miles, and came to a place called Schelebethueba,[274] where we remained
three days, for we were exceedingly tired and had no longer anything to
eat, our principal food being honey. We were all consequently very weak,
and everyone can imagine what dreadfully poor and miserable lives we
passed in such a journey, especially as regards eating and drinking and
sleeping. The bed which every one of us took with him weighed four or
five pounds; it was of cotton, and made like a net. It is tied to two
trees, and one man lies down in it. This is done in the forest, under
the blue sky; for if there are not many Christians travelling overland
together in India, it is better and safer to remain in the forest than
to enter the houses and villages of the Indians.
[274] No place of this name in all Brazil.
We next came to a place which belongs to the Christians, whose chief
was called Johann Reinmelle.[275] Fortunately for us he was not at home,
for this place certainly appeared to me to be a robbers' haunt. The said
chief was at this time gone to another Christian at Vicenda[276] in
order to make an agreement. Both are (with eight hundred Christians
living in the two villages) subjects of the King of Portugal, and the
aforesaid Johann Reinmelle has, according to his own account, lived,
ruled, made war, and conquered in India for a period of four hundred
(forty) years. Therefore, he may legitimately claim to rule the land for
another. And because the Portuguese will not recognise his authority,
they wage war. This said Reinmelle can, in one single day, gather around
him five thousand Indians, whereas the king is not able to bring two
thousand together, so much power and consideration has he got in the
country.
[275] Juan Ramallo. This man was an exiled outlaw, left probably by
Juan Diaz de Solis and Vicente Yañez Pinzon on the first voyage of
discovery, which was made as far as 40° S., in 1508. Many travellers
of that time met Ramallo on the coast of San Vicente, living there as
a cacique with a large tribe of his children. The travellers called
him the _bachiller_. Hans Staden speaks of two of his sons, calling
them Diego de Praga and Domingo de Praga, because Staden made
mistakes in all names of persons and places, just as Schmidt did.
The translators of his book into Latin interpret Ramallo's name as
Reinuelle, and M. Ternaux Compans makes it French, and spells it
Reinvielle. Ramallo's family was the founder of Piratininga, the
origin of the city of San Paulo, in Brazil.
[276] San Vicente, on the coast of the province of San Paulo. It was
founded in 1531 by Martin Affonzo de Souza, and was the first
Portuguese colony in Brazil.
When we came to the village, the son of the said Reinmelle was there,
and he received us very well, though we had to look closer after him
than after the Indians. But all went well, and no harm happened to us;
therefore we thank God, the eternal Creator, through Jesus Christ, His
only Son, who helped us so mercifully there and everywhere.
We then went farther to a little town called S. Vicenda at twenty miles
distance, where we arrived on July[277] 13th, 1553, St. Anthony's day,
and found there a Portuguese ship laden with sugar, Brazilian wood and
wool, belonging to Erasmus Schetzen. His factor is at Lisbon, and is
called Johann von Hulsen, and he has another factor in Vicenda whose
name is Peter Rössel.[278]
[277] June.
[278] Peter Rossel, or Rösel, is mentioned by Hans Staden; cf. _The
Captivity of Hans Staden_ (Hakl. Soc.), p. 169.
Messrs. Schetzen and Johann von Hulsen own a good number of villages and
sugar factories in that place, where sugar is made all the year round.
Peter Rössel received me very friendly, and showed me great honour. He
introduced me also to the sailors, in order that I might be well treated
and leave with the first, and recommended me to them. To their honour be
it said, they followed his recommendation. We remained eleven more days
in the town of Vicenda in order to prepare and to provide ourselves
with all necessaries that are wanted at sea. And we were six months
travelling a distance of four hundred and seventy-six miles, from the
town Signora desumsion to the town of Vicenda, in Brazil.
Afterwards, when we were ready, we set forth on our journey from the
town of St. Vicenda on the 24th day of June, St. John's Day, 1553. We
were fourteen days at sea, because we had never any good wind, but
always storms and tempests, so that we did not know where we were.
Then the main-top got broken, and, water pouring into the ship, we had
to return to land, and came to a seaport named Spiritu Sanctu,[279]
situated in Brazil, in India, and belonging to the King of Portugal.
