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18
The Mastering of Mexico

to the mountains out of fear of us. Our captain then dispatched her to fetch them back, but she could persuade none to come. She told us that two years before she had left Jamaica with ten Indians in a large canoe with the plan to fish near some small island. But sea-currents had driven them to this shore, and the people had killed her husband and the other Indians in sacrifices to their gods.

As soon as we had boarded our ships, we took the course we had taken under Cordova the year before, and after eight days arrived off the coast where the natives had used us so ill and had slain fifty of our men and wounded the rest, Chanpoton. In these parts the sea is very shallow, and we anchored about three miles from the shore. The Indians gathered, as they had done the year before, and their haughty bearing showed they had not forgotten their victory. They were all well armed after their manner, with lances, bows and arrows, shields, slings and broad-swords, and they bore drums and trumpets, while they wore cotton cuirasses and had their faces painted black and white. Ranged along the seashore, they stood ready to fall upon us when we landed. We had learned prudence by suffering, however, and this time were well armed.

When we were near enough to be hit, they let fly such a shower of arrows that they speedily wounded half our men. We gave them return with our