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07 - 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 six of the Journey of Alvar Nunis Cabesa Devaca
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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 Sue Anderson,
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Speaker 1: The Journey of Alvar Nunis Cabesa Devaca 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 Bandolier. Section six. These Indians and the
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Speaker 1: ones we left behind told us a very strange tale.
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Speaker 1: From their account, it may have occurred fifteen or sixteen
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Speaker 1: years ago. They said, there wandered then about the country
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Speaker 1: a man whom they called bad thing, of small stature
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Speaker 1: and with a beard, although they never could see his
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Speaker 1: features clearly, and whenever he would approach their dwellings, their
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Speaker 1: hair would stand on end, and they began to tremble.
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Speaker 1: In the doorway of the lodge, there would then appear
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Speaker 1: a firebrand. That man thereupon came in and took hold
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Speaker 1: of any one he chose, and with a sharp knife
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Speaker 1: of flint, as broad as a hand and two palms
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Speaker 1: in length. He cut their side, and, thrusting his hand
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Speaker 1: through the gash, took out the entrails, cutting off a
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Speaker 1: piece one palm long, which he threw into the fire. Afterwards,
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Speaker 1: he made three cuts in one of the arms, the
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Speaker 1: second one at the place where people are usually bled,
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Speaker 1: and twisted the arm, but reset it soon afterwards. Then
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Speaker 1: he placed his hands on the wounds, and they told
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Speaker 1: us they closed at once. Many times he appeared among
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Speaker 1: them while they were dancing, sometimes in the dress of
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Speaker 1: a woman, and again as a man, And whenever he
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Speaker 1: took a notion to do it, he would seize the
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Speaker 1: hut or lodge, take it up into the air, and
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Speaker 1: come down with it again with a great crash. They
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Speaker 1: also told us how many a time they set food
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Speaker 1: before him, but he never would partake of it. And
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Speaker 1: when they asked him where he came from and where
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Speaker 1: he had his home, he pointed to a rent in
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Speaker 1: the earth and said his house was down below. We
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Speaker 1: laughed very much at those stories, making fun of them,
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Speaker 1: and then, seeing our incredulity, they brought to us many
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Speaker 1: of those whom they said he had taken, and we
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Speaker 1: saw the scars of his slashes in the places as
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Speaker 1: they told. We told them he was a demon, and
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Speaker 1: explained as best we could that if they would believe
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Speaker 1: in God, our Lord, and be Christians like ourselves, they
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Speaker 1: would not have to fear that man, nor would he
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Speaker 1: come and do such things unto them, and they might
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Speaker 1: be sure that as long as we were in this country,
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Speaker 1: he would not dare to appear again. At this they
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Speaker 1: were greatly pleased and lost much of their apprehension. The
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Speaker 1: same Indians told us they had seen the Asterian and
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Speaker 1: Figueroa with other Indians further along on the coast which
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Speaker 1: we had named for the figs. All those people had
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Speaker 1: no reckoning by either sun or moon, nor do they
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Speaker 1: count by months and years. They judge of the seasons,
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Speaker 1: by the ripening of fruits, by the time when fish die,
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Speaker 1: and by the appearance of the stars, in all of
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Speaker 1: which they are very clever and expert. While with them
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Speaker 1: we were always well treated, although our food was never
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Speaker 1: too plentiful, and we had to carry our own water
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Speaker 1: and wood. Their dwellings and their food are like those
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Speaker 1: of the others, but they are much more exposed to starvation.