There are Christians living in that town with their wives and children,
and they make sugar. They also have cotton-wool and Brazilian wood,
besides other kinds of wood that are found there.
[279] Espiritu Santo, a small maritime province with a bay and port of
the same name, north of Rio de Janeiro.
Between S. Vicenda and Spiritu Sancto there are plenty of whales, which
do great harm; for instance, when small ships sail from one port to
another (these small ships are anyhow somewhat larger than the greatest
ships at home), these whales come forward in troops and fight one
another, then they drown the ship, taking it down along with the men.
These whales constantly spit water out of their mouth, as much at one
time as a Frankish barrel would contain. This the whale does every time
that he puts his head under water and comes up again, by day and by
night, and he who never saw one before believes that he sees a heap of
stones. Much more might be written about this fish. There are many other
rare fish and sea wonders of which one could not write too much, but I
really cannot speak of all.
There is another great fish, called in Spanish _Sumere_, and in German
straw-fish, of which one cannot say too much. It is such a powerful fish
that it does considerable harm to ships in various parts. When there is
no wind, and the ships are compelled to lie still, not being able to go
forward or backward, then this fish comes with such a tremendous blow on
the ships, that all things tremble; when this happens, one has to throw
one or two barrels into the sea; then the fishes go to these barrels,
play with them, and leave the ships.
Another great fish, called the _Peischo Spaide_,[280] and in German
knife-fish, does a great deal of harm to the other fishes, and when
these fishes battle against each other, it is exactly as if two horses
ran full tilt together here on land. This is very amusing to watch at
sea. But after these fishes thus struggle with one another, a great
storm generally follows.
[280] Cf. _ante_, p. 5.
So there is also another great and bad fish which takes the mastery
over all the others of which I have been speaking, in struggling and
battling. Its name is _Pesche de serre_,[281] and in German saw-fish;
further, there are a great number more, but I cannot give their
names. There are also flying fishes and other great fishes called
_Toningen_.[282]
[281] _Ibid._
[282] Tonina (tunny fish).
We sailed for four months together on the sea, without seeing any
land at all, and we conveyed goods from the aforesaid Spiritu Sancto.
Afterwards we came to an island called Teste de Terzero,[283] where we
again took fresh victual and remained there for two days. This island
belongs to the King of Portugal.
[283] Terceira, one of the Azores.
From there we sailed to Lisbon in fourteen days, arriving on the 30th
September 1553, St. Hieronymus' day, and remained fourteen days in the
town, where two Indians whom I had taken with me died.
Thence I posted to Seville in six days; the distance being seventy-two
miles. I remained there four weeks till the ships were prepared, when
I left Seville by water, and in two days arrived at the town of S.
Lucas,[284] where I passed the night.
[284] San Lucar.
From there I travelled one day by land and arrived at a town called
Porta Sancto Maria,[285] and from there a second day also by land to
another town, four miles over the water, called Kalles,[286] where there
were twenty-five Dutch ships ready to sail to the Netherlands; all great
ships called _Hulcken_.[287]
[285] Puerto de Santa Maria.
[286] Cadiz.
[287] Large merchantmen. The word "hulk" expresses a different
meaning, nearer the original, derived from the Greek ὅλκας [holkas],
a ship which is towed, from ἕλκειν [helkein], to draw, drag. Hence the
sense of something bulky or unwieldy.
One of these twenty-five ships was a beautiful newly built vessel, which
had only made one voyage from Antorff[288] to Spain; the merchants
advised me to sail with that ship, of which the captain was named
Heinrich Schetz. He was an honest and religious man, with whom I now
came to terms as to the payment for the voyage and the victual and other
things necessary on sea. I finally agreed with him and provisioned
myself during the same night, and had my plunder, bread, and several
other things, as well as the parrots which I brought from India, all put
on board. And, lastly, I arranged with him that he should tell me the
time of departure, which he faithfully promised me, and that he would
not sail without me, but would certainly let me know.
[288] Antwerp.
However, the said skipper that very night drank somewhat too much, so
that he forgot all about me and left me alone in the lodgings. Two hours
before daylight the steersman, who had the command of the ship, had the
anchor lifted and sailed away, and in the morning when I looked out for
the ship it was already a mile off. So I had to see after another and
make terms with its skipper, to whom I had to give as much as to the
former.
