without then being able to get the water under, while we
every moment feared the vessel would go down. I never shall forget the
answer which some sailors from the Levant, who were among the crew, made
when we cried out to them: "Come on, my boys, help us to pump out the
water, or we shall all be lost! you see how our wounds and hard labour
have debilitated us." "That's your own look out," said they; "we get no
pay, suffer both from hunger and thirst, and have, in the bargain, to
share your fatigues and wounds." Nothing now remained but to drive them
to the pumps by main force; and in this way we had alternately to work
the sails and the pumps, however distasteful to us, until the Lord Jesus
brought us into the port of Carena, where now the town of Havannah
stands, the latter being previously called Puerto de Carenas, and not
the Havannah.

As soon as we had set foot on shore we returned thanks to the Almighty
for our safe return, and got the water out of our principal ship, in
which a Portuguese diver, who happened to be on board another vessel,
greatly assisted us. We also immediately wrote to the governor, Diego
Velasquez, giving him an account of the countries we discovered with
large townships and houses built of stone, whose inhabitants were clad
in cotton, and wore maltates; likewise of the gold and the regular
maise-plantations of the country. Our captain journeyed overland to
Santispiritus, where he had his Indian commendary: he died, however, ten
days after his arrival there, from his wounds. The rest of our men
became dispersed through the island, and three more of our men died of
their wounds at the Havannah.

Our vessels were taken to Santiago de Cuba, where the governor resided.
Here the two Indians were brought on shore whom we had taken with us
from the Punta de Cotoche, as above related, called Melchorillo and
Julianillo. When, however, we brought forth the box with the crowns, the
golden ducks, the fish, and the idols, more noise was made about them
than they really merited, so that they became the common topics of
conversation throughout the islands of St. Domingo and Cuba; indeed the
fame thereof even reached Spain. There it was said that none of the
countries which had hitherto been discovered were as rich as this, and
in none had there been found houses built of stone. The earthen gods, it
was said, were the remains of the ancient heathen times; others again
went so far as to affirm that they were