. One of the sailors, who had ventured with some
others into the shallow water, was seized and devoured by one of these
monsters; the rest would, no doubt, have shared a similar fate if they
had not immediately hastened on board again. It was, therefore, with
great difficulty and much risk the whole of the crew at length managed
to get on to the island; but as they had thrown all their provisions and
their water-casks overboard, they had at first nothing to eat or drink;
at length, indeed, they managed to fish up a few pieces of their smoked
meat from the sea. They would even have been without fire had it not
been for two Cuba Indians, who, by rubbing two pieces of dry wood
together, soon kindled a flame. After searching about for some time,
they likewise had the good fortune to meet with fresh water; and as the
island was small and very sandy, numbers of turtles came to lay their
eggs in the sand. These creatures, which they found would lay one
hundred eggs each, the two Indians of Cuba easily captured by turning
them on their backs, so that they were unable to move. With these eggs,
the flesh of the turtle, and of seals which came on land during the
night, thirteen people nourished themselves for many days.

Among the hands on board this small vessel there happened to be two
carpenters of Ribera, who had fortunately rescued their tools; it was
therefore determined that they should construct a boat from the timber
of the vessel. When they had finished and completely rigged this boat, a
supply of turtles and smoked seals' flesh, with some water, was put on
board, besides a sea-chart and a compass. With this frail bark, three
Spanish sailors, and one of the Cuba Indians, boldly put out to sea in
quest of some harbour of New Spain, whence they might send a vessel to
the rescue of those left on the island. After encountering various kinds
of weather, they at length arrived safe in the river Bandera, where at
that time goods were landed from Spain. The three Spaniards immediately
repaired to Medellin, where a certain Simon de Cuenca was Cortes'
commandant, to whom they related their unfortunate shipwreck off the
Viboras isles. Cuenca, on hearing this, fitted out a small vessel, which
he despatched thither with a letter to Zuazo, in which he told him how
pleased Cortes would be to hear of his arrival in New Spain. Cortes, to
whom Cuenca had sent information of this circumstance, highly commended
the conduct he had pursued, an