Day At Length Broke, And
Gave Us A View Of Our Danger.
Great bodies of warriors were seen advancing
with their standards displayed to join those who had assembled on the
preceding evening, and we soon found that we must exert our utmost efforts
for our defence, putting our trust in the mercy of GOD to relieve us from
our dangerous situation.
The Indians surrounding us on every side,
immediately attacked us hand to hand, and soon wounded ten of our men; but
the execution made by our swords and fire-arms made them draw off to some
distance, whence they plied their arrows to good effect. They continually
called out, al calachioni, al calachioni, which we understood to mean,
Aim at the captain, who was wounded by arrows in twelve different places.
I also had three wounds, one of which in my left side, was very dangerous,
and two of our men were carried off alive. Seeing all our exertions
ineffectual, as the enemy continually received reinforcements, and above
fifty of our number were already slain, Cordova gave orders to force our
way through the enemy, which we effected in a compact body, the enemy
keeping up a close pursuit, continually pouring in their arrows, and even
attacking us with their spears. We at last reached our boats, which sunk
in the hurry and pressure of our embarkation, and many of us had to
endeavour to reach the bark, which came as near as possible to receive us,
half wading and half swimming. In this last effort many of our soldiers
were wounded, and it was with the utmost difficulty that any of us escaped.
This disastrous action lasted half an hour, and on mustering our force
after we got back to the ships, we found we had lost fifty-seven men. Our
wounds soon became very painful, owing to the cold and the sea water, and
we cursed Alaminos and his discoveries, who still persisted that this land
was an island. We gave this bay the name of de Mala Prelea, or of the
unlucky fight. One soldier only of those who escaped was unwounded, most
of us having three or four wounds, and our captain twelve. Many of the
sailors likewise were disabled; for which reason we set the smallest
vessel on fire, distributing her crew to the others. Our greatest
misfortune was that we had been forced to leave our casks behind, so that
during the rest of the time we remained at sea we were reduced to
inexpressible distress for want of water, our lips and tongues becoming
full of cracks from intolerable thirst. Such are the cruel hardships
attendant on voyages of discovery.
After three days sail, observing a creek which we hoped might lead to
fresh water, fifteen sailors and three soldiers went on shore to examine
it; but the only water they could find was salt, and some which they got
from pits which they sunk on the shore was not drinkable even in our
distressed situation. This was called Alligators Creek, as it contained
a great number of these animals. The prevailing winds at this time were
from the north and north-east, which increased to a storm, in which we
were near perishing. When it subsided, we determined on returning to the
Havanna; but, by the advice of Alaminos, we made in the first place for
the coast of Florida, which by his charts, and the observations he had
made of our voyage, was 70 leagues distant. He was well acquainted with
this navigation, as he had been there ten or twelve years before[1] with
Juan Ponce de Leon, and steering across the gulf, we came to that country
in four days sail. Our first object was to obtain a supply of water; for
our captain was sinking daily under the distress of his wounds and
intolerable thirst, and we were all in much need of that indispensable
necessary of life. Twenty of us, among whom I was one, went on shore with
the casks as soon as possible, being warned by Alaminos to be on our guard
against a sudden attack from the natives, who had fallen upon him by
surprise when formerly on that coast. We accordingly posted a guard in an
open place near the shore, and set about digging some pits, in which we
had the satisfaction to find excellent water. We remained about an hour
washing our linens and bathing our wounds, which delay enabled the Indians
to attack us, one of our centinels giving us the alarm only a few moments
before they appeared. The Indians, who were tall, athletic men, dressed in
the skins of beasts, immediately let fly a shower of arrows, by which six
of us were wounded, and myself among the rest. We soon beat them off,
however, when they went to the assistance of another party who had come
round in some canoes, and were dragging away our boat, after wounding
Alaminos and four sailors. We followed them as quickly as possible, wading
up to our middles in the sea, and rescued the boat, after killing
twenty-two of the Indians, and making prisoners of three who were only
slightly wounded, yet died afterwards during our voyage to Cuba.
After the natives were driven away, we inquired of the soldier who gave us
the alarm of the enemy, what had become of his comrade? He reported, that
a short time before he came to us, his companion went to the water side to
cut down a palmito, and soon afterwards, hearing him cry out, being as he
supposed in the hands of the enemy, he ran towards us and gave the alarm.
The soldier thus amissing, named Berrio, was the only person who escaped
from Pontonchan unwounded. We went to seek for him, and found the palmito
he had begun to cut, around which the ground was much trodden, but no
trace of blood, from which we concluded he had been carried away alive.
Having sought him in vain for an hour, we returned on board with the water,
to the infinite joy of our companions, who were quite beside themselves on
its arrival.
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