is Come to my house, for
which reason this place was called Cape _Cotoche_. After the Spaniards had
consulted together, they hoisted out their boats, and went on shore with
their arms, where a prodigious multitude of people waited to see them. The
cacique still pressed them to go to his house, and having received so many
tokens of peace and friendship, they resolved to comply, in order to take
a view of the country. On coming to a wood, the cacique called out to a
great number of armed men who lay in ambush; when there immediately
appeared a great number of men in armour of quilted cotton, with targets,
wooden swords edged with flints, large clubs, spears, bows and arrows, and
slings. These warriors had their faces painted of many colours, and were
all adorned with plumes of feathers. They gave a hideous shout, pouring in
at the same time such a shower of stones and arrows, that they wounded
fifteen Spaniards at the first onset; after which they fell on sword in
hand, and fought with great resolution. The Spaniards had only twenty-five
cross-bows and muskets, which were well plied; but when the Indians felt
the sharpness of the Spanish swords, they soon fled, having seventeen
killed and many wounded. Two youths were taken in this action, who
afterwards became Christians by the names of Julian and Melchior. The
Spaniards returned to their ships, well pleased at having discovered a
more civilized people than any which had been hitherto seen at Darien, or
in any of the islands; more especially as they had houses of stone and
lime, which had not till then been seen in the West Indies.

They held their course along the coast for fifteen days, always laying to
at night, when they came to a large town with a bay, which they believed
to be a river in which they might find water, of which they were now in
great need. They landed, and hearing the Indians call the place
_Quimpeche_, it ever afterwards was called _Campechy_. Being come to a
well of excellent water, of which the natives used to drink, and having
taken what they needed, they were about to return to the ships, when fifty
Indians clad in jackets and large cotton cloth cloaks came up, asking by
signs what they wanted, whether they came from the east, and finally
invited them to their town. When they had seriously considered this, and
put themselves into a good posture of defence, lest they should be
treacherously used as they had already been at Cotoche, they accompanied