return to Cuba to give an
account to Velasquez of all their proceedings and discoveries, more
especially as he had expressly prohibited the making of any settlement,
that he might hereafter send a greater number for that purpose if he
judged right. Yet Grijalva was much inclined to remain and build a town,
and made choice of Alvaredo to carry a message to that effect to Velasquez,
sending by him all the gold and other curiosities which had been procured,
and all the sick.

After the departure of Grijalva from Cuba, Velasquez became very anxious
about his ships, which were navigating upon an unknown coast, and sent
therefore Christopher de Olido, a commander of good character, in a ship
with seventy soldiers, to endeavour to procure intelligence. While Olido
was at anchor on the coast of Yucutan, there arose so violent a storm that
he was forced to cut his cables, and run back to St Jago. Much about this
time Alvaredo arrived with the gold, cotton cloth, and other things from
Grijalva, and a relation of all that had been done during the expedition.
This was very satisfactory to Velasquez, who conceived great hopes of
brilliant consequences from the discoveries, and the news spread about the
island of Cuba, to the great astonishment and admiration of all men.
Velasquez was a severe master to those who served him, over credulous, and
easily provoked by misrepresentations. And Alvaredo having been of opinion
for settling a colony in New Spain, represented the affair to him in any
way he thought proper, and gave him very bad impressions of the man who
had served him so very successfully and faithfully, with such strict
regard to the orders he had given. Leaving this for the present, we
proceed to give an account of the farther operations of Grijalva in
obtaining a clear account of this part of the continent he was sent to
discover.

Soon after Alvaredo set out for Cuba, by the advice of his captains and
pilots, Grijalva continued his exploration of the coast, which he sailed
along in sight of the mountains of _Tuspa_, so named from a town in that
neighbourhood. Proceeding onwards to the province of Panuco, they saw
several towns on the shore, and a river which they named _Decancas_. While
they lay here at anchor rather off their guard, ten canoes full of armed
men came towards the ship commanded by Alonzo de Avila, and poured in a
flight of arrows, by which five men were wounded, and then attempted to
cut the cables, that t