: canoe going on the night we came here. During this
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Speaker 1: day we found ourselves often on the verge of drowning,
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Speaker 1: and so forlorn that there was none in our company
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Speaker 1: who did not expect to die at any moment. It
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Speaker 1: was our lord's pleasure, who many a time shows his
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Speaker 1: favor in the hour of greatest distress, that at sunset
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Speaker 1: we turned a point of land and found their shelter
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Speaker 1: and much improvement. Many canoes came, and the Indians in
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Speaker 1: them spoke to us, but turned back without waiting. They
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Speaker 1: were tall and well built, and carried neither bows nor arrows.
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Speaker 1: We followed them to their lodges, which were nearly along
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Speaker 1: the inlet, and landed, and in front of the lodges
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Speaker 1: we saw many jars with water and great quantities of
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Speaker 1: cooked fish. The chief of that land offered all to
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Speaker 1: the governor and led him to his abode. The dwellings
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Speaker 1: were of matting and seemed to be permanent. When we
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Speaker 1: entered the home of the chief, he gave us plenty
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Speaker 1: of fish, while we gave him of our maize, which
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Speaker 1: they ate in our presents, asking for more, so we
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Speaker 1: gave more to them, and the governor presented him with
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Speaker 1: some trinkets, while with the Cacike at his lodge. Half
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Speaker 1: an hour after sunset, the Indians suddenly fell upon us
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Speaker 1: and upon our sick people on the beach. They also
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Speaker 1: attacked the house of the Cacike, where the governor was
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Speaker 1: wounding him in the face with a stone. Those who
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Speaker 1: were with him seized the Kocike, but as his people
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Speaker 1: were so near, he escaped, leaving in our hands a
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Speaker 1: robe of martin ermine skin, which I believe are the
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Speaker 1: finest in the world, and give out an odor like
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Speaker 1: amber and musk. A single one can be smelt so
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Speaker 1: far off that it seems as if there were a
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Speaker 1: great many. We saw more of that kind, but none
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Speaker 1: like these. Those of us who were there, seeing the
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Speaker 1: governor hurt, placed him aboard the barge, and provided that
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Speaker 1: most of the men should follow him to the boats.
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Speaker 1: Some fifty of us remained on land to face the Indians,
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Speaker 1: who attacked thrice that night, and so furiously as to
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Speaker 1: drive us back, every time further than a stone's throw.
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Speaker 1: Not one of us escaped unhurt. I was wounded in
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Speaker 1: the face, and if they had had more arrows, for
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Speaker 1: only a few were found without any doubt they would
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Speaker 1: have done us great harm. At the last onset, the
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Speaker 1: captains Dorantes, Penelosa and Teles, with fifteen men, placed themselves
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Speaker 1: in ambush and attacked them from the rear, causing them
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Speaker 1: to flee and leave us. The next morning I destroyed
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Speaker 1: more than thirty of their canoes, which served to protect
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Speaker 1: us against a northern wind then blowing, on account of
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Speaker 1: which we had to stay there in the severe cold,
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Speaker 1: not venturing out to sea on account of the heavy storm.
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Speaker 1: After this, we again embarked and navigated for three days,
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Speaker 1: having taken along but a small supply of water, the
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Speaker 1: vessels we had for it being few, so we found
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Speaker 1: ourselves in the same plight as before. Continuing onward, we
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Speaker 1: entered a firth an estuary, and there saw a canoe
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Speaker 1: with Indians approaching. As we hailed them, they came, and
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Speaker 1: the governor, whose barge they neared first asked them for water.
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Speaker 1: They offered to get some provided we gave them something
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Speaker 1: in which to carry it, and a Christian Greek called
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Speaker 1: Doro Teo Theo Doro, who has already been mentioned, said
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Speaker 1: he would go with them. The governor and others vainly
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Speaker 1: tried to dissuade him, but he insisted upon going, and went,
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Speaker 1: taking along a Negro, while the Indians left two of
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Speaker 1: their numbers as hostages. At night, the Indians returned and
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Speaker 1: brought back our vessels, but without water, neither did the
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Speaker 1: Christians return with them those that had remained as hostages.
