A
Party Was Sent In Search Of Him, Following The Track Of The Indians, Who
Found The Palmito He Had
Begun to cut down, and near it the grass was much
trodden down, which made them conclude he had been
Carried away alive, as
they could not find him after an hours search. That unfortunate soldier
was the only one who had escaped unwounded from Pontonchan.
The boat now returned to the ship with the water which they had procured;
and many of the people on board were so eager to drink, that one of the
soldiers leaped into the boat immediately on its getting along-side, and
drank so greedily that he swelled and died in two days after. Leaving this
place, they came in two days sail to the Martyres, where the greatest
depth of water is only two fathoms, interspersed with many rocks, on one
of which the ships touched and became very leaky. Yet it pleased God,
after so many sufferings, that they arrived at the port of Carenas, now
called the Havanna; whence Hernandez de Cordova sent an account of his
voyage to James Velasquez, the governor of Cuba, and died in ten days
after. Three of his soldiers died also at the Havanna, making fifty-six in
all lost during the expedition out of an hundred and ten men. The rest of
the soldiers dispersed themselves over the island of Cuba, and the ships
returned to the city of St Jago, by which the fame of this voyage spread
over the whole island.
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