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Speaker 1: Having neither maize nor acorns or nuts, we always went
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Speaker 1: about naked like they, and covered ourselves at night with
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Speaker 1: deer skins. During six of the eighteen months we were
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Speaker 1: with them, we suffered much from hunger because they do
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Speaker 1: not have fish either. At the end of that time,
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Speaker 1: the tunas began to ripen, and without their noticing it,
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Speaker 1: we left and went to other Indians further ahead, called Maliacones,
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Speaker 1: at a distance of one day's travel. Three days after
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Speaker 1: I and the Negro reached there, I sent him back
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Speaker 1: to get Castillo and Dorantes, and after they rejoined me,
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Speaker 1: we all departed in company of the Indians, who went
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Speaker 1: to eat a small fruit of some trees. On this
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Speaker 1: fruit they subsist for ten or twelve days until the
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Speaker 1: tunas are fully ripe. There they joined other Indians called Arbadaos,
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Speaker 1: whom we found to be so sick, emaciated, and swollen
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Speaker 1: that we were greatly astonished. The Indians with whom we
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Speaker 1: had come went back on the same trail, and we
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Speaker 1: told them that we wished to remain with the others,
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Speaker 1: at which they showed grief. So we remained with the
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Speaker 1: others in the field near their dwellings. When the Indians
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Speaker 1: saw us, they clustered together after having talked among themselves,
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Speaker 1: and each one of them took the one of us
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Speaker 1: whom he claimed by the hand, and they led us
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Speaker 1: to their homes. While with those we suffered more from
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Speaker 1: hunger than among any of the others. In the course
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Speaker 1: of a whole day we did not eat more than
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Speaker 1: two handfuls of the fruit, which was green and contained
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Speaker 1: so much milky juice that our mouths were burnt by it.
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Speaker 1: As water was very scarce, whoever ate of them became
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Speaker 1: very thirsty, and we finally grew so hungry that we
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Speaker 1: purchased two dogs in exchange for nets and other things,
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Speaker 1: and a hide with which I used to cover myself.
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Speaker 1: I have said already that through all that country we
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Speaker 1: went naked, and, not being accustomed to it, like snakes,
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Speaker 1: we shed our skin twice a year. Exposure to the
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Speaker 1: sun and air covered our chests and backs with big
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Speaker 1: sores that made it very painful to carry the big
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Speaker 1: and heavy loads, the ropes of which cut into the
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Speaker 1: flesh of our arms. The country is so rough and
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Speaker 1: overgrown that often after we had gathered firewood in the
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Speaker 1: timber and dragged it out. We would bleed freely from
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Speaker 1: the thorns and spines, which cut and slashed us wherever
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Speaker 1: they touched. Sometimes it happened that I was unable to
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Speaker 1: carry or drag out the firewood after I had gathered it,
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Speaker 1: with much loss of blood. In all that trouble, my
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Speaker 1: only relief or consolation was to remember the passion of
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Speaker 1: our savior Jesus Christ and the blood he shed for me,
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Speaker 1: and to ponder how much greater his suffers had been
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Speaker 1: from the thorns than those I was then enduring. I
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Speaker 1: made a contract with the Indians to make combs, arrows, bows,
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Speaker 1: and nets for them. Also, we made matting, of which
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Speaker 1: their lodges are constructed, and of which they are in
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Speaker 1: very great need, for although they know how to make it,
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Speaker 1: they do not like to do any work in order
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Speaker 1: to be able to go in quest of food. Whenever
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Speaker 1: they work, they suffered greatly from hunger. Again. They would
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Speaker 1: make me scrape skins and tan them. And the greatest
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Speaker 1: luxury I enjoyed was on the day they would give
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Speaker 1: me a skin to scrape, because I scraped it very
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Speaker 1: deep in order to eat the parings, which would last
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Speaker 1: me two or three days. It also happened to us
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Speaker 1: while being with these Indians and those before mentioned, that
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Speaker 1: we would eat a piece of meat which they gave
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Speaker 1: us raw, because if we broiled it, the first Indian
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Speaker 1: coming up long would snatch and eat it. It seemed
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Speaker 1: useless to take any pains in view of what we
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Speaker 1: might expect. Neither were we particular to go to any
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Speaker 1: trouble in order to have it broiled, and might just
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Speaker 1: as well eat it raw. Such was the life we
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Speaker 1: led there, and even that scanty maintenance we had to
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Speaker 1: earn through the objects made by our own hands for barter.
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Speaker 1: After we had eaten the dogs, it seemed to us
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Speaker 1: that we had enough strength to go further on, So
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Speaker 1: we commended ourselves to the guidance of God. Our Lord,
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Speaker 1: took leave of these Indians, and they put us on
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Speaker 1: the track of others of their language who were nearby.
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Speaker 1: While on our way, it began to rain and rain
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Speaker 1: the whole day. We lost the trail and found ourselves
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Speaker 1: in a big forest, where we gathered plenty of leaves
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Speaker 1: of tunas, which we roasted that same night in an
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Speaker 1: oven made by ourselves. And so much heat did we
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Speaker 1: give them that in the morning they were fit to
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Speaker 1: be eaten. After eating them, we commended ourselves to God
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Speaker 1: again and left and struck the trail we had lost.