Then we soon sailed away along with the other twenty-four ships and
had a fairly good wind the first three days, but afterwards we had a
contrary wind, so much so that we were unable to continue our voyage.
We remained in great danger for five days and hoped for better weather,
but the longer we hoped, the more violent became the sea, so we had to
return to where we came from.
Now it is the custom at sea for the mariners and skippers to elect for
themselves a chief commander, called in Spanish _Almiranda_.[289] This
commander directs all the ships, and all his orders have to be obeyed.
The mariners and skippers have to swear an oath to the effect that they
will not separate from one another, for H. I. Majesty had ordered that
no less than twenty ships should sail from Spain to the Netherlands,
because there was war between H. I. Majesty and the King of France.
[289] The Spanish word is Almirante.
Further, it is also usual at sea that one ship should not separate from
another for more than the distance of one mile, and at sunrise and
sunset that the ships should all come together, and salute the admiral
with three or four shots, and this must be done twice a day.
The admiral is bound to have on the stern of his ship two iron lanterns,
called _farol_,[290] which are alight all night through, and the others
have to follow the ship that shows this light, and must not separate
from each other.
[290] "Farol" is a Spanish word, meaning a box or case with sides of
glass or some other transparent substance, for placing a light in, so
that it may not be extinguished by the wind.
So also the admiral tells the others every night whither he is sailing,
in order that if a storm should blow up, they may know what direction or
what wind the admiral has taken, and not lose each other.
When we had to put back to port, as I have said, there was the ship of
Heinrich Schetzen (whereon all my plunder was, he who had forgotten me
altogether at Kalles[291]) behind all the other ships; and when we had
come within one mile of Kalles it was dark and night, and the admiral
had to light his lanterns, in order that the ships might follow him.
[291] Cadiz.
When we reached Kalles each skipper laid out his anchor in the sea, and
the admiral removed his lanterns.
Then a fire was lit on shore with the best intention, but it was the
cause of disaster to Heinrich Schetzen and his ship. The fire was made
near a mill within gunshot of Kalles, and Schetzen sailed straight
towards it, believing it to be the admiral's light, and when he had
nearly reached it, he struck upon the rocks which stood there in the sea
and had his ship shivered into a hundred thousand pieces, and in half a
quarter of an hour men and goods had all perished. Twenty-two persons
were drowned, only the steersman and skipper escaping death on a thick
tree. Six trunks with gold and silver belonging to H. I. Majesty, and a
large quantity of merchandise belonging to the merchants, were also
lost.
Therefore I say to God be everlasting praise and thanks, because He has
once again guided and protected me so mercifully, that I did not go on
board that ship.
We afterwards remained for two days at Kalles, and departed thence on
S. Andrea's[292] day for Antorff.[293] On this voyage we had very bad
weather and dreadful tempests, so that the mariners said that for twenty
years, or for so long a time as they had been at sea, they had never
seen such heavy storms nor heard of any storms that had lasted so long.
[292] St. Andrew's.
[293] Antwerp.
When we came to England, into a port called Wydt,[294] all our yards and
top-sails had been carried away. And if this voyage had lasted a little
longer, not one of the twenty-four ships would have escaped, but for the
special providence of our Lord God.
[294] Isle of Wight.
Moreover, on New Year's Day, 1554, and on the Holy Three Kings' Day,
eight ships were miserably wrecked with men and goods--an awful sight
indeed, for every man on board was drowned.
This happened between France and England. God Almighty be merciful to
them all and to us, through Christ His eternal Son. Amen.
We remained four days in that port Wydt in England, and from there we
sailed for Brabant, and came in four days to Armuia,[295] which is a
town in Seeland,[296] where the great ships lie. It is seventy-four
miles from Wydt, and from there we sailed to Antorff, which is
twenty-four miles off, and arrived there on January the 26th, 1554.
[295] Armeven.
[296] Zeeland.
God be praised everlastingly, He who so mercifully gave me such a
prosperous voyage.
[Illustration:
THE
COMMENTARIES
OF
Alvar Nuñez Cabeza
de Vaca.
