' sail, which accounts for the inhabitants of Cozumel
speaking the same language. Our commander was very kind to them, gave
each some green glass beads, and sent them away to bring the Calachoni
of the district, (so the caziques are termed here;) they, however, never
returned. While we were still waiting for them, an Indian woman came
towards us, comely in appearance, and who spoke the language of Jamaica.
She told us that the Indians had fled, out of fear, to the mountains. As
I myself and many others among us understood her language, which is the
same as that of the island of Cuba, we were quite astonished at the
circumstance, and inquired of her how she had got here.

She told us that, two years ago, she had left Jamaica with ten Indians,
in a large canoe, in order to go fishing among the islands in this
neighbourhood, but had been driven on shore by the currents, when the
inhabitants killed her husband with most of her companions, and
sacrificed them to their gods.

It struck our commander, as soon as he had learnt this, that the woman
might be employed as a negotiator. He therefore desired her to go and
fetch the inhabitants and cazique of the district, and gave her two days
to return in. We durst not send Melchorejo and Julianillo with her, lest
they should run away and return to their own country.

The day following, the Indian woman returned, but informed us that,
notwithstanding all her representations, she could neither persuade the
Indians nor their wives to accompany her. We called this place Santa
Cruz, because we had discovered it four or five days before the feast of
the Holy Cross. In this neighbourhood there was plenty of honey, manioc,
patates, and large herds of musk swine, which have their navels on their
backs.[5] This island contains three poor villages, of which the one I
am now speaking of is the largest; the two smaller ones were both
situated on a promontory at about six miles distance from each other.
Our commander Grijalva, perceiving that it was mere loss of time to make
any further stay here, gave orders for re-embarking. The Indian woman of
Jamaica went along with us, and we continued our voyage.

[4] Puerto de Matanza, the harbour of the massacre. (p. 20.)

[5] The sus tajassu, pecary, or Mexican musk hog; but what our old
soldier, with other writers, mistook for a navel, is an open gland on
the lower part of the back, which discharges a fetid ichorous liquor.
(p. 22.)

CHAPTE