officers held a consultation with the pilots, when it was determined
that we should continue our course along the coast, and push our
discoveries as far as possible. As we sailed along, we first came in
view of the Tusta, and, two days after, of the more elevated mountains
of Tuspa, both of which take their names from two towns lying close to
the foot of these mountains. On the whole, we saw numbers of towns lying
from six to nine miles inland, now the province of Panuco. At last we
arrived at a large stream, to which we gave the name of Canoe river, and
dropped anchor at its mouth.

While our vessels were lying at anchor here, and our men had become less
careful than usual, sixteen large canoes full of Indians, all equipped
for battle, with bows, arrows, and lances, came down the stream and made
straight for our smallest vessel, commanded by Alonso de Avila, which
lay nearest the shore. They greeted our men with a shower of arrows,
wounding two of the soldiers, and then lay hold of the vessel as if they
meant to carry her off, after they had cut one of the cables. We now
hastened to the assistance of Alonso, who was still bravely repelling
his assailants, and had capsized three of their canoes. We were well
armed with crossbows and muskets, and very soon wounded at least above a
third of our enemies, who speedily retreated to where they had come
from, not exactly in the best of spirits. Upon this we weighed anchor
and continued our course along the coast until we arrived at a wide
projecting cape, which, on account of the strong currents, we found so
difficult to double that we considered our further course now impeded.
The chief pilot, Alaminos, here told our commander that it was no longer
advisable to sail on at a venture, for which he gave us many plausible
reasons. This matter being duly considered in council, it was
unanimously agreed that we should return to Cuba.

To this step we were, moreover, induced by the approach of winter,
scarcity of provisions, and the bad condition of one of our vessels
which had become very leaky. To this may also be added the disagreement
between our commanders; for Juan de Grijalva persisted in his opinion
that they should make an attempt to leave a colony behind, while
Francisco de Montejo and Alonso de Avila, on the contrary, maintained
that any such attempt would be fruitless, considering the multitude of
warriors which inhabited these countries: to all this may be added that