ldier named Bernardino Iniguez as _veedor_,
to take care of his majesties rights in case of procuring any gold during
the voyage.

Having provided ourselves in necessaries as well as we could, and
recommended ourselves to God and the Holy Virgin, we sailed from the port
of Agaruco on the 8th of February 1517. In twelve days we passed Cape St
Antonio in the land of a tribe of savages called _Guanatareyes_, after
which we sailed to the westwards at random, being entirely ignorant of the
shallows, currents, or prevailing, winds in these seas. We were in most
imminent danger during our voyage for two days and two nights in a violent
storm; but the wind subsided, and in twenty-one days after leaving Cuba,
we came to a coast which had never been before discovered. On nearing the
shore, we saw a large town about two leagues inland, which we named Grand
Cairo, as it exceeded any of the towns in Cuba. Our bark was sent forwards
to examine the coast. Five canoes came off to us on the morning of the 4th
March. These boats of the Indians resemble troughs, being hollowed out of
a single trunk of a tree, and many of them are large enough to contain
fifty men. We invited the people by signs to come on board, and above
thirty of them came aboard Cordovas ship without shewing the smallest
apprehension, where they were treated with such provisions as we had, and
each of them received a string of green glass beads. Having examined the
vessels with much admiration, they went to the shore, promising by signs
to return next day with a greater number of canoes, in order to bring us
all on shore. All these Indians had close cotton dresses, having a narrow
cloth round their waists, being more decent than the natives of Cuba,
where the women only use this piece of dress. Next day the same chief came
off with twelve large canoes, inviting our captain to go on shore,
repeating frequently _con-escotoch, con-escotoch_, which we understood to
mean, _come to our town_, and from this circumstance we named the place
_Punta de Cotoche_. We resolved to accept the invitation, but using the
precaution to go in a body at one embarkation, as we saw many Indians on
shore. We therefore hoisted out our own boats, and in them and the canoes
and our own small bark, we proceeded to the land. After landing, we halted
to consider what we should do, and as the cacique still urged us by signs
to accompany him, we marched on in good order, fifteen of our men being
armed