e forest alone,
the Indians left the two surviving Spaniards unmolested, whereupon the
dying La Cosa bade his comrade leave him, and if possible get word to
Ojeda of the fate which had overtaken him. This man succeeded in
getting back to the shore and apprised the men there of the frightful
disaster.

The ships cruised along the shore, sending parties into the bay at
different points looking for Ojeda and any others who might have
survived. A day or two after the battle they came across their
unfortunate commander. He was lying on his back in a grove of
mangroves, upheld from the water by the gnarled and twisted roots of
one of the huge trees. He had his naked sword in his hand and his
target on his arm, but he was completely prostrated and speechless.
The men took him to a fire, revived him and finally brought him back to
the ship.

Marvelous to relate, he had not a single wound upon him!

{13}

Great was the grief of the little squadron at this dolorous state of
affairs. In the middle of it, the ships of Nicuesa hove in sight.
Mindful of their previous quarrels, Ojeda decided to stay ashore until
he found out what were Nicuesa's intentions toward him. Cautiously his
men broke the news to Nicuesa. With magnanimity and courtesy
delightful to contemplate, he at once declared that he had forgotten
the quarrel and offered every assistance to Ojeda to enable him to
avenge himself. Ojeda thereupon rejoined the squadron, and the two
rivals embraced with many protestations of friendship amid the acclaim
of their followers.

The next night, four hundred men were secretly assembled. They landed
and marched to the Indian town, surrounded it and put it to the flames.
The defenders fought with their usual resolution, and many of the
Spaniards were killed by the poisonous arrows, but to no avail. The
Indians were doomed, and the whole village perished then and there.

Nicuesa had landed some of his horses, and such was the terror inspired
by those remarkable and unknown animals that several of the women who
had escaped from the fire, when they caught sight of the frightful
monsters, rushed back into the flames, preferring this horrible death
rather than to meet the horses. The value of the plunder amounted to
eighteen thousand dollars in modern money, the most of which Nicuesa
took.

The two adventurers separated, Nicuesa bidding Ojeda farewell and
striking boldly across the Caribbean for Veragua, which was the