By PERO HERNANDEZ,
SECRETARY TO THE ADELANTADO.
VALLADOLID.
1555.]
[Illustration: (floral vine decoration)]
Commentaries of Alvar Nuñez Cabeza
de Vaca, governor of the Rio de la Plata.
CHAPTER THE FIRST.
_Of the Commentaries of Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca._
SINCE it pleased God to deliver Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca from
captivity, and from the troubles that he underwent for ten years in
Florida, he came to these kingdoms in the year of our Lord 1537, where
he remained till the year 1540; in which year there came to this court
of His Majesty some persons from the river La Plata to inform His
Majesty of what had happened to the army which Don Pedro de Mendoza had
taken there, and of the danger those were in who had survived, and to
supplicate that His Majesty would be pleased to aid and succour them
before they perished (as but few of them remained). And when His Majesty
knew of it, he ordered that a certain arrangement and capitulation
should be made with Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca, in order that he
might go to their relief. This arrangement and capitulation was there
effected, the said Cabeza de Vaca offering to go to their assistance,
and undertaking to expend for that journey and relief, in horses, arms,
apparel and provisions, as well as other things, eight thousand ducats.
And in consideration of this treaty thus entered into, His Majesty
favoured him with the governorship and general captaincy of that land
and province, and with the title of Adelantado.[297] It pleased also His
Majesty to grant to him the twelfth part of everything that was in that
land and province, and of all that entered and went out of it, provided
that the aforesaid Alvar Nuñez expended on that expedition the sum
of eight thousand ducats as aforesaid. And so, in fulfilment of the
agreement entered into with His Majesty, he started immediately for
Seville in order to put the agreement into execution, and to make
provision for the aforesaid assistance and armament. And to this effect
he bought two vessels and a caravel, together with another that was in
waiting for him at Canaria. One of these vessels was newly arrived from
her first voyage and was of three hundred and fifty tons burden, and the
other was of one hundred and fifty tons. He equipped these vessels very
well and supplied them with plenty of commodities, and engaged pilots
and sailors, and four hundred soldiers well trained to the use of arms,
and such as were wanted for that relief; and all that volunteered for
that expedition were provided with a double set of arms. In order to
complete his purchases and supplies he remained there from the month of
May till the end of September, when the ships were ready to sail. But
the weather being unfavourable, he was detained in the city of Cadiz
from the end of September till the 2nd of November, on which day he set
sail and made his voyage, and in nine days arrived at the island of La
Palma, where he disembarked with all his people, and remained there
twenty-five days, waiting for a favourable wind to continue his voyage.
At the end of this time he sailed towards Cape Verde. In this voyage the
ship, the _Capitana_, made so much water that it rose to the height of
ten spans in the hold of the vessel. Five hundred quintals of biscuits
were damaged, and much oil was lost, besides other commodities. This
accident caused them great trouble, and they kept at the pumps day and
night till they arrived at the island of St. Iago (one of the Cape Verde
Islands). Here they disembarked and landed the horses, in order that
they might refresh themselves and rest from their fatigues, and because
it was necessary to unload the vessel in order to stop the leak. And
after she had been unloaded the master stopped the leak (for he was the
best diver in Spain). They sailed from La Palma to Cape Verde in ten
days, for they are 300 leagues apart. In this island the harbour is
very bad because of the many sharp, sunken rocks that fray the cables
attached to the anchors, and when they pull on them in order to raise
the anchors these remain in the rocks. And for this reason the sailors
have a saying that there are many rats in that harbour, which gnaw the
cables asunder; and because of this, it is a very dangerous harbour
for vessels stationed there in the event of a storm. This island is
unhealthy and full of infections in the winter, so much so that the
greater part of those who go ashore there die in a few days, soon after
their arrival. The armada, however, remained there twenty-five days,
during which not a single man died; and the inhabitants were much
astonished at this, and took it as a great marvel. And the inhabitants
gave them a good reception; and this island is very rich, and there are
more doubloons in it than reales,[298] for those who traffic there for
negroes were giving a doubloon for twenty reales.
[297] Governor of province on the frontiers and in newly-discovered
countries.
[298] The meaning of this is that gold was more plentiful in the
island of St. Iago than silver.