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Speaker 1: Issuing from the timber, we met other Indian dwellings, where
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Speaker 1: we saw two women and some boys who were so
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Speaker 1: frightened at the sight of us that they fled to
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Speaker 1: the forest to call the men that were in the woods.
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Speaker 1: When these came, they hid behind trees to peep at us.
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Speaker 1: We called them, and they approached in great fear. After
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Speaker 1: we addressed them, they told us they were very hungry,
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Speaker 1: and that near by were many of their own lodges,
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Speaker 1: and they would take us to them. So that night
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Speaker 1: we reached a site where there were fifty dwellings, and
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Speaker 1: the people were stupefied at seeing us and showed much fear.
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Speaker 1: After they had recovered from their astonishment, they approached and
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Speaker 1: put their hands to our faces and bodies, and afterwards
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Speaker 1: to their faces and bodies also. We stayed there that night,
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Speaker 1: and in the morning they brought their sick people, begging
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Speaker 1: us to cross them, and gave us what they had
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Speaker 1: to eat, which were leaves of tunas and green tunas
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Speaker 1: baked for the sake of this good treatment, giving us all,
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Speaker 1: they had content with being without anything. For our sake,
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Speaker 1: we remained with them several days, and during that time
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Speaker 1: others came from further on. When those were about to leave,
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Speaker 1: we told the first ones that we intended to accompany them.
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Speaker 1: This made them very sad, and they begged us on
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Speaker 1: their knees not to go. But we went and left
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Speaker 1: them in tears at our departure, as it pained them greatly.
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Speaker 1: From the island of ill fate on all the Indians
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Speaker 1: whom we met as far as to hear, have the
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Speaker 1: custom of not cohabiting with their wives when these are pregnant,
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Speaker 1: and until the child is two years old. Children are
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Speaker 1: nursed to the age of twelve years, when they are
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Speaker 1: old enough to gather their own food. We ask them
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Speaker 1: why they brought their children up in that way, and
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Speaker 1: they replied it was owing to the great scarcity of
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Speaker 1: food all over that country, since it was common, as
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Speaker 1: we saw, to be without it two or three days,
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Speaker 1: and even four And for that reason they nursed the
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Speaker 1: little one so long to preserve them from perishing through hunger.
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Speaker 1: And even if they should survive, they would be very
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Speaker 1: delicate and weak. When one falls sick, he is left
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Speaker 1: to die in the field unless he be somebody's child.
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Speaker 1: Other invalids, if unable to travel, are abandoned, but a
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Speaker 1: son or brother is taken along. There is also a
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Speaker 1: custom for husbands to leave their wives if they do
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Speaker 1: not agree, and to remarry whom they please. This applies
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Speaker 1: to the younger men, but after they have had children,
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Speaker 1: they stay with their women and do not leave them.
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Speaker 1: When in any village they quarrel among themselves, they strike
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Speaker 1: and beat each other until worn out, and only then
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Speaker 1: do they separate. Sometimes their women step in and separate them.
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Speaker 1: But men never interfere in these brawls, nor do they
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Speaker 1: ever use bow and arrow. And after they have fought
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Speaker 1: and settled the question, they take their lodges and women
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Speaker 1: and go out into the field to live apart from
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Speaker 1: the others till their anger is over. And when they
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Speaker 1: are no longer angry and their resentment has passed away,
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Speaker 1: they return to the village and are as friendly again
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Speaker 1: as if nothing had happened. There is no need of mediation.
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Speaker 1: When the quarrel is between unmarried people, they go to
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Speaker 1: some of the neighbors, who, even if they be enemies,
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Speaker 1: will receive them well with great festivities and gifts of
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Speaker 1: what they have, so that when pacified, they return to
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Speaker 1: their village wealthy. They all are warriors, and so astute
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Speaker 1: in guarding themselves from an enemy, as if trained in
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Speaker 1: continuous wars and in Italy. When in places where their
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Speaker 1: enemies can offend them, they set their lodges on the
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Speaker 1: edge of the roughest and densest timber, and dig a
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Speaker 1: trench close to it, in which they sleep. The men
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Speaker 1: at arms are hidden by brushwood, and have their loopholes,
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Speaker 1: and are so well covered and concealed that even at
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Speaker 1: close range they cannot be seen. To the densest part
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Speaker 1: of the forest, they open a very narrow trail, and
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Speaker 1: there arrange a sleeping place for their women and children.
