Page:The Mastering of Mexico.djvu/43

Rh On the 5th of April, 1518, we met together, and after the pilots, three of whom accompanied us on our former voyage, had had their instructions and the signals had been fixed, we paid our devotions at church and weighed anchor. In ten days we doubled the point called by the sailors San Anton, and eight days after we sighted the island of Cozumel. Our ships, carried by currents of the sea, stood further off than when we were there with Cordova, and we landed on the south side of the island, where was good anchorage, free from reefs, and also a town.

A large body of us went on shore with our captain, but the people of the town, when they saw our ships approaching, took to flight, because they had never seen such a sight before. We found two weak, old men, however, hidden in a corn field, and we brought them before our captain. With the help of Julian and Melchior, whom, as I said, we had taken in our previous visit—with the help of our two Indians, who understood their language, our captain spoke kindly to these feeble old men and gave them some beads, and sent them away to bring the cacique of the town. But they never again appeared.

While we were still waiting for their return, a comely Indian woman came towards us and began talking in the language of Jamaica, which many among us understood. She said the people had fled