ow estimated by the Spaniards to be _fifteen_ leagues
across, from which they concluded they were near the sea, yet did not
venture to quit the main stream for fear of hidden danger. Thus holding
on their course, on the nineteenth day of their voyage they came to the
sea, computing that they had run little short of 500 leagues[191], from
the place where they built their brigantines. Being ignorant whereabout
they were, they cast anchor at an island, where they rested three days
to recover from their long fatigues and continual watching, and to refit
their brigantines. They here computed how far they had been up the
country, and as already mentioned estimated the distance from where the
brigantines were built to the sea at near 500 leagues: And as the river
was there nineteen feet deep and a quarter of a league over, they
conjectured that the source of the river might be still 300 leagues
farther up the country, or 800 leagues in its whole course. When the
Spaniards had been three days in this island, they observed seven canoes
to issue from a place overgrown with tall reeds, and come towards them.
When within hearing, a gigantic man, as black as a negro, stood up in
the headmost canoe and addressed them in the following harangue:
"Wherefore do you vagabond robbers stroll about this coast, disturbing
its inhabitants? Get you gone speedily by one of the mouths of the great
river, and let me not find you here after this night, or I will kill you
all and burn your ships!" After this he withdrew among the reeds, and
Alvarado sent Gonzalo Silvestre with 100 men in the remaining canoes to
examine the inlet among the reeds. Of these men seventeen were armed
with cross-bows and three had long bows taken from the Indians, as the
want of musquets had induced the Spaniards to use the arms of their
enemies, at which they were become skilful. On getting into the creek or
inlet among the reeds, Silvestre found sixty small canoes drawn up in
readiness to receive him, which he immediately attacked, and overset
three of them at the first shock, wounding many of the Indians; and as
all the rest of the canoes immediately fled, Silvestre and his party
returned to the brigantines.

[Footnote 191: Five hundred Spanish leagues at 17-1/2 to a degree, or
about four English miles, would amount to about 2000 miles of voyage
down the Missisippi; but we have no sufficient warrant in the text to
ascertain the league used by Herrera, neither is it prob