score dayes in trauailing to Culiacan, in all which time I and those G••ntl••men my companions which w••re hors••men, ca••ried on our backs and on our horses, a little victuall, so that from h••nce∣forward wee carried none other n••edefull apparell with vs, that was aboue a pound w••ight: and all this n••tw••thst••nding, and though wee put our s••lues to such a small proportion of victuals which we•• carri••d, for all the order that possibly wee could take, wee were driuen to our shifts. And no maruayle, because the way is rough and long: and with the carriage of our Ha••que∣buses downe the mountaines and hilles, and in the passage of Riuers, the greater part of our corue was spoyled. And because I send your Lordship our voyage drawen in a Mappe, I will speake no more thereof in this my letter.
Thirtie l••agues before wee arriued at the place which the father prouinciall tolde vs so well of in his relation, I sent Melchior Di••z before with fifteene horses, giuing him order to make but one day••s iourney of two, because hee might examine all things, against mine arriuall: who trauailed f••ure d••yes iourney through exceeding rough Mountaines where he•• found neither victu••ls, nor p••ople, nor information of any things, sauing that hee found two or three poore little villag••s, containing 20. or 30. cottages a piece, and by the inhabitants thereof hee vnderstoode that from thence forward there were nothing but exc••eding rough mountaines which ran very farre, vtterly disinhabited and voyd of people. And because it was labour lost, I would not write vnto your Lordship thereof.
It grieued the whole company, that a thing so highly commended, and whereof the father had mad•• so great bragges, should be found so contrary, and it made them suspect that all the rest would fall out in like sort. Which when I perceiued I sought to encourage them the best I coulde, telling them that your Lordshippe alwayes was of opinion, that this voyage was a thing cast away, and that wee should fix•• our cogitation vpon those seuen Cities, and other pr••uinces, wher••of wee had knowl••dge: that there should bee the ende of our enterprise: ••nd with this resolution and purpose wee all marched che••refully through a very badde way which was not passable but one by one, or else wee must force out with Pioners the path which wee founde, wherewith the Souldiours were not a little offended, finding all that the Frier had sayde to bee quite contrary: for among other things which the father sayde and affirmed, this was one, that the way was plaine and good, and that there was but one small hill of halfe a league in length. And yet in trueth th••re are mountaines which although the way were w••ll mended could not bee passed without great danger of breaking the horses neckes: and the way was such, that of the catt••ll which your Lordship sent vs for the prouision of our armie wee lost a great part in the voy∣age through the roughnesse of the rockes. The lambes and sheepe lost their hoofes in the way: and of those which I brought from Culiacan, I left the greater part at the Riuer of Lachimi, because they could not keepe company with vs, and because they might come softly after vs, foure m••n on hors••backe remained with them which are nowe come vnto vs, and haue brought vs not past foure and twentie lambes, and foure sheepe, for all the rest were dead with trauailing through that rough passage, although they trauailed but two leagues a day, and rested themselues e∣uery day.
At length I arriued at the valley of the people called Caracones, the 26. day of the m••∣neth of May: and from Culiacan vntill I came thither, I could not helpe my s••lfe, saue onely with a great quantitie of bread of Maiz: for seeing the Maiz in the fieldes were not yet ripe, I was constrained to leaue them all behind me. In this valley of the Caracones wee found more store of people then in any other part of the Countrey which wee had passed, and great store of til∣lage. But I vnderstood that there was store thereof in another valley called The Lords valley, which I woulde not disturbe with force, but sent thither Melchior Diaz with wares of exchange to procure some, and to giue the sayde Maiz to the Indians our friendes which wee brought with vs, and to some others that had lost their cattell in the way, and were not able to carry their victuals so farre which they brought from Culiacan. It pleased God that wee gate some small quantitie of Maiz with this traffique, whereby certaine Indians were releiued and s••me Spanyards.
And by that time that wee were come to this valley of the Caracones, some tenne or twelue of our horses wer•• dead through wearinesse: for being ouercharged with great burdens, and hauing but little meate, they could not ••ndure the trauaile. Likewise some of our Negros and some of our Indians dyed here; which was no small want vnto vs for the performance of our ••••t••rprise. They told•• me that this valley of the Coracones is fiue dayes iourney from the W••st••rne Sea. I sent for the Indians of the Sea coast to vnderstand their estate, and while I stayed for them the horses rested: and I stayed there foure dayes, in which space the Indians of