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Speaker 1: When their people spoke to them, attempted to throw themselves
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Speaker 1: into the water, but our men on the barge held
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Speaker 1: them back, and so the other Indians forsook their canoe,
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Speaker 1: leaving us very despondent and sad for the loss of
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Speaker 1: those two Christians. In the morning, many canoes of Indians came,
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Speaker 1: demanding their two companions, who had remained in the barge
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Speaker 1: as hostages. The governor answered that he would give them
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Speaker 1: up provided they returned the two Christians. With those people
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Speaker 1: there came five or six chiefs, who seemed to us
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Speaker 1: to be of better appearance, greater authority, and manner of
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Speaker 1: composure than any we had yet seen, although not as
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Speaker 1: tall as those of whom we have before spoken. They
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Speaker 1: wore their hair loose and very long, and were clothed
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Speaker 1: in robes of martin of the kind we had obtained previously.
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Speaker 1: Some of them done up in very strange fashion, because
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Speaker 1: they showed patterns of fawn colored firs that looked very well.
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Speaker 1: They entreated us to go with them and said they
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Speaker 1: would give us the Christians water and many other things.
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Speaker 1: And more canoes kept coming toward us, trying to block
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Speaker 1: the mouth of that inlet. And for this reason, as
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Speaker 1: well as because the land appeared very dangerous to remain in,
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Speaker 1: we took again to sea, where we stayed with them
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Speaker 1: till noon. And as they would not return the Christians,
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Speaker 1: and for that reason neither would we give up the Indians,
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Speaker 1: they began to throw stones at us with slings and darts,
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Speaker 1: threatening to shoot arrows, although we did not see more
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Speaker 1: than three or four bows. While thus engaged, the wind
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Speaker 1: freshened and they turned about and left us. We navigated
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Speaker 1: that day until nightfall, when my bark, which was the foremost,
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Speaker 1: discovered a promontory made by the coast. At the other
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Speaker 1: end was a very large river, and at a small
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Speaker 1: island on the point, I anchored to wait for the
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Speaker 1: other barges. The governor did not want to touch land,
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Speaker 1: but entered a bay close by, where there were many
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Speaker 1: small islands. There. We got together and took fresh water
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Speaker 1: out of the sea, because the river emptied into it
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Speaker 1: like a torrent. For two days we had eaten the
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Speaker 1: corn raw, and now in order to toast it, we
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Speaker 1: went ashore on that island, but, not finding any firewood,
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Speaker 1: agreed to go to the river, which was one league
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Speaker 1: from there. Behind the point. However, the current was so
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Speaker 1: strong that it in no way allowed us to land,
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Speaker 1: but rather carried us away from the shore against all
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Speaker 1: our efforts. The north wind that blew off shore freshened
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Speaker 1: so much that it drove us back to the high
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Speaker 1: sea without our being able to do anything against it,
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Speaker 1: And at about one half league from shore, we sounded
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Speaker 1: and found no bottom even at thirty fathoms, without being
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Speaker 1: able to understand it. It was the current that disturbed
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Speaker 1: our soundings. We navigated two days, yet trying hard to
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Speaker 1: reach the shore. On the third day, a little before sunrise,
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Speaker 1: we saw many columns of smoke rising on the coast.
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Speaker 1: Working towards these, we found ourselves in three fathoms of water,
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Speaker 1: but it being night, did not dare to land, because
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Speaker 1: as we had seen so much smoke, we believed that
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Speaker 1: greater danger might be in wait for us. There we
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Speaker 1: were unable to see, owing to the darkness, what we
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Speaker 1: should do, So we determined to wait until morning. When
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Speaker 1: it dawned, the barges had been driven apart from each other.
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Speaker 1: I found myself in thirty fathoms and drifting along at
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Speaker 1: the hour of vespers. I descried two barges, and as
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Speaker 1: I approached, saw that the first one was that of
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Speaker 1: the governor, who asked me what I thought we should do.
