he was practically
lost among salt marshes and desert coasts, being destitute of
everything and reduced to a most miserable plight, since for seventy
days he had eaten nothing but herbs and roots and drunk nothing but
water, of which indeed he had not always enough. This all came about
because, in seeking Veragua, he persisted in his course towards the
west.

The country had already been reconnoitred by that great discoverer
of vast regions, Christopher Columbus, who had given it the name of
_Gracias a Dios_; in the native tongue it was called _Cerabaro_. The
river which the Spaniards call San Mateo divides it into two portions,
and it is distant about one hundred and thirty miles from western
Veragua. I do not give the native names of this river or of other
localities, because the explorers who have returned to Spain do not
themselves know them. The report of these three sailors prompted Pedro
de Olano, one of Nicuesa's two captains and his deputy judge, to send
one of the brigantines piloted by the same sailors, to find and bring
back Nicuesa. Upon his arrival, Nicuesa ordered Olano, who had been
appointed governor pending his return, to be put into irons, and
imprisoned, accusing him of treason for having usurped the authority
of governor and not having concerned himself sufficiently, while
enjoying the command, about the disappearance of his chief. He
likewise accused him of negligence in sending so late to search for
him.

In like manner Nicuesa reproached everybody in arrogant terms, and
within a few days he commanded that they should make ready to depart.
The colonists begged him not to decide hastily, and to wait at least
until the crops that they had sown were harvested, as the harvesting
season was now at hand. Four months had now passed since they had
sown. Nicuesa refused to listen to anything, declaring they must leave
such an unfortunate country as quickly as possible. He therefore
carried off everything that had been landed at the Gulf of Veragua,
and ordered the ships to sail towards the east. After sailing sixteen
miles a young Genoese, called Gregorio, recognised the vicinity of
a certain harbour, to prove which he declared that they would find
buried in the sand an anchor which had been abandoned there, and under
a tree near to the harbour, a spring of clear water. Upon landing they
found the anchor and the spring, and gave thanks for the excellent
memory of Gregorio, who, alone amongst the numero