Page:Letters of Cortes to Emperor Charles V - Vol 1.djvu/154

134 large, and it is thought that it reaches to the Sea of the North.

Thence they returned along the same coast by which they had gone, until they rounded the point of the said land, and, continuing in a northerly direction, they sailed until they arrived at the said Point Campoche, whose chief was named Lazaro, where Francisco Fernandez de Cordoba had stopped to trade, and, as ordered by Diego Velasquez, as well as to take the water he greatly needed, landed there.

As soon as the natives saw them coming, they placed themselves near their town, in array of battle, so as to defend its entrance. The Captain called to them, through the interpreters who accompanied him, and certain Indians came, whom he made to understand that he came merely for the purpose of trading with them for such things as they might have, and to get water; and thus he went with them until they arrived at a place, very near their town, where there was a spring. While taking the water he asked them through the said interpreter for gold, saying he would give them in exchange the valuables which he brought, and, as soon as the Indians saw this, having no gold to give him, they told him to go  Grijalba's Encounters with the Indians away; but he begged them to allow him to finish taking water, saying that he would immediately leave. In spite of this, however, he was unable to save himself from being obliged the next day, at the hour of mass, to fight the Indians, armed with their bows and arrows, their lances, and rodelas, so that they killed a Spaniard, and wounded the said Captain Grijalba and many others. That same afternoon they re-embarked in their caravels with all their people, without having gone into the town of the