One Man Leapt Into The Boat Immediately On Its Getting
Along-Side, And Never Ceased Drinking Till He Died.
We next proceeded to a
certain low island called los Baxos de los Martyres, where our
commanders ship struck
On a sunken rock, and took in so much water that
she was near sinking; indeed we greatly feared that our utmost exertions
at the pump could not bring her into port. When two of our sailors, who
were from the Levant, were called upon to aid in pumping, they calmly
replied facetelo vos, or Do it yourselves, when we were almost exhausted
by fatigue, and the ship on the very point of going down. We compelled
them, however, to fall to, and by the blessing of GOD we got safe to the
harbour then called Puerto de Carenas, where the city of Havanna has
been since built. Our captain went immediately to his estate near Spiritu
Santo, where he died in ten days, and three soldiers died of their wounds
at the Havanna, and the rest dispersed to their different homes or
avocations.
Immediately after our arrival, an express was sent to Velasquez the
governor of Cuba, informing him that we had discovered a country having
houses of stone and lime, where the inhabitants were decently clothed,
cultivating maize, and possessing gold; and the fame of our discovery was
soon spread through the island, by the soldiers and mariners who had
returned from the expedition. On producing the figures and idols which we
had brought over, it was believed that they had been brought to that
country by a Jewish colony, flying after the destruction of Jerusalem by
Titus and Vespasian[2]. The name of Yucutan, which that country we
discovered acquired at this time, was occasioned by the following mistake.
Yuca in the language of the country is the name of the plant used in the
islands for bread, there named cazabi, and tale in the same language
signifies the heap of earth on which it is planted. When the two prisoners
whom we brought from thence were shewn this plant in Cuba, they
immediately recognized it, saying Yucu-tal, which was supposed to
signify their country, and has ever since been applied by the Spaniards to
that part of America, but pronounced Yucutan. They alleged likewise that
their country produced gold, or at least they were so understood, but this
has since been found not to be the case. All that we soldiers got by this
discovery, was to come back poor and wounded, and thankful that we had
saved our lives, having lost seventy out of our small number during the
expedition. Diego Velasquez wrote an account to his patron, the bishop of
Burgos, of all the particulars of this discovery, and the expences he had
incurred, by which he obtained fame and credit from his majesty; but
nothing was said in favour of us poor soldiers, who had expended our
property, and risked our lives in the expedition.
As soon as our wounds were healed, I and two other soldiers, desiring to
go to the town of Trinidad, agreed for our passage with an inhabitant of
the Havanna, who was going there in a canoe to sell a cargo of cotton, for
which he was to be paid ten crowns in gold. We accordingly embarked with
him, and after coasting along for eleven days, we were driven on shore in
a violent gale of wind, near an Indian town named Canarreon, the canoe
being dashed to pieces, while we reached the shore with much difficulty
naked, bruised, and wounded. We were forced to adopt the clothing of our
first parents, and tied sandals to our feet made of bark which we cut from
the trees with sharp stones, fixing them on by means of the tough flexible
roots of a plant called bejucos. Travelling in this sorry plight, we
came in two days to the village of Yaguarrama, where Fray Bartholome de
las Casas was then parish priest, who was afterwards bishop of Chiapa.
I went next day to the town of Chipiona, belonging to Alonso de Avila,
where I got myself decently clothed at the house of a friend named
Antonio de Medina. I then continued my journey to St Jago, where the
governor, Velasquez, was preparing to fit out another expedition of
discovery. Being my relation, as well as governor, I went to wait upon him,
when he asked if I was willing to undertake another expedition to Yucutan.
I answered, that it ought rather to be called the land of wounds and
disasters. He replied, he knew that we suffered much in the last voyage,
but such was often the fate of those who sought fame and honour by new
discoveries, and that he would take care to inform the king of our
services, that we might be rewarded according to our merits. "And now,"
said he, "my son, if you will try your fortune once more, I will place you
in a station where you may reap honour."
[1] The present voyage of Cordova was in 1517: that of Ponce de Leon in
1512, only five years before. - E.
[2] Nothing can be more ridiculous than this fancy of the Americans being
descended from the Jews: Without stopping to controvert this absurd
opinion, it need only be noticed that the Jews, at least after their
return from captivity, have uniformly rejected the use of images, even
under the severest persecutions; except perhaps in Spain, where the
modern Jews are said to worship the Catholic idols with much apparent
devotion, to avoid the terrors of the Inquisition. - E.
SECTION II.
Expedition of Juan de Grijalva in 1518.
Encouraged by the accounts of the new discoveries which had been made in
the last expedition, Velasquez fitted out a new armament of four ships;
two of which had been on the former voyage, and the other two he now
purchased. This expedition was to be commanded in chief by his relation
Juan de Grijalva, under whom Pedro de Alvarado, Francisco de Montejo, and
Alonso de Avila were captains, all persons of known bravery, and
proprietors of estates in these islands.
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