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Speaker 1: I told him that we ought to rejoin the other barge,
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Speaker 1: which was ahead of us, and in no manner forsake her,
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Speaker 1: and the three together should continue our way whither God
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Speaker 1: might take us. He replied it was impossible, since the
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Speaker 1: barge was drifting far away into the sea whereas he
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Speaker 1: wanted to land, but that if I wished to follow,
12:34
Speaker 1: I should put the people of my barge at the
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Speaker 1: oars and work hard, as only by the strength of
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Speaker 1: our arms the land could be reached. In this way,
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Speaker 1: he had been advised by a captain he had along,
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Speaker 1: whose name was Pontocha, who told him that if he
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Speaker 1: did not land that day, he would not in six
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Speaker 1: days more, during which time we should of necessity starve.
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Speaker 1: Seeing his determination, I took to my own ore, and
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Speaker 1: the other oarsmen in my craft did the same, and
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Speaker 1: thus we rode until nearly sunset. But as the governor
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Speaker 1: had with him the healthiest and strongest men, in no
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Speaker 1: way could we follow or keep up with him. Seeing this,
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Speaker 1: I asked him to give me a rope from his
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Speaker 1: barge to be able to follow, but he answered that
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Speaker 1: it was no small effort on their part alone to
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Speaker 1: reach the shore on that night. I told him that
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Speaker 1: since it was barely possible for us to follow and
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Speaker 1: do what he had ordained, he should tell me what
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Speaker 1: he commanded me to do. He answered that this was
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Speaker 1: no time for orders, that each one should do the
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Speaker 1: best he could to save himself, and that he intended
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Speaker 1: to do it that way. And with this he went
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Speaker 1: on with his craft. As I could not follow him,
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Speaker 1: I went after the other barge, which was out at
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Speaker 1: sea and waited for me, and reaching it, I found
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Speaker 1: it was the one of the captains Penelosa and Theelees.
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Speaker 1: We traveled together for four days, our daily ration being
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Speaker 1: half a handful of raw maize. At the end of
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Speaker 1: these four days a storm overtook us, in which the
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Speaker 1: other barge was lost. God's great mercy preserved us from
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Speaker 1: being drowned in that weather, it being winter and the
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Speaker 1: cold very great, and as we had been suffering so
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Speaker 1: many days from hunger and from the injuries we received
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Speaker 1: from the waves, that the next day people began to
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Speaker 1: break down, so that when the sun set, all those
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Speaker 1: aboard of my barge had fallen in a heap and
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Speaker 1: were so near dying that few remained conscious, and not
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Speaker 1: five men kept on their feet. When night came, the
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Speaker 1: skipper and I were the only ones able to manage
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Speaker 1: the barge. Two hours after nightfall, the skipper told me
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Speaker 1: to steer the craft alone, since he felt that he
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Speaker 1: would die that same night. Thereupon I stood at the helm,
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Speaker 1: and after midnight went to see if the skipper was dead,
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Speaker 1: but he said that, on the contrary, he felt better
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Speaker 1: and would steer until daybreak. On that occasion, I would
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Speaker 1: have hailed death with delight, rather than to see so
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Speaker 1: many people around me in such a condition. After the
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Speaker 1: skipper had taken the barge under his control, I went
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Speaker 1: to rest very much, without resting, for I thought of
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Speaker 1: anything else but sleep. Near daybreak, I fancied to hear
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Speaker 1: the sound of breakers, for as the coast was low,
15:49
Speaker 1: their noise was greater surprised at it. I called the skipper,
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Speaker 1: who said he thought we were near the shore. Sounding
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Speaker 1: we found seven fathoms, and he was of the opinion
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Speaker 1: that we should keep off shore till dawn. So I
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Speaker 1: took the oar and rowed along the coast from which
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Speaker 1: we were one league away, and turned the stern to seaward.
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Speaker 1: Close to shore, a wave took us and hurled the
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Speaker 1: barge a horse's length out of water. With the violent shock,
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Speaker 1: nearly all the people who lay in the boat like
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Speaker 1: dead came to themselves, and, seeing we were close to land,
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Speaker 1: began to crawl out on all fours. As they took
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Speaker 1: to some rocks. We built a fire and toasted some
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Speaker 1: of our maize. We found rain water, and with the
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Speaker 1: warmth of the fire, people revived and began to cheer up.