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Speaker 1: As night sets in they build fires in the lodges,
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Speaker 1: so that if there should be spies about, these would
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Speaker 1: think the people to sleep there, And before sunrise they
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Speaker 1: light the same fires again, now ditches, without being seen
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Speaker 1: or discovered. In case there are no forests wherein they
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Speaker 1: can hide thus and prepare their ambushes, they settle on
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Speaker 1: the plain wherever it appears most appropriate, surrounding the place
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Speaker 1: with trenches protected by brushwood. In these they open loopholes
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Speaker 1: through which they can reach the enemy with arrows, and
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Speaker 1: whose parapets they build for the night. While I was
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Speaker 1: with the Aguennes and these not on their guard, their
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Speaker 1: enemies surprised them at midnight, killing three and wounding a number,
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Speaker 1: so that they fled from their houses to the forest.
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Speaker 1: As soon However, as they noticed that the others had gone,
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Speaker 1: they went back, picked up all the arrows the others
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Speaker 1: had spent, and left, and followed them as stealthily as possible.
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Speaker 1: That same night they reached the others dwellings unnoticed, and
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Speaker 1: at sunrise attacked, killing five, besides wounding a great many.
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Speaker 1: The rest made their escape, leaving homes and bows behind
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Speaker 1: with all their other belongings. A short time after this,
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Speaker 1: the women of those calling themselves givenes came, held a
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Speaker 1: parley and made them friends again. But sometimes women are
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Speaker 1: also the cause of war. All those people, when they
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Speaker 1: have personal questions and are not of one family, kill
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Speaker 1: each other in a treacherous way, and deal most cruelly
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Speaker 1: with one another. Those Indians are the readiest people with
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Speaker 1: their weapons of all I have seen in the world,
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Speaker 1: For when they suspect the approach of an enemy, they
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Speaker 1: lie awake all night with their bows within reach and
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Speaker 1: a dozen of arrows. And before one goes to sleep,
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Speaker 1: he tries his bow, and should the string not be
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Speaker 1: to his liking, he arranges it until it suits him.
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Speaker 1: Often they crawl out of their dwellings so as not
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Speaker 1: to be seen, and look and spy in every direction
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Speaker 1: after danger, And if they detect anything, in less than
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Speaker 1: no time are they all out in the field with
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Speaker 1: their bows and arrows. Thus they remain until daybreak, running
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Speaker 1: hither and thither whenever they see danger or suspect their
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Speaker 1: enemies might approach. When day comes, they unstring their bows
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Speaker 1: until they go hunting. The strings of their bows are
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Speaker 1: made of deer sinews. They fight in a crouching posture,
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Speaker 1: and while shooting at each other, talk and dart from
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Speaker 1: one side to the other to dodge the arrows of
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Speaker 1: the foe. In this way they receive little damage from
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Speaker 1: our cross bows and muskets. On the contrary, the Indians
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Speaker 1: laugh at those weapons, because they are not dangerous to
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Speaker 1: them on the plains over which they roam. They are
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Speaker 1: only good in narrows and in swamps. Horses are what
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Speaker 1: the Indians dread most, and by means of which they
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Speaker 1: will be overcome. Whoever has to fight Indians must take
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Speaker 1: great care not to let them think he is disheartened
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Speaker 1: or that he covets what they own. In war, they
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Speaker 1: must be treated very harshly, for should they notice either
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Speaker 1: fear or greed. They are people who know how to
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Speaker 1: abide their time for revenge and to take courage from
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Speaker 1: the fears of their enemy. After spending all their arrows,
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Speaker 1: they part going each their own way and without attempting pursuit.
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Speaker 1: Although one side might have more men than the other,
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Speaker 1: such is their custom. Many times they are shot through
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Speaker 1: and through with arrows, but do not die from the wounds,
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Speaker 1: as long as the bowels or heart are not touched.
