This
Information Was Generally Believed By Those Who Had Never Seen Horses,
Although It Was So Strange As To Cause Much Wonder.
Our men arrived after
nightfall and were able to conceal themselves under the edge of the
village, where they heard the natives talking in their houses.
But in the
morning they were discovered, and drew up in regular order, while the
natives went out to meet them, with bows and shields, and wooden clubs,
drawn up in lines without any confusion. The interpreter was given a chance
to speak to them and to give them one warning, for they were very
intelligent people, but nevertheless they drew lines and insisted that our
men should not go across these lines toward their village. While they were
talking some men acted as if they would cross the lines, and one of the
natives lost control of himself and struck a horse a blow on the check of
the bridle with his club. Friar Juan, fretted by the time that was being
wasted in talking with them, said to the captain, 'To tell the truth, I do
not know why we came here.' When the men heard this, they gave the Santiago
(The Battle Cry of Spain), so suddenly that they ran down many Indians and
the others fled to the town in confusion. Some indeed did not have a chance
to do this, so quickly did the people in the villages come out with
presents, asking for peace. The captain ordered his force to collect, and,
as the natives did not do any more harm, he and those who were with him
found a place to establish new headquarters near the village. They had
dismounted here when the natives came peacefully, saying that they had come
to give in the submission of the whole province and that they wanted him to
be friends with them and to accept the presents which they gave him. This
was some cotton cloth, although not much, because they do not make it in
that district. They also gave him some dressed skins and some corn meal,
and pine nuts, and corn and birds of the country. Afterward they presented
some turquoises, but not many. The people of the whole district came
together that day and submitted themselves, and they allowed him to enter
their villages freely to visit, buy, sell, and barter with them.
"It is governed like Cibola, by an assembly of the oldest men. They have
their governors and generals. This was where they obtained the information
about a large river, and that several days down the river there were some
people with very large bodies.
"As Don Pedro de Tovar was not commissioned to go farther, he returned from
there, and gave this information to the general, who dispatched Don Garcia
Lopez de Cardenas with about twelve companions to go to see this river. He
was well received when he reached Tusayan and was well entertained by the
natives, who gave him guides for his journey.
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