our men were heartily sick of the sea. We therefore turned our vessels
about, hoisted all the sails, and arrived in a few days, being greatly
assisted by the currents, in the wide waters of the Guacasualco river.
We could not make any stay here on account of the boisterous state of
the weather, and therefore continued our course along the coast until we
arrived at the mouth of the river Tonala, to which we gave the name of
St. Antonio. We ran up this river and careened the leaky vessel, which
had struck there several times against the rocks.

While we were busily engaged at this work, numbers of Indians came up to
us from the harbour of Tonala, which lay about four miles from this
place, bringing with them maise-bread, fish, and fruits, which they
readily gave us. Our commander was particularly kind to them, and
presented each with white and green glass beads, giving them at the same
time to understand by signs that they should bring us gold in exchange
for our goods. They soon complied with our wishes, but their gold was of
a very inferior quality, for which they received imitation corals. As
soon as the inhabitants of Guacasualco and the neighbouring districts
had learnt that we offered our goods for barter, they brought us all
their golden ornaments, and took in exchange green glass beads, on which
they set a high value. Besides ornaments of gold, every Indian had with
him a copper axe, which was very highly polished, with the handle
curiously carved, as if to serve equally for an ornament as for the
field of battle. At first we thought that these axes were made of an
inferior kind of gold; we therefore commenced taking them in exchange,
and, in the space of two days, had collected more than 600, with which
we were no less rejoiced as long as we were ignorant of their real
value, than the Indians with our glass beads. One of our sailors, who
had by stealth bought seven of these axes and was secretly
congratulating himself on this piece of good fortune, was betrayed to
our commander-in-chief, who, ordering the man in his presence, commanded
him to deliver up his treasure. Still of opinion that these axes were of
gold, the poor fellow, though forced, reluctantly parted with them. This
brings to my mind what befell one of our men, named Bartolome Prado:
this fellow had managed to get inside of a temple, called by the Indians
a cue,[7] which stood upon an elevated spot, and had found in it
numerous idols, and some copal,