e miserable plight of
these unhappy Spaniards, the Indians came to them with provisions, sat
down by them and lamented their misfortunes, carried them to their
houses, and made fires by the way to warm them, otherwise they must have
perished with the cold, as they were naked and it was now the month of
November. They were put into a house with a good fire, the natives
dancing all night close by them, which the Spaniards were sadly afraid
was a prelude to their being sacrificed next day. But as they were
plentifully supplied with provisions they began to recover their spirits
and confidence next day. Cabeza de Vaca and his companions were soon
afterwards joined by the Spaniards who had escaped from the wreck of
another bark. At first they were in all eighty men; but in a short time
their number was reduced to fifteen, as they were forced to winter on
the island, exposed to excessive cold and great scarcity of provisions.
Owing to their misfortunes, they called this _Isola de Mal-hado_, or the
isle of Bad-Luck[134].

[Footnote 134: As we have no information in the text which could lead to
suppose that Cabeza ever crossed the great river Missisippi, either
before landing on the island of Mal-hado, or in his subsequent journey
to New Spain, the isle of Bad-Luck may have been to the west of the
Missisippi.--E.]

The inhabitants of this island were of large stature, their only weapons
being bows and arrows. The men had one of their nipples bored, wearing a
piece of reed in the hole, and a similar ornament in their under lip.
They dwelt in this island from October to February, feeding much on
certain roots. In the months of November and December they caught fish
in a kind of wears inclosed with reeds; but these were not to be got at
any other time. At the latter end of February, when all the roots were
eaten, they were forced to remove from the island in search of food
elsewhere. These natives were extraordinarily fond of their children,
the parents and kindred lamenting for such as died during a whole year,
after which they completed the funeral ceremonies, and washed off the
black paint they had worn in token of mourning. They did not lament for
the death of the old, alleging that they had lived their time, and that
they took away the food which ought to go to the children. All the dead
were buried, except the _physicians_[135], whose bodies were burnt, and
their ashes kept for a year, after which these ashes were mixed wit