De Leon Sent Two Of His Prisoners To The Cacique, Saying
That Although He Had Killed A Spaniard, He Was Willing To Treat Of Peace
And Friendship.
Next day the boats went to sound the harbour, and some of
the men landed.
Some Indians brought a message from the cacique, saying
that he would come next day on purpose to trade: But this was merely a
feint to gain time, that they might collect their power; as at eleven
o'clock, eighty canoes full of armed men attacked the nearest ship, and
fought till night without doing the Spaniards any harm, all their arrows
falling short, as they durst not come near, for fear of the cross-bows and
artillery. At night the Indians retired. Having remained here nine days,
they began to think of returning to Hispaniola and Porto Rico, and
discovered some islands by the way, of which they received intelligence
from the Indian prisoners they had on board. They sailed among islands
till the 21st, when they arrived at some small islands which they called
las Tortugas, or the Tortoises, as they took 170 of these creatures in a
very short time in one of these islands, and might have had many more if
they would. On the 28th, seeing land, they came to an anchor to overhaul
their sails and tackle, but could not tell whereabout they were. Most of
them thought it was the island of Cuba, because they found canoes and dogs,
with some knives and other tools of iron. On the 25th of July they were
among a parcel of low islands, still ignorant of their situation, till De
Leon sent to examine an island which he believed to be Bahama, in which he
was confirmed by an old woman who was found alone in another island. They
were likewise confirmed in this circumstance by James Miruelo, a pilot,
who happened to be there with a boat from Hispaniola. Having ranged
backwards and forewards to the 23d of September, and refitted their ships,
Juan Ponce de Leon sent one of his ships, commanded by Juan Perez de
Ortubia, with Antonio de Alaminos as pilot, with orders to examine the
island of Bimini, in which the Indians reported there was a spring which
made old people young again. Twenty days afterwards, Juan Ponce returned
to Porto Rico, and not long afterwards the ship returned there which he
had sent to Bimini, but without discovering the famous spring. Ortubia
reported that the island was large, and pleasantly diversified with hills,
plains, and meadows, having many rivers and delightful groves[2].
Besides his main design of making discoveries, which all Spaniards then
aspired to, Ponce was eager to find out the spring of Bimini, and a
certain river in Florida, both of which were affirmed by the Indians of
Cuba to have the property of turning old people young by bathing in their
waters. Some time before the arrival of the Spaniards, many Indians were
so thoroughly convinced of the reality of such a river, that they went
over to Florida, where they built a town, and their descendants still
continue there.
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