in exchange for various coloured plumes of
feathers.

In this country the women were more modestly clothed than any they had
hitherto seen. Every person, whether sick or well, came to the Spaniards
to be blessed, believing them to be men come down from heaven, so that
their authority was unbounded among the natives. It fortunately happened
that the Spaniards could make themselves understood wherever they went,
although they only knew six of the Indian languages, which would have
been of little use if Providence had not preserved them, considering the
vast multiplicity of languages spoken among the detached tribes of
America. Wherever they travelled, the tribes who happened to be at war
immediately made peace at their approach, that they might have the
opportunity of seeing the Christians; who thus left them all in amity,
and exhorted them wherever they went to worship the one only true God
who had created the heaven and earth, the sun, moon, and stars, and all
other things, and from whom proceeded all blessing. The Spaniards
likewise earnestly urged them to refrain from injuring one another by
going to war or taking away the goods of others, with many similar
instructions, all of which were well received. The whole country along
this coast seemed well peopled, and abounded in provisions, as the
natives sowed maize and kidney beans thrice a-year. In one town the
natives used poisoned arrows, their points being dipped in the juice of
some kind of fruit or plant. At this place they staid three days; and
after a days journey, coming to another town, they were obliged to stop
for fifteen days, owing to the river being in flood. At this place
Castillo observed an Indian who had a sword buckle and a horse shoe
hanging from his neck, who alleged that he got them from heaven; but on
being farther interrogated, he said that some bearded men had come from
heaven to that river, having horses, spears, and swords, who had gone
again to sea, where they and their spears plunged under water, but
appeared afterwards above it again. Cabeza and his companions joyfully
gave thanks to God for hearing some news of Christians after their long
and distressing sojourn among the barbarians, and hastened on their
journey to find them the sooner, telling all the Indians that they were
going to order these bearded men not to kill or make slaves of the
natives nor to do them any harm.

In continuing their journey they passed through a considerable e