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Speaker 1: The day we arrived there was the sixth of the
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Speaker 1: month of November. After the people had eaten, I sent
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Speaker 1: Lope de Oviedo, who was the strongest and hardiest of all,
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Speaker 1: to go to some trees nearby and climb to the
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Speaker 1: top of one. Examined the soul, the surroundings, and the
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Speaker 1: country in which we were. He did so, and found
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Speaker 1: we were on an island, and that the ground was
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Speaker 1: hollowed out, as if cattle had gone over it, from
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Speaker 1: which it seemed to him that the land belonged to Christians,
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Speaker 1: and so he told us I sent him again to
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Speaker 1: look and examine more closely if there were any worn trails,
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Speaker 1: and not to go too far as not to run
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Speaker 1: into danger. He went found a footpath, followed it for
17:30
Speaker 1: about one half league, and saw several Indian huts which
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Speaker 1: stood empty because the Indians had gone out into the countryside.
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Speaker 1: He took away a cooking pot, a little dog, and
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Speaker 1: a few fish in turn back, but as he seemed
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Speaker 1: to delay, I sent two other Christians to look for
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Speaker 1: him and find out what had happened. They met him
17:53
Speaker 1: near by and saw that three Indians with bows and
17:57
Speaker 1: arrows were following and calling to him, while he did
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Speaker 1: the same to them by signs. So he came to
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Speaker 1: where we were, The Indians remaining behind seated on the beach.
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Speaker 1: Half an hour after, a hundred Indian archers joined them.
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Speaker 1: And our fright was such that, whether tall or little,
18:17
Speaker 1: it made them appear giants to us. They stood still
18:21
Speaker 1: close to the first ones, near where we were, we
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Speaker 1: could not defend ourselves, as there were scarcely three of
18:29
Speaker 1: us who could stand on their feet. The inspector and
18:32
Speaker 1: I stepped forward and called them. They came, and we
18:36
Speaker 1: tried to quiet them the best we could and save ourselves,
18:40
Speaker 1: giving them beads and bells. Each one of them gave
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Speaker 1: me an arrow in token of friendship, and by signs
18:47
Speaker 1: they gave us to understand that on the following morning
18:50
Speaker 1: they would come back with food, as then they had none.
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Speaker 1: The next day at sunrise, which was the hour the
18:58
Speaker 1: Indians had given us to understand, and they came as promised,
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Speaker 1: and brought us plenty of fish and some roots, which
19:06
Speaker 1: they eat that taste like nuts, some bigger, some smaller,
19:10
Speaker 1: most of which are taken out of the water with
19:12
Speaker 1: much trouble. In the evening they returned and brought us
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Speaker 1: more fish and some of the same roots, and they
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Speaker 1: brought their women and children to look at us. They
19:22
Speaker 1: thought themselves very rich with the little bells and beads
19:25
Speaker 1: we gave them, and thereafter visited us daily with the
19:30
Speaker 1: same things as before. As we saw ourselves provided with fish, roots, water,
19:36
Speaker 1: and the other things we had asked for, we concluded
19:39
Speaker 1: to embark again and continue our voyage. We lifted the
19:45
Speaker 1: barge out of the sand into which it had sunk,
19:48
Speaker 1: for which purpose we all had to take off our clothes,
19:51
Speaker 1: and had great work to set her afloat, as our
19:55
Speaker 1: condition was such that much lighter things would have given
19:58
Speaker 1: us trouble. Then we embarked two crossbow shots from shore.
20:04
Speaker 1: A wave swept over us. We all got wet, and,
20:08
Speaker 1: being naked, and the cold very great, the oars dropped
20:12
Speaker 1: out of our hands. The next wave overturned the barge.
20:17
Speaker 1: The inspector and two others clung to her to save themselves,
20:21
Speaker 1: but the contrary happened. They got underneath the barge and
20:26
Speaker 1: were drowned. The shore being very rough, the sea took
20:30
Speaker 1: the others and thrust them half dead on the beach
20:34
Speaker 1: of the same island. Again lest the three that had
20:38
Speaker 1: perished underneath the barge, the rest of us, as naked
20:42
Speaker 1: as we had been born, had lost everything, and while
20:47
Speaker 1: it was not worth much to us, it meant a
20:50
Speaker 1: great deal. It was in November, bitterly cold, and we
20:55
Speaker 1: in such a state that every bone could easily be counted.