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Speaker 1: On the contrary, they recover quickly. Their eyesight, hearing, and
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Speaker 1: senses in general are better, I believe, than those of
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Speaker 1: any other men upon earth. They can stand and half
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Speaker 1: to stand much hunger, thirst and cold, being more accustomed
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Speaker 1: and used to it than others. This I wish to
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Speaker 1: state here, since besides that all men are curious to
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Speaker 1: know the habits and devices of others, such as might
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Speaker 1: come in contact with those people should be informed of
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Speaker 1: their customs and deeds, which will be of no small
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Speaker 1: prophet to them. I also do wish to tell of
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Speaker 1: the nations and languages met with, from the island of
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Speaker 1: ill Fate to the last ones, the Kuchindados. On the
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Speaker 1: island of ill Fate, two languages are spoken, the ones
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Speaker 1: they call Capokes and the others Han. On the mainland,
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Speaker 1: facing the island are others called of Charuco, who take
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Speaker 1: their name from the woods in which they live. Further
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Speaker 1: on along the seashore are others who call themselves de Genes,
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Speaker 1: and in front of them others named those of Mendica.
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Speaker 1: Further on on the coast are the Kevenes. In front
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Speaker 1: further inland the Mariames, and following the coast we came
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Speaker 1: to the Guacones, and in front of them inland the Iguassees.
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Speaker 1: After those came the Atayos, and behind them others called Decubadaos,
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Speaker 1: of whom there are a great many. Further on in
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Speaker 1: this direction on the coast live the Quitoles, and in
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Speaker 1: front of them inland the Chavavares. These are joined by
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Speaker 1: the Malacones and the Quitalchuches, and others called Susolus and Comos.
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Speaker 1: Ahead on the coast are the Camolos, and further on
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Speaker 1: those whom we call the people of the figs. All
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Speaker 1: those people have homes and villages and speak different languages.
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Speaker 1: Among them is a language wherein they call men mira
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Speaker 1: aca araca, and dogs soul. In this whole country they
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Speaker 1: make themselves drunk by a certain smoke, for which they
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Speaker 1: give all they have. They also drink something which they
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Speaker 1: extract from leaves of trees like unto water oak, toasting
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Speaker 1: them on the fire in a vessel like a low
19:58
Speaker 1: necked bottle. When the leaves are toasted, they fill the
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Speaker 1: vessel with water and hold it over the fire so
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Speaker 1: long until it has thrice boiled. Then they pour the
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Speaker 1: liquid into a bowl made of a gourd cut in twain.
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Speaker 1: As soon as there is much foam on it. They
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Speaker 1: drink it as hot as they can stand. And from
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Speaker 1: the time they take it out of the first vessel,
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Speaker 1: until they drink, they shout who wants to drink? When
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Speaker 1: the women hear this, they stand still at once, and
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Speaker 1: although they carry a very heavy load, do not dare
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Speaker 1: to move. Should one of them stir, she is dishonored
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Speaker 1: and beaten. In a great rage. They spill the liquid
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Speaker 1: they have prepared and spit out what they drink easily
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Speaker 1: and without pain. The reason for this custom, they say,
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Speaker 1: is that when they want to drink that water and
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Speaker 1: the women stir from the spot where they first hear
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Speaker 1: the shouts, an evil substance gets into the liquid that
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Speaker 1: penetrates their bodies, causing them to die before long. All
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Speaker 1: the time the water boils, the vessel must be kept covered.
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Speaker 1: Should it be uncovered while a woman comes along, they
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Speaker 1: pour it out and do not drink of it. It
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Speaker 1: is yellow, and they drink it for three days without
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Speaker 1: partaking of any food, each consuming an a roba and
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Speaker 1: a half every day. When the women are ill, they
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Speaker 1: only seek food for themselves because nobody else eats of
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Speaker 1: what they bring. During the time I was among them,
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Speaker 1: I saw something very repulsive, namely a man married to another.
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Speaker 1: Such are impotent and womanish beings who dress like women
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Speaker 1: and perform the office of women, but use the bow
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Speaker 1: and carry big loads. Among these Indians we saw many
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Speaker 1: of them. They are more robust than the other men,
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Speaker 1: taller and can bear heavy burdens. After parting from those
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Speaker 1: we had left in tears, we went with the to
22:00
Speaker 1: their homes and were very well received. They brought us
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Speaker 1: their children to touch, and gave us much mesquite meal.
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Speaker 1: This mesquite case is a fruit which, while on the
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Speaker 1: tree is very bitter, and like the carab bean. It
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Speaker 1: is eaten with earth and then becomes sweet and very palatable.
