USA > Louisiana > Historical collections of Louisiana : embracing translations of many rare and valuable documents relating to the natural, civil and political history of that state > Part 20
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Christians, and were left in state of perdition. There went from Minoya three hundred and twenty-two Spaniards in seven brigan- tines, well made, save that the planks were thin, because the nails were short, and were not pitched, nor had any decks to keep the water from coming in. Instead of decks they laid planks, whereon the mariners might run to trim their sails, and the people might re- fresh themselves above and below. The Governor made his captains, and gave to every one his brigantine, and took their oath and their word, that they would obey him, until they came to the land of the Christians. The Governor took one of the brigantines for himself, which he best liked. The same day that they departed from Minoya, they passed by Guachoya, where the Indians tarried for them in canoes by the river. And on the shore, they had made a great arbor with boughs. They desired him to come on shore ; but he excused himself, and so went along. The Indians in their canoes accompanied him ; and coming where an arm of the river declined on the right hand, they said that the Province of Quigaltu was near unto that place, and importuned the Governor to set upon him, and that they would aid him. And because they had said that he dwelt three days' journey down the river, the Governor supposed that they had plotted some treason against him, and there left them; and went down with the greatest force of the water. The current was very strong, and with the help of cars, they went very swiftly. The first day they landed in a wood on the left hand of the river, and at night they withdrew themselves to the brigantines. The next day they came to a town where they went on shore, and the people that was in it durst not tarry. A woman that they took there being examined, said, that the town belonged to a cacique named Huasene, subject to Quigalte, and that Quigalta tarried for them below in the river with many men. Certain horsemen went thither, and found some houses, wherein was much maize. Immediately more of them went thither and tarried there one day, and which they did beat out, and took as much maize as they needed. While they were there, many Indians came from the nether part of the river, and on the other side right against them somewhat carelessly set themselves in order to fight. The Governor sent in two canoes the crossbowmen that he had, and as many more as coull go in them. They ran away, and seeing the Spaniards could not overtake them, they returned back, and took courage; and com- ing nearer, making an outery, they threatened them ; and as soon as they departed thence, they went after them, some in cances, and some
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by land along the river; and getting before, coming to a town that stood by the river's side, they joined altogether, making a show that they would tarry there. Every brigantine towed a canoe fastened to their sterns for their particular service. Presently there entered men into every one of them, which made the Indians to fly, and burned the town. The same day they presently landed in a great field, where the Indians durst not tarry. The next day there were gathered to- gether an hundred canoes, among which were some that carried sixty and seventy men, and the principal men's canoes had their tilts, and plumes of white and red feathers for their ensigns : and they came within two crossbow shots of the brigantines, and sent three Indians in a small canoe with a feigned message to view the manner of the brigantines, and what weapons they had. And coming. to the side of the Governor's brigantine, one of the Indians entered, and said :
" That the Cacique of Quigalta, his lord, sent him his commenda- tions, and did let him understand, that all that the Indians of Guachoya had told him concerning himself, was false, and that they had incensed him, because they were his enemies; that he was his servant, and should find him so."
The Governor answered him, that he believed all that he said was truc, and willed him to tell him that he esteemed his friendship very much. With this answer they returned to the place where the rest in their canoes were waiting for them, and from thence all of them fell down, and came near the Spaniards, shouting aloud, and threaten- ing of them. The Governor sent John de Guzman, which had been . a captain of footmen in Florida, with fifteen armed men in canoes to make them give way. As soon as the Indians saw them come towards them, they divided themselves into two parts, and stood still till the Spaniards came nigh them, and when they were came near them, they joined together on both sides, taking John de Guzman in the middle, and them that came first with him, and with great fury boarded them : and as their canoes were bigger, and many of them leaped into the water to stay them, and to lay hold on the canoes of the Spaniards, and overwhohn them ; so presently they overwhehned them. The Christians fell into the water, and with the weight of their armor sunk down to the bottom ; and some few, that by swim- ming or holding by the canoe could have saved themselves, with oars and staves which they had, they struck them on the head and make them sink. When they of the brigantines saw the overthrow, though they went about to succor them, yet through the current of
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the river they could not go back. Four Spaniards fled to the brigan- tine that was nearest to the canoes ; and only these escaped of those that came among the Indians. There were cleven that died there : among whom John de Guzman was one, and a son of Don Carlos, called John de Vargas : the rest also were persons of account and men of great courage. Those that escaped by swimming said that they saw the Indians enter the canoe of John de Guzman at the stern of one of their canoes, and whether they carried him away dead or alive they could not certainly tell.
