sat about them on the ground, and came one by one to kiss
their hands with great respect, believing them to have come from Heaven.
They were presented with some boiled roots to eat, not unlike chesnuts in
taste; and as the two Indians who had accompanied them had given an
excellent character of the strangers, they were entreated to remain among
them, or at least to rest themselves for some days. Soon afterwards the
men went out from the house, and many women came to see them, who all
respectfully kissed their hands and feet, and offered them presents of
various articles.

When they proposed returning to the ships, many of the Indians wanted to
accompany them, but they would only accept of the king, his son, and one
servant, whom the admiral received with every demonstration of honour and
respect. The Spaniards farther reported that they had fallen in with
several other towns, both in their going out and returning, in all of
which they had been entertained with the same courtesy; but that none of
these other towns contained above five houses. That they met many people
by the way, all of whom carried a lighted fire-brand, to light fires, by
means of which they perfumed themselves with certain odoriferous herbs, or
roasted some of the roots mentioned before, which seemed to be their
principal food. They saw during their journey many kinds of trees and
plants different from those which grew on the coast, and great variety of
birds altogether different from those of Europe; but among the rest were
partridges and nightingales; and they had seen no species of quadruped in
the country, except the dumb dogs formerly mentioned. They found a good
deal of cultivated land, some of which was planted with the roots before
mentioned, some with a species of bean, and some sown with a sort of grain
called maiz, which was very well tasted either baked or dried, and ground
to flour. They saw vast quantities of well spun cotton yarn, made up into
balls or clews; insomuch, that in one house only they had seen 12,500
pounds of that commodity[4]. The plants from which the cotton is procured
grow naturally about the fields, like rose bushes, and are not cultivated
or planted by the natives. When ripe, the pods open of themselves, but not
all at one time; for upon the same plant young buds, others beginning to
open, and others almost entirely ripe are seen at the same time. Of these
pods the Indians afterwards carried large quantities on board the