Page:Vol 2 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/145

Rh devoid of water, the shipwrecked crossed in their boat to a larger island containing plenty of turtles, some of them so large in the eyes of the famished crew "that they could move away with seven men on their backs." Refreshed by this food, they proceeded to a still larger island, the resort of innumerable birds, manatees, and turtles — a paradise, in brief, to the castaways, could they only have found fresh water. The want of this, together with the change of dict, and the hardship, had quite reduced the men, and they were on the poit of despair, when the discovery of a somewhat brackish spring infused new spirit.

They now took steps to accommodate themselves to circumstances, by building huts and establishing a routine for the performance of daily duties. Fire was obtained by the well-known method of rubbing together two pieces of wood, and sustained by shrubs; there was a variety of food, and material existed for apparel and implements. A tool-chest had been saved, and two carpenters began to construct a strong boat from the remains of the wreck, wherein to seek aid from a Spanish settlement. In this three men, named Gomez, Ballester, and Arenas, together with an Indian boy, volunteered to seek Villa Rica. For this hazardous undertaking they had taken a vow to observe perpetual chastity if heaven should grant them success. Their prayers were answered, for a favorable wind carried them in eleven days to the coast near Medellin, whence their message and a letter from Zuazo