. The Indians, seeing that they had got the victory, took such cou- rage, that they assaulted them in the brigantines, which they durst not do before. They came first to that brigantine wherein Calderon went for captain, and was in the rearward : and at the first volley of arrows they wounded twenty-five men. There were only four armed men in this brigantine ; these did stand at the brigantine's side to de- fend it. Those that were unarmed, seeing how they hurt them, left their oars and went under the deck : whereupon the brigantine began to cross, and to go where the current of the stream carried it. One of the armed men seeing this, without the commandment of the cap- tain, made a footman to take an oar and steer the brigantine, he stand- ing before him and defending him with his target. The Indians came no nearer than a bowshot, from whence they offended and were not offended, receiving no hurt : for in every brigantine was but one crossbow, and those which we had were very much out of order. So that the Christians did nothing else but stand for a butt to receive their arrows. Having left this brigantine they went to another, and fought with it half an hour ; and so from one to another they fought with them all. The Christians had mats to lay under them, which were double, and so close and strong, that no arrow went through them. And as soon as the Indians gave them leisure, they fenced the brigantines with them. And the Indians seeing that they could not shoot level, shot their arrows at random up in the air, which fell into the brigantines, and hurt some of the men : and not therewith contented, they sought to get to them which were in the canoes with the horses. Those of the brigantines environed them to defend them, and took them among them. Thus seeing themselves much vexed by them, and so wearied that they could no longer endure it, they deter- mined to travel all the night following, thinking to get beyond the country of Quigalla, and that they would leave them : but when they thought least of it, supposing that they had now left them, they heard
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very near them so great outeries, that they made them deaf, and so they followed us all that night, and the next day till noon, by which time we were come into the country of others, whom they desired to use us after the same manner; and so they did. The men of Quigalta returned home; and the other in fifty canoes fought with us a whole day and a night; and they entered one of the brigantines, that came in the rearward, by the canoe which she had at her stern, and took away a woman which they found in it, and afterwards hurt some of the men in the brigantines. Those which came with the horses in the canoes, being wearied with rowing night and day, lingered be- hind; and presently the Indians came upon them, and they of the brigantines tarried for them. The Governor resolved to go on shore and kill the horses, because of the slow way which they made be- cause of them. As soon as they saw a place convenient for it, they went thither and killed the horses, and brought the flesh of them to dry it on board. Four or five of them remained on shore alive; the Indians went unto them, after the Spaniards were embarked. The horses were not acquainted with them, and began to neigh, and run up and down in such sort, that the Indians, for fear of them, leaped into the water ; and getting into their canoes went after the brigan- tines, shooting cruelly at them. They followed us that evening and the night following till the next day at ten of the clock, and then re- turned up the river. Presently from a small town that stood upon the river came seven canoes, and followed us a little way down the river, shooting at us : but seeing they were so few that they could do . us but little harm, they returned to their town. From thence for- ward, until they came to the sea, they had no encounter. They sailed down the river seventeen days : which may be two hundred and fifty leagues' journey, little more or less: and near unto the sea, the river is divided into two arms; each of them is a league and a half broad.
Half a league before they came to the sea, they came to anchor to rest themselves there about a day; for they were very weary with rowing, and out of heart. For by the space of many days they had caten nothing but parched and sodden maize; which they had by allowance every day an headpiece full by strike for every three men. While they rode there at anchor seven canoes of Indians came to set upon those which they brought with them. The Governor com- manded armed men to go aboard them, and to drive them farther off. They came also against them by land through a thick wood, and a
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moorish ground, and had staves with very sharp forked heads made of the bones of fishes, and fought very valiantly with us, which went out to encounter them. And the other that came in canoes with their arrows staid for them that came against them, and at their coming both those that were on land, and those in the canoes wounded some of us: and secing us come near them, they turned their backs, and like swift horses among footmen got away from us; making some returns, and reuniting themselves together, going not past a bow shot off': for in so retiring they shot, without receiving any hurt of the Christians. For though they had some bows, yet they could not use them; and brake their arms with rowing to overtake them. And the Indians easily in their compass went with their canoes, staying and wheeling about as it had been in a skirmish, perceiving that those that came against them could not offend them. And the more they strove to come near them, the more hurt they received. As soon as they had driven them farther off, they returned to the brigantines. They stayed two days there: and departed from thence unto the place where the arm of the river entereth into the sea. They sounded in the river near unto the sea, and found forty farthoms water. They staid there. And the Governor commanded all and singular persons to speak their minds touching their voyage, whether it were best to cross over to Nueva Espana, committing themselves to the high sea, or whether they should keep along the coast. There were sundry opinions touching this matter : wherein John Danusco, which presumed much, and took much upon him in the knowledge of navigation, and matters of the sea, although .he had but little experience, moved the Governor with