1514 I departed from Castile in the suite of Pedro Arias de
Avila, who had just then been appointed governor of Terra Firma. At sea
we had sometimes bad and sometimes good weather, until we arrived at
Nombre Dios, where the plague was raging: of this we lost many of our
men, and most of us got terrible sores on our legs, and were otherwise
ill. Soon after our arrival, dissensions arose between the governor and
a certain wealthy cavalier, named Vasco Nunez de Balboa, who had brought
this province to subjection, and was married to one of the daughters of
Avila. As, however, suspicion had been excited against him, owing to a
plan he had formed of making a voyage to the South Sea at his own
expense, for which he required a considerable body of troops, his own
father-in-law deposed him and afterwards sentenced him to decapitation.

While we were spectators of all this, and saw, moreover, how other
soldiers rebelled against their superior officers, we learnt that the
island of Cuba had just been conquered, and that a nobleman of Quellar,
named Diego Velasquez, was appointed governor there. Upon this news some
of us met together, cavaliers and soldiers, all persons of quality who
had come with Pedro Arias de Avila, and asked his permission to proceed
to the island of Cuba: this he readily granted, not having sufficient
employment for so great a number of men as he had brought with him from
Spain. Neither was there any further conquest to be made in these parts;
all was in profound peace, so thoroughly had his son-in-law Balboa
subdued the country, besides which it was but small in extent and thinly
populated. As soon, therefore, as we had obtained leave, we embarked in
a good vessel and took our departure. Our voyage was most prosperous, so
that we speedily arrived at Cuba. The first thing we did was to pay our
respects to the governor, who received us with great kindness, and made
us a promise of the first Indians that might be discharged. Three years,
however, passed away since our first arrival in Terra Firma and stay at
Cuba, still living in the expectation of the Indians which had been
promised us, but in vain. During the whole of this time we had
accomplished nothing worthy of notice: we therefore, the 110 who had
come from Terra Firma, with some others of Cuba, who were also without
any Indians, met together to concert measures with a rich cavalier named
Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba, who, besides being a person of wealt