The neighborhood of
the fort was diligently searched for tracks of a horse herd, but none
were discovered.
They did not know what to think of this delay. At
length, on the 14th of May, the Indians gave notice to some soldiers on
the beach that from the direction of the south men mounted on horses and
armed as they, were coming. It was the first land division under Rivera,
fifty days from Velicata, without the loss of a man or having a sick
one; but they were on half rations; they had only three sacks of flour
left and were issuing two tortillas[12] per day to each man. Great was
the rejoicing in the camp of the sick over the arrival of Rivera's
force. It was now resolved to remove the camp near to the river. This
was done, and a new camp established on a hill in what is now known as
"Old Town," where a stockade was made and the cannon mounted. The
surgeon, Pedro Prat, devoted himself to the sick, but the deaths
continued, until of the ninety and more who had sailed from La Paz,
two-thirds were laid under the sand of Punta de los Muertos[13]. It was
now thought best to send one of the packets to San Blas to inform the
viceroy and the visitador of the state of the expedition, and it was
feared that if this were longer delayed, the ship would be unable to put
to sea for lack of mariners.
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