his talk : and his opinion was seconded by some others. And they affirmed, that it was much better to pass by the high sea, and cross the gulf, which was three of four parts the lesser travel, because in going along the coast, they went a great way about, by reason of the compass which the land did make. John Danusco said, that he had seen the sea-card, and that from the place where they were, the coast ran cast and west unto Rio de las Palmas; and from Rio de las Palmas to Nueva España from north to south : and therefore in sailing always in sight of land would be a great compassing about and spending of much time; and that they would be in great danger to be overtaken with winter before they should get to the land of the Christians : and that in ten or twelve days' space, having good weather, they might be there in crossing over. The most part were against this opinion, and said that it was more safe to go along the coast, though they staid the longer : because their ships were very
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weak and without decks, so that a very little storm was enough to cast them away : and if they should be hindered with calms, or con- trary weather, through the small store of vessels which they had to carry water iu, they should likewise fall into great danger: and that although the ships were such as they might venture in them, yet hav- ing neither pilot nor sea-card to guide themselves, it was no good counsel to cross the gulf. This opinion was confirmed by the greatest part : and they agreed to go along the coast. At the time wherein they sought to depart from thence, the cable of the anchor of the Go- vernor's brigantine brake, and the anchor remained in the river. And albeit they were near the shore, yet it was so deep, that the divers diving many times could never find it; which caused great sadness in the Governor, and in all those that went with him in his brigantine : but with a grindstone which they had, and certain bridles which remained to some of the gentlemen, and men of worship which had horses, they made a weight which served instead of an anchor. The 18th of July (1543) they went forth to sea with fair and prosperous weather for their voyage. And seeing that they were gone two or three leagues from the shore, the captains of the other brigantines overtook them, and asked the Governor, wherefore he did put off from the shore? and that if he would leave the coast, he should say so; and he should not do it without the consent of all: and that if he did otherwise, they would not follow him, but that every one would do what seemed best unto himself. The Governor answered, that he would do nothing without their counsel, but that he did bear off from the land to sail the better and safer by night ; and that the next day when time served, he would return to the sight of land again. They sailed with a reasonable good wind that day and the night following, and the next day till evening song, always in fresh water; whereat they wondered much : for they were very far from land. But the force of the current of the river is so great, and the coast there is so shallow 'and gentle, that the fresh water enters far into the sea. That evening on their right hand they saw certain creeks, whither they went, and rested there that night: where John Dunusco with his reasons won them at last, that all consented and agreed to commit themselves to the main sea, alleging, as he had done before, that it was a great advantage, and that their voyage would be much shorter. They sailed two days, and when they would have come to sight of land they could not, for the wind blew from the shore. On the fourth day, seeing their fresh water began to fail, fearing necessity and danger, they all complained of John Danusev, and of the Governor
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that followed his counsel: and every one of the captains said, that they would no more go from the shore, though the Governor went whither he would. It pleased God that the wind changed, though but a little : and at the end of four days after they had put to sea, being already destitute of water, by force of rowing they got within sight of land, and with great trouble recovered it, in an open road. That evening the wind came to the south, which on that coast is a cross wind, and drove the brigantines against the shore, because it blew very hard, and the anchors were so weak, that they yielded and began to bend. The Governor commanded all men to leap into the water, and going betweeen them and the shore, and thrusting the brigantines into the sea as soon as the wave was past, they saved them till the wind ceased.
In the bay where they rode, after the tempest was passed, they went on shore, and with mattocks, which they had, they digged certain pits, which grew full of fresh water, where they filled all the casks they had. The next day they departed thence, and sailed two days, and entered into a creek like unto a pool, fenced from the south wind, which then did blow, and was against them; and there they stayed four days, not being able to get out; and when the sea was cahn they rowed out. They sailed that day, and towards evening the wind grew so strong that it drove them on the shore, and they were sorry that they had put forth from the former harbor; for as soon as night approached, a storm began to rise in the sea, and the wind still waxed more violent with a tempest. The brigantines lost one another. Two of them, which bare more into the sea, entered into an arm of the sea, which pierced into the land two leagues be yond the place where the others were that night. The five which stayed behind, being always a league and half a league the one from the other, met together, without any knowledge the one of the other, in a wild road, where the wind and the waves drove them on shore; for their anchors did straighten and came home, and they could not use their oars, putting seven or eight men to every one, which rowed to seaward; and all the rest leaped into the water, and when the wave was passed that drave the brigantine on shore, they thrust it again into the sea with all the diligence and might that they had. Others, while another wave was incoming, with bowls Javed out the water that came in overboard. While they were in this tempest, in great fear of being east away in that place, from midnight forward they endured an intolerable torment of an infinite swarm of mosquitoes which fell upon them, which as soon as they had stung the flesh, it so