CHAPTER THE SECOND.
_How we departed from the island of Cabo Verde._
WHEN we had repaired the leak of the _Admiral_ ship, and purchased the
necessary supplies, such as water, meat, and other things, we embarked
and pursued our voyage and crossed the equinoctial line, and, continuing
our navigation, the master took stock of the water that was on board the
_Admiral_, and, out of a hundred barrels that had been stored, he found
no more than three left, and four hundred men and thirty horses had to
drink. And the governor, having seen the necessity we were in, ordered
the ship to land; and they were in search of it three days, and the
fourth day, one hour before dawn, a wonderful thing happened, and as it
is not beyond our purpose, I will relate it. It happened, as the vessels
were going towards land, they were on the point of striking some very
high rocks, and nobody would have seen or been aware of them had not a
cock began to crow which one of the soldiers had put on board at Cadiz,
being desirous of listening to the music of the cock; during two months
and a half, however, we had neither heard it nor known of its existence;
and the soldier was grieved at its silence. That morning, however, the
bird felt the land and began to crow, and its music woke all the people
on the vessel, who saw the rocks an arrow-flight off, and shouted to
let go the anchors, as we were drifting towards the rocks. And so they
lowered the anchors, and this saved us, for had not the cock crowed our
four hundred men and thirty horses would assuredly have been drowned;
and we all thought it a miracle of God for us. And while we navigated
more than one hundred leagues along the coast, the cock gave us his
music every night, and so the armada arrived at an harbour which
is called Cananea,[299] which lies beyond Cape Frio,[300] and is
twenty-four degrees of elevation. It is a good harbour, and there are
several islands at its entrance. The water is clear and eleven fathoms
deep. Here the governor took possession in the name of His Majesty, and
having done so, he left that harbour and passed over the river and
the bay called San Francisco,[301] which is twenty-five leagues from
Cananea, and thence the armada proceeded to the island of Santa
Catalina, which is twenty-five leagues from the Rio de San Francisco,
and they anchored at the island of Santa Catalina, after encountering
many troubles and reverses on the voyage, arriving there on the 29th of
March 1541. The island of Santa Catalina is barely in the twenty-eighth
degree of latitude.
[299] Cananea, on the coast of the province San Paulo, Brazil, in lat.
25° 1′ S., long. 47° 51′ W.
[300] Cape Frio is east of Rio de Janeiro, in lat. 23° 1′ S., long.
41° 58′ W., where the coast trends northward.
[301] The river, island, and bay of San Francisco in the province of
Santa Catharina.
CHAPTER THE THIRD.
_Which treats of how the governor arrived with his armada at the
island of Santa Catalina, in Brazil, and disembarked his troops
there._
WHEN the governor had arrived with his army at the island of Santa
Catalina, he ordered the disembarkation of all the people that he had
brought with him, and the twenty-six horses, being all that had survived
the sea voyage of the forty-six taken on board in Spain, in order that
they might all recover on land from the hardships they had undergone in
their long sea voyage, and that he might take command and inform himself
of the native Indians of that land who might, perhaps, know how the
Spaniards whom he had come to succour were circumstanced in the province
of Rio de la Plata. And he gave the Indians to understand that he was
sent by His Majesty to bring help, and he took possession of the land in
the name and on behalf of His Majesty, and also of the harbour called
Cananea, which is on the coast of Brazil, in twenty-five degrees,
more or less. This harbour is fifty leagues from the island of Santa
Catalina, and during all the time that the governor remained in that
island he treated all the Indians, natives of that and other parts of
the coast of Brazil (vassals of His Majesty) with great kindness. By
these Indians he was informed that at fourteen leagues from the island,
at the place called Mbiaça[302] there were two Franciscan monks, named
Friar Bernardo, a native of Cordova, and Friar Alonzo Lebron, a native
of Gran Canaria; and in a few days these monks came to where the
governor and his people were, in great fear of the Indians, who sought
to kill them, because certain of the dwellings of the Indians having
been burned, these had in revenge killed two Christians living in that
land. And the governor, well informed of all that had happened, did
his best to appease the Indians, and gave refuge to the monks, and
established peace among them; and he charged the monks to teach the
Christian doctrine to