provisions were poor and the stock so much reduced at this
time that we feared it would hardly last us on our return to
Spain.

"Having stayed here thirty-seven days, visiting their
villages many times, where they paid us the highest honors,
we wished to depart on our voyage. Before we set sail the
natives complained to us that at certain times in the year
there came from the sea into their territory a very cruel
tribe, who, either by treachery or force, killed many of
them and captured others, whom they ate, for they were
man-eaters. They signified to us that this tribe were
islanders, and lived at about one hundred leagues distance
at sea. They narrated this to us with so much simplicity and
feeling that we credited their story and promised to avenge
their great injuries; whereat they were rejoiced, and many
offered to go with us. We did not wish to take them for
many reasons, and only carried seven, on the condition that
they should come back in their own canoes, for we could not
enter into obligations to return them to their own country.
With this they were content, and then we parted from these
gentle people, leaving them very well disposed towards us.

"Our ships having been repaired, we set sail on our return,
taking a northeasterly course, and at the end of seven days
fell in with some islands. There were a great many of them,
some peopled, others uninhabited. We landed at one of them,
where we saw many people, who called the island _Iti_.
Having filled our boats with good men, and put three rounds
of shot in each boat, we proceeded towards the land, where
we saw about four hundred men and many women, all naked,
like those we had seen before. They were of good stature and
appeared to be very warlike men, being armed with bows and
arrows and lances. The greater part of them carried staves
of a square form, attached to their persons in such a manner
that they were not prevented from drawing the bow. As we
approached within bow-shot of the shore, they all leaped
into the water and shot their arrows at us to prevent our
landing. They were painted with various colors and plumed
with feathers, and the interpreters with us said that when
they were thus painted and plumed they showed a wish to
fight. They persisted so mu