22:21
Speaker 1: The way they prepare it is to dig a hole
22:23
Speaker 1: in the ground of the depth it suits them. And
22:26
Speaker 1: after the fruit is put in that hole with a
22:29
Speaker 1: piece of wood the thickness of a leg and one
22:32
Speaker 1: and a half fathoms long, they pound it to a
22:35
Speaker 1: meal and to the earth that mixes with it in
22:38
Speaker 1: the hole, they add several handfuls and pound again for
22:42
Speaker 1: a while. After that they empty it into a vessel
22:46
Speaker 1: like a small round basket, and pour in enough water
22:50
Speaker 1: to cover it fully, so that there is water on top.
22:54
Speaker 1: Then the one who has done the pounding tastes it,
22:58
Speaker 1: and if it appears to him not so sweet enough,
23:01
Speaker 1: he calls for more earth to add, and this he
23:04
Speaker 1: does until it suits his taste. Then all squat around,
23:08
Speaker 1: and each one reaches out with his hand and takes
23:11
Speaker 1: as much as he can. The seeds and peelings they
23:14
Speaker 1: set apart on hides, and the one who has done
23:18
Speaker 1: the pounding throws them back into the vessel, pouring water
23:22
Speaker 1: over them. Again, they squeeze out the juice and water,
23:26
Speaker 1: and the husks and seeds they again put on hides,
23:29
Speaker 1: repeating the operation three or four times at every pounding.
23:34
Speaker 1: Those who take part in that banquet, which is for
23:37
Speaker 1: them a great occasion, get very big bellies from the
23:41
Speaker 1: earth and water they swallow. Now of this, the Indians
23:45
Speaker 1: made a great feast in our behalf, and danced and
23:48
Speaker 1: celebrated all the time we were with them, And at night,
23:53
Speaker 1: six Indians to each one of us kept watch at
23:56
Speaker 1: the entrance to the lodge we slept in, without allowing
24:00
Speaker 1: anybody to enter. Before sunrise, when we were about to leave,
24:04
Speaker 1: some women happened to come that belonged to Indians living
24:08
Speaker 1: further on, and in forming ourselves where their abodes were,
24:12
Speaker 1: we left, although the Indians entreated us to remain a
24:15
Speaker 1: day longer, since the place we wanted to go to
24:18
Speaker 1: was very far away and there was no trail to it.
24:23
Speaker 1: They showed us how the women who had just arrived
24:25
Speaker 1: were tired, but that if we would let them rest
24:28
Speaker 1: until the next day, they then would accompany and guide us.
24:33
Speaker 1: We left, Nevertheless, and soon the women followed with others
24:37
Speaker 1: of the village. There being no trails in that country,
24:41
Speaker 1: we soon lost our way. At the end of four leagues,
24:45
Speaker 1: we reached a spring, and there met the women who
24:48
Speaker 1: had followed us, and who told us of all they
24:51
Speaker 1: had gone through, until they fell in with us again.
24:54
Speaker 1: We went on, taking them along as guides. In the
24:58
Speaker 1: afternoon we crossed a big river, the water being more
25:02
Speaker 1: than waste deep. It may have been as wide as
25:06
Speaker 1: the one of Sevilla, and had a swift current. At
25:10
Speaker 1: sunset we reached a hundred Indian huts, and as we approached,
25:15
Speaker 1: the people came out to receive us, shouting frightfully and
25:19
Speaker 1: slapping their thighs. They carried perforated gourds filled with pebbles,
25:24
Speaker 1: which are ceremonial objects of great importance. They only used
25:28
Speaker 1: them at dances or as medicine to cure, and nobody
25:32
Speaker 1: dares touch them but themselves. They claimed that those gourds
25:36
Speaker 1: have healing virtues, and that they come from Heaven, not
25:40
Speaker 1: being found in that country, nor do they know where
25:43
Speaker 1: they come from, except that the rivers carry them down
25:47
Speaker 1: when they rise and overflow the land. So great was
25:51
Speaker 1: their excitement and eagerness to touch us, that every one
25:55
Speaker 1: wanting to be first, they nearly squeezed us to death,
25:59
Speaker 1: and with us out, suffering our feet to touch the ground,
26:02
Speaker 1: carried us to their abodes. So many crowded down upon
26:06
Speaker 1: us that we took refuge in the lodges they had
26:09
Speaker 1: prepared for our accommodation, and in no manner consented to
26:13
Speaker 1: be feasted by them on that night. End of Section six.