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Of a very great beast with one horne vpon his fore-head; and of the courtesies which the Indians shewed Frier Marcus of Niça, in his Voyage. Also how cruelly Stephan Dorantez and his companions were vsed vpon their arriuall at Ceuola, by the Lorde thereof.
* 1.1HEre they shewed me an hide halfe as bigge againe as the hide of a great oxe, and tolde me that it was the skin of a beast which had but one horne vpon his forehead, & that this horne bendeth
toward his breast, and that out of the same goeth a point right forward, wherein he hath so great strength, that it will breake any thing how strong so euer it be, if he runne against it, and that there are great store of these beasts in that Countrey. The colcur of the hide is of the colcur of a great Goat-skin, and the haire is a finger thicke. Here I had messengers from Stephan which brought me word, that by this time he was come to the farthest part of the desert, and that he was very ioy∣full, because the farther he went, the more perfect knowledge he had of the greatnesse of the coun∣trey, and sent me word, that since his departure from me, hee neuer had found the Indians in any lye; for euen vnto that very place he had found al in such maner as they had informed him, & hoped that he should find the like at his arriuall in the valley which he was going vnto, as he had found in the villages before passed. I set vp crosses, and vsed those acts and ceremonies, which were to be done according to my instructions. The inhabitants requested me to stay here three or foure daies, because that from this place there were foure dayes iourney vnto the desert, and from the first en∣trance into the same desert vnto the citie of Ceuola are 15 great dayes iourney more;* 1.2 also that they would prouide victuals for me and other necessaries for that voyage. Likewise they told me, that with Stephan the Negro were gone aboue 300 men to beare him company, and to carry victuals after him, and that in like sort many of them would go with me to serue me, because they hoped to returne home rich. I thanked them, and willed them to set things in order with speede, and so I rested there three dayes, wherein I alwayes informed my selfe of Ceuola, and of as ma∣ny other things as I could learne, and called many Indians vnto mee, and examined them seue∣rally, and all of them agreed in one tale, and told me of the great multitude of people, and of the or¦der of the streetes, of the greatnesse of the houses, and of the strength of the gates, agreeing alto∣gether with that which the rest before had told me. After three dayes many assembled themselues to go with me, 30 of the principal of whom I tooke, being very well apparelled, and with chaines of turqueses, which some of them weare fiue or sixe times double, other people to cary things necessary for them and me, and so set forward on my voyage.
Thus I entred into the second desert on the 9 of May,* 1.3 and trauelled the first day by a very broad and beaten way, & we came to diner vnto a water, where the Indians had made prouision for me: and at night we came to another water, where I found a house which they had fully made vp for me, and another house stood made where Stephan lodged when he passed that way, and many old cottages and many signes of fire which the people had made that trauelled to Ceuola by this way. In this sort I trauelled 12 dayes iourney being alway well prouided of victuals,* 1.4 of wild beasts, Hares, and Partridges of the same colour and tast with those of Spaine although they are not so big, for they be somewhat lesse.
Here met vs an Indian the sonne of one of the chiefe men that accompanied mee, which had gone before with Stephan, who came in a great f••ight, hauing his face and body all couered with sweat, and shewing exceeding sadnesse in his countenance; and he told mee that a dayes iourney before Stephan came to Ceuola he sent his great Mace made of a gourd by his messengers, as he was alwayes woont to send them before him, that hee might knowe in what sort hee came vnto them, which gourd had a string of belles vpon it, and two feathers one white and another red, in token that he demanded safe conduct, and that he came peaceably. And when they came to Ce∣uola before the Magistrate, which the Lord of the citie had placed there for his Lieutenant, they deliuered him the sayde great gourd, who tooke the same in his hands, and after he had spyed the belles, in a great rage and fury hee cast it to the ground, and willed the messengers to get them packing with speed, for he knew well ynough what people they were, and that they should will them in no case to enter into the citie, for if they did hee would put them all to death. The mes∣sengers returned and tolde Stephan how things had passed, who answered them, that it made no great matter, and would needes proceed on his voyage till he came to the citie of Ceuola: where he found men that would not let him enter into the towne, but shut him into a great house which stoode without the citie, and straight way tooke all things from him which hee caried to truck and barter with them, and certaine turqueses, and other things which he had receiued of the Indians by the way, and they kept him there all that without giuing him meate or drinke, and the next day in the morning this Indians was a thirst, and went out of the house to drinke at a riuer that was neere at hand, and within little while after he saw Stephan running away, and the peo∣ple followed him, and slew certaine of the Indians which went in his company. And when this Indian saw these things, he hid himselfe on the banks of the riuer, and afterward crossed the high way of the desert. The Indians that went with me hearing these newes began incontinently to lament, and I thought these heauie and bad newes would cost mee my life, neither did I feare so much the losse of mine owne life, as that I should not bee able to returne to giue information of
the greatnesse of that Countrey, where our Lord God might be glorified: and streight way I cut the cords of my budgets which I carried with me ful of merchandise for traffique, which I would not dece•••••• ••h••n, nor giue any thing to any mau, and began to diuide all that I carried with mee a∣•••• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 principall men, willing them not to be afraid, but to goe forward with me, and so they 〈◊〉〈◊〉. And going on our way, within a dayes iourney of Ceuola wee met two other Indians of these which went with Stephan, which were bloody and wounded in many places: and assoone as they came to vs, they which were with mee began to make great lamentation. These wound••d Indians I al••••d ••or Stephan, and they agreeing in all poynts with the first Indian sayd, that af∣ter they ha•• put him into the foresayd great house without giuin•• him meat or drinke all that day and all that night, they ••••oke from Stephan all the things which hee carried with him. The next day when the Sunne was a lanc•• high, Stephan went out of ••he house, and some of the ch••••fe men with him, and suddenly came ••••ore of people from the citie, whom assoone as hee sawe he began to run away and we likewise and foorthwith they shot at vs and wounded vs, and certaine dead men fell ••pon vs and sowe ••y till night and durst not ••••••re, and we heard great rumours in the citie, and saw many men and women keeping watch and ward vpon the walles thereof, and af∣ter this we could not see Stephan any more, and wee thinke they haue shot him to death, as the•• haue done all the rest which went with him, so that none are escaped but we onely.
A mightie beast with one horne.
Fifteene D•••••••• iourney from the end of the desert to Ce∣uola or Ciu••l••
The second de∣sert entred the 9 of May.
Twelue dayes iourney.