in a shower of arrows, by which several Spaniards
were wounded notwithstanding their targets and baricades. The other
squadrons did the same in regular order, and as the brigantines
continued on their course, the squadrons of canoes continued
successively to repeat similar charges, both day and night, expecting in
this manner to destroy all the Spaniards by degrees. The Spaniards held
on their way for ten successive days and nights, continually assailed in
this manner by the Indians, and doing some execution in their turn by
means of their crossbows, all their musquets having been turned into
iron work for the brigantines, having become useless as all their powder
was expended. At the end of these ten days, the Indian fleet drew back
from the Spaniards to the distance of about half a league. The
Spaniards, still advancing came in sight of a small town, and supposed
from the Indians leaving them that they were now near the sea, having
run by estimation 200 leagues, as they used both sails and oars, and
went straight down the river without stopping in any place. Being
desirous of procuring provisions, Alvarado ordered 100 men to land, with
eight horses; and as the Indians immediately abandoned their town, they
procured plenty of provisions of all sorts. In this town likewise they
found leather made of goats skins, some white, and some of various
colours, and other skins of different kinds well dressed, and many
mantles. They found here a long slip of the finest sables, eight ells in
length and an ell broad, adorned at regular distances with strings of
pearls and small tufts of seed pearl, regularly placed. Gonzalo
Silvestre who commanded on this enterprise, got this rarity to his
share, which was supposed to be some ensign of war, or some ornament for
their dances.

As many Indians appeared collecting in the fields, and the canoes were
returning to attack the brigantines, Alvarado ordered the trumpets to
sound a retreat to recall Silvestre and his men on board. On this
occasion the Spaniards were obliged to abandon their horses, which the
Indians immediately shot to death with their arrows. When the party was
all returned to the brigantines, the Spaniards resumed their voyage down
the river, followed by the canoes, which did not now retain their former
order, but followed in several separate squadrons. On the thirteenth day
of their voyage down the great river, one of the brigantines happening
to fall about an hundred pac