how the gouernour went from alimamu to quizquiz, and from thence to rio grande, or the great riuer.

three daies after they had sought some maiz, whereof they found but little store, in regard of that which was needfull, and that for this cause, as well for their sakes that were wounded, it was needfull for them to rest, as for the great iournie they were to march to come where store of maiz was: yet the gouernour was inforced to depart presentlie toward quizquiz. he trauelled seuen daies through a desert of many marishes and thicke woods: but it might all be trauelled on horseback, except some lakes which they swamme ouer. hee came to a towne of the prouince of quizquiz without being descried, and tooke all the people in it before they came out of their houses. the mother of the cacique was taken there: and he sent vnto him by an indian, that he should come to see him, and that he would giue him his mother, and al the people which he had taken there. the cacique sent him answere againe, that his lordship should loose and send them to him, and that he would come to visit and serue him. the gouernour, because his people for want of maiz were somewhat weake and wearie, and the horses also were leane, determined to accomplish his request, to see if hee could haue peace with him, and so commanded to set free his mother and all the rest, and with louing words dismissed them and sent them to him. the next day, when the gouernour expected the cacique, there came many indians with their bowes and arrowes with a purpose to set vpon the christians. the gouernour had commanded all the horsemen to be armed, and on horsebacke, and in a readines. when the indians saw that they were readie, they staied a crossebowe shot from the place where the gouernour was neere a brooke. an olde prophecie. and after halfe an houre that they had stood there stil, there came to the camp sixe principall indians, and said, they came to see what people they were, and that long agoe, they had been informed by their forefathers, “that a white people should subdue them: and that therefore they would returne to their cacique, and bid him come presently to obey and serue the gouernour:” and after they had presented him with sixe or seuen skinnes and mantles which they brought, they tooke their leaue of him, and returned with the other, which waited for them by the brookeside. the cacique neuer came againe nor sent other message. another towne, rio grande, or rio de espiritu santo. and because in the towne where the gouernour lodged, there was small store of maiz, he remooued to another halfe a league from rio grande, where they found plentie of maiz: and he went to see the riuer, and found, that neere vnto it was great store of timber to make barges, and good situation of ground to incampe in. presently he remooued himselfe thither. they made houses, and pitched their campe in a plaine field a crossebow shot from the riuer. and thither was gathered all the maiz of the townes, which they had lately passed. they began presently to cut and hew down timber, and to saw plankes for barges. aquixo, a great lord on the west side of rio grande. the indians came presently down the riuer: they leaped on shore, and declared to the gouernor, that they were subiects of a great lord, whose name was aquixo, who was lord of many townes, and gouerned many people on the other side of the riuer, and came to tell him on his behalfe, that the next day he with al his men would come to see, what it would please him to command him. the next day with speed, the cacique came with two hundred canoes full of indians with their bowes and arrowes, painted, and with great plumes of white feathers, and many other colours, with shields in their hands, wherewith they defended the rowers on both sides, and the men of warre stood from the head to the sterne, with their bowes and arrowes in their hands. the canoe wherein the cacique was, had a tilt ouer the sterne, and hee sate vnder the tilt; and so were other canoes of the principall indians. and from vnder the tilt where the chiefs man sat, hee gouerned and commanded the other people. all ioyned together, and came within a stones cast of the shore. from thence the cacique said to the gouernour, which walked along the riuers side with others that waited on him, that he was come thither to visit, to honour, and to obey him; because he knew he was the greatest and mightiest lord on the earth: therefore he would see what he would command him to doe. the gouernour yeelded him thankes, and requested him to come on shore, that they might the better communicate together. and without any answere to that point, hee sent him three canoes, wherein was great store of fish and loaues, made of the substance of prunes like vnto brickes. after he had receiued al, he thanked him, and prayed him againe to come on shore. and because the caciques purpose was, to see if with dissimulation he might doe some hurt, when they saw that the gouernour and his men were in readinesse, they began to goe from the shore: and with a great crie, the crossebowmen which were ready, shot at them, and slue fiue or sixe of them. they retired with great order: none did leaue his oare, though the next to him were slaine; and shielding themselues, they went farther off. afterward they came many times and landed: and when any of vs came toward them, they fled vnto their canoes, which were verie pleasant to behold: for they were very great and well made, and had their tilts, plumes, paueses, and flagges, and with the multitude of people that were in them, they seemed to be a faire armie of gallies. in thirtie dayes space, while the gouernour remained there, they made foure barges: in three of which hee commanded twelue horsemen to enter, in each of them foure; in a morning, three houres before day, men which hee trusted would land in despight of the indians, and make sure the passage, or die, and some footemen being crossebowmen went with them, and rowers to set them on the other side. and in the other barge he commanded iohn de guzman to passe with the footemen, which was made captaine in stead of francisco maldonado. and because the streame was swift, they went a quarter of a league vp the riuer along the bancke, and crossing ouer, fell downe with the streame, and landed right ouer against the camp. they passe ouer rio grande. two stones cast before they came to land, the horsemen went out of the barges on horsebacke to a sandie plot very hard and cleere ground, where all of them landed without any resistance. assoone as those that passed first, were on land on the other side, the barges returned to the place where the gouernour was: and within two houres after sunnerising, all the people were ouer. the riuer was almost halfe a league broad. if a man stood still on the other side, it could not be discerned, whether he were a man or no. the riuer was of great depth, and of a strong current: the water was alwaies muddie: there came downe the riuer continually many trees and timber, which the force of the water and streame brought downe. there was great store of fish in it of sundrie sorts, and the most of it differing from the freshwater fish of spaine, as hereafter shall be shewed.