88 WHAT THE OLD CHRONICLERS SAID- serve them for houses. From MtfheAi was learned of these Indians, all their human needs are supplied by these cows, for they are fed and qlothed and shod from these. They are a people who wander arouiid here and there, wherever seems to them best. We went on for eight or ten days in the same direction, along these streams which are among the cows. The Indian who guided ns from here was the one that had given us ilie news about Quivira and Arache, (or Ara- hei), and about its being a very rich country with much gold and other things, and he and the other one from that country I mentioned, to which we were going, and we found these two Indians in the flat-roof villages. It seems, that as the said Indian wanted to go to his own country, he proceeded to teU us what we found was not true, and I do not know whether it was on this account or because he was counselled to take us into other regions by confusing us on the road, although there are none in all this region except those of the cows. We understood, hoAvcver, that he was leading us away from the route we onght to fol- low and that he wanted to lead us on to those plains where he had led us, so that we would eat up the food, and both ourselves and our horses would be- come weak from the lack of this, because if we should go either backward or forward in this condition, we crJ.d not make any resistance to whatever they
- n' ■ .'
- wish to do to us. From the time when, as I
K:;. ,'. T,e entered the plains, and from this settlement (vf Querechos, he led us off more to the east, until we cttine to be in extreme need from lack of food; and as the other Indian, who was his companion and also
