Page:Letters of Cortes to Emperor Charles V - Vol 2.djvu/305

which, according to what the Spaniards said, had evidently been recently occupied; and that night the guide deserted them and they returned. Being left without any guide, which was cause enough to double our troubles, I sent squads of people, not only Spaniards, but also Indians, in all directions through the province, and they explored for eight consecutive days without meeting any living creature, save some women, who were of little use to our purpose, because neither did they know any road, nor could they give any account of the lord of the province. One of the women, however, said that she knew of a town, two days' journey from there, called Chianteco, where we would find people who could give us news of those Spaniards whom we sought; for many merchants lived in that town who traded everywhere. So I immediately sent people thither with this woman for a guide, and, although the town was two long days' journey from where we were, and accessible only by a rough and deserted road, the natives of it had already heard of my coming and no guide could be secured. Our Lord was pleased that, we being almost hopeless at finding ourselves without a guide, and unable to use the compass on account of being in the midst of forests so intricate, and with no other road discoverable which led anywhere save the one we had come on, should find in the forest a lad of about fifteen years of age, who, being questioned, said he would guide us as far as some hamlets of Taniha, which is another province I remembered I had to cross, and which he said was two days' journey from there. So I departed with this guide, and reached
News of the
Spaniards
at Nito
those hamlets within two days, finding that the scouts who had gone ahead had taken an old Indian there who guided them as far as the towns of Taniha, which are another two days' journey further on. Four Indians were captured in these towns, and, as soon as I inquired of them, they gave