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Speaker 1: We looked like death itself. Of myself, I can say
21:04
Speaker 1: that since the month of May, I had not tasted
21:07
Speaker 1: anything but toasted maize, and even sometimes had been obliged
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Speaker 1: to eat it raw. Although the horses were killed during
21:14
Speaker 1: the time the barges were built, I never could eat
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Speaker 1: of them, and not ten times did I taste fish.
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Speaker 1: This I say in order to explain and that anyone
21:25
Speaker 1: might guess how we were off. On top of all this,
21:30
Speaker 1: a north wind arose, so that we were nearer death
21:34
Speaker 1: than life. It pleased our Lord that, searching for the
21:37
Speaker 1: remnants of our former fire, we found wood with which
21:41
Speaker 1: we built big fires. And then, with many tears, begged
21:45
Speaker 1: our Lord for mercy and forgiveness of our sins. Every
21:49
Speaker 1: one of us pitied, not only himself, but all the
21:53
Speaker 1: others whom he saw in the same condition. At sunset,
21:57
Speaker 1: the Indians, thinking we had not left, came to bring
22:01
Speaker 1: us food. But when they saw us in such a
22:04
Speaker 1: different attire from before, and so strange looking, they were
22:09
Speaker 1: so frightened as to turn back. I went to call them,
22:12
Speaker 1: and in great fear they came. I then gave them
22:16
Speaker 1: to understand by signs how we had lost a barge,
22:19
Speaker 1: and three of our men had been drowned while before
22:22
Speaker 1: them there lay two of our men dead, with the
22:25
Speaker 1: others about to go the same way. Upon seeing the
22:29
Speaker 1: disaster we had suffered, our misery and distress, the Indians
22:34
Speaker 1: sat down with us and all began to weep out
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Speaker 1: of compassion for our misfortune. And for more than half
22:41
Speaker 1: an hour they wept so loud and so sincerely that
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Speaker 1: it could be heard far away verily to see beings
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Speaker 1: so devoid of reason, untutored, so like unto brutes, yet
22:55
Speaker 1: so deeply moved by pity for us. It increased my
22:59
Speaker 1: feelings and those of others in my company, for our
23:02
Speaker 1: own misfortune. When the lament was over, I spoke to
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Speaker 1: the Christians and asked them if they would like me
23:09
Speaker 1: to beg the Indians to take us to their homes.
23:13
Speaker 1: Some of the men who had been to New Spain
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Speaker 1: answered that it would be unwise, as once at their
23:20
Speaker 1: abode they might sacrifice us to their idols. Still, seeing
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Speaker 1: there was no remedy, and that in any other way,
23:28
Speaker 1: death was suer and nearer, I did not mind what
23:31
Speaker 1: they said, but begged the Indians to take us to
23:34
Speaker 1: their dwellings, at which they showed great pleasure, telling us
23:38
Speaker 1: to tarry yet a little, but that they would do
23:41
Speaker 1: what we wished. Soon, thirty of them loaded themselves with
23:45
Speaker 1: firewood and went to their lodges, which were far away,
23:49
Speaker 1: while we stayed with the others until it was almost dark.
23:53
Speaker 1: Then they took hold of us and carried us along
23:56
Speaker 1: hurriedly to where they lived, against the cold, and lest
24:00
Speaker 1: on the way some one of us might faint or die.
24:03
Speaker 1: They had provided four or five big fires on the road,
24:08
Speaker 1: at each one of which they warmed us. As soon
24:11
Speaker 1: as they saw we had regained a little warmth and strength,
24:14
Speaker 1: they would carry us to the next fire with such
24:17
Speaker 1: haste that our feet barely touched the ground. So we
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Speaker 1: got to their dwellings, where we saw they had built
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Speaker 1: a hut for us, with many fires in it. About
24:28
Speaker 1: one hour after our arrival, they began to dance and
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Speaker 1: to make a great celebration, which lasted the whole night,
24:36
Speaker 1: although there was neither pleasure, feast, nor sleep in it
24:39
Speaker 1: for us, since we expected to be sacrificed in the morning.
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Speaker 1: They again gave us fish and roots, and treated us
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Speaker 1: so well that we became reassured, losing somewhat our apprehension
24:54
Speaker 1: of being butchered. End of section three,