All Our Preparations Being Made, We Set Sail On The 5th Of April 1518,
After Hearing Mass With Great Devotion, And In Ten Days Doubled The Point
Of Guaniguanico, Which The Pilots Call Cape St Antonio.
In eight days
more we came in sight of the island of Cozumel, the currents forcing us
farther down than we had been in our former voyage.
On sight of our ships,
the natives fled from a town on the island, but our people found two old
men concealed in a field of maize who were unable to follow the rest. Our
interpreters, Julianillo and Melchiorejo, whom we had made prisoners in
the former voyage, understood the language of these people, as the island
of Cozumel is only four leagues from their country. Grijalva treated these
people well, after which he gave them some presents and dismissed them,
being in hopes to induce the natives of the town to return. Some time
afterwards, an Indian woman of a good person and handsome countenance
joined us, who spoke the language of Jamaica, which is the same with that
spoken in Cuba. She told us that she had left Jamaica two years before in
a canoe, with her husband and nine other men, intending to fish at certain
islands; but the currents had driven them to this place, where the natives
sacrificed her husband and all her other companions. Expecting that this
woman might prevail on the natives to return to the town, Grijalva sent
her away for that purpose, allowing two days for her return, but she came
back next day, saying that none of them could be prevailed upon to come.
At this place, named Santa Cruz, we found a great deal of honey in hives,
several kinds of vegetables, such as boniatos and potatoes, and many hogs
of the country, having their navel on their backs.
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