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infected it, as though they had been venomous. In the morning the sca was assuaged and the wind slacked, but not the mosquitoes; for the sails, which were white, seemed black with them in the morning. Those which rowed, unless others kept them away, were not able to row. Having passed the fear and danger of the storm, beholding the deformities of their faces, and the blows which they gave themselves to drive them away, one of them laughed at another. They met all together in the creek where the two brigantines were which outwent their fellows. There was found a scum which they call copee, which the sea casteth up, and it is like pitch, wherewith in some places, where pitch is wanting, they pitch their ships; there they pitched their brigantines. They rested two days, and then eftsoons pro- ceeded on their voyage. They sailed two days more, and landed in a bay or arm of the sea, where they stayed two days. The same day that they went from thence six men went up in a canoe toward the head of it, and could not see the end of it. They put out from thence with a south wind, which was against them; but because it was little, and for the great desire they had to shorten their voyage, they put out to sea by the force of oars, and for all that made very little way, with great labor, in two days, and went under the lee of a small island into an arm of the sea, which compassed it about. While they were there, there fell out such weather, that they gave God many thanks that they found out such an harbor. There was great store of fish in that place, which they took with nets, which they had, and hooks. Here a man cast an hook and a line into the sea, and tied the end of it to his arm, and a fish caught it, and drew him into the water unto the neck; and it pleased God that he re- membered himself of a knife that he had, and cut the line with it. There they abode fourteen days; and at the end of them it pleased God to send them fair weather, for which, with great devotion, they appointed a procession, and went in procession along the strand, be- sceching God to bring them to a land where they might serve him in better sort.
In all the coast wheresoever they digged they found fresh water ; there they filled their vessels, and the procession being ended, em- barked themselves, and going always in sight of the shore they sailed six days. . John Danasco said that it would do well to bear out to seaward ; for he had seen the sea-card, and remembered that from Rio de las Palmas forward, the coast did run from north to south, and thitherto they had run from east to west, and in his opinion, by his reckoning, Ria de las Palmas could not be far off from where they
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were. That same night they put to sea, and in the morning they saw palm leaves floating, and the coast which ran north and south. From midday forward they saw great mountains, which until then they had not seen ; for from this place to Puerto de Spiritu Santo, where they first landed in Florida, was a very plain and low country; and there- fore it cannot be deseried, unless a man comes very near it. By that which they saw, they thought they had overshot Rio de Palmas that night, which is sixty leagues from the river Ponuco, which is in Nuera España. They assembled all together, and some said it was not good to sail by night, lest they should overshoot the river of Panuco ; and others said, it was not well to lose time while it was favorable, and that it could not be so near that they should pass it that night ; and they agreed to take away half the sails, and so sail all night. Two of the brigantines, which sailed that night with all their sails, by break of day had overshot the river of Panuco without seeing it. Of the five that came behind, the first that came unto it was that wherein Calderan was captain. A quarter of a league be- fore they came at it, and before they did see it, they saw the water muddy, and knew it to be fresh water ; and coming right against the river, they saw where it entered into the sea, that the water broke upon a shoal. And because there was no man there that knew it, they were in doubt whether they should go in, or go along; and they re- solved to go in; and before they came into the current, they went close to the shore, and entered into the port. And as soon as they were come in, they saw Indian men and women appareled like Span- iards, whom they asked in what country they were ? They answered in Spanish, that it was the river of Panuco, and that the town of the Christians was fifteen leagues up within the land. The joy that all of them received upon this news cannot sufficiently be expressed ; for it seemed unto them that at that instant they were born again. And mauy went on shore and kissed the ground, and kneeling on their knecs, with lifting up their hands and eyes to Heaven, they all ceased not to give God thanks. Those which came after, as soon as they saw Culderan come to an anchor with his brigantine in the river, presently went thither, and came into the haven. The other two brigantines which had overshot the place, put to sea to return back to seek the rest, and could not do it, because the wind was con- trary and the sea grown; they were afraid of being cast away, and recovering the shore they cast anchor. While they rode there a storm arose, and seeing that they could not abide there, mmuch less
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endure at sea, they resolved to run on shore; and as the brigantines were but small, so did they draw but little water; and where they were it was a sandy coast. By which occasion the force of their sails drove them on shore, without any hurt of them that were in them. As those that were in the port of P'anuco at this time were in great joy ; so these felt a double grief in their hearts, for they knew not what was become of their fellows, nor in what country they were, and feared it was a country of Indian enemies. They landed two leagues below the port ; and when they saw themselves out of the danger of the sea, every one took of that which he had, as much as he could carry on his back, and they traveled up into the country, and found Indians, which told them where their fellows were, and gave them good enter- tainment; wherewith their sadness was turned into joy, and they thanked God most humbly for their deliverance out of so many dangers.
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