g we suspended judgment.... But when in the Province I told this to
people who go through forests, they told me that those tracks were of
deer, for there are such in this Province. I offer no objection to
there being as many wild animals as can be imagined, since the woods
are very well fitted for them."

Great Want of Food. "At the end of the said three days in which we
passed through these troubles, taking a westerly direction, we again
began to break through woods and with greater difficulty (than before),
since hunger kept wearing out our strength and the ridges which we met
in the space of three days were so high in all four directions, that it
seemed impossible that men could cross them, on account of the great
height of their summits and the depth and shallowness of their ravines.
The trees of these hills of which we availed ourselves so as not to
fall, are some palms which are called _Cumes_, covered with thorns
whose sharp points are very long and cover the tree from top to bottom
as far as the roots; so that all our bodies were wounded by the said
thorns from head to foot, particularly our feet, since we went
barefoot. At this time came the day of Purification of Our Lady, when
we prepared in spirit for celebrating that day, all of us confessing
one another, as men who at every moment had death before their eyes, on
account of the great want of food. And in order to obtain the holy
indulgences of that day, we had anticipated it by finding on the
preceding days some date palms, with the fruit in season, of which we
made use for eating on those days, as well as some _sapote mameys_,
which, though they were as hard as stone, from their not being in
season, we cooked for eating."

The Situation Grows Still Worse. "All this appeared to us now very
hard, to have to live only on these dates without any food. But in two
or three days after we found the dates and _sapotes_, the situation
became more serious (and much worse after many days); for not having
found anything to eat for three days, nor even to drink, as my mind
turned more and more to spiritual things, since it was not hindered by
any bodily functions, which would prevent its reasoning powers, so
great was the occurrence of texts of scripture, examples of saints, and
incidents which it remembered, that I recalled very readily everything
that I had read; so that sometimes the said conditions brought about
greater resignation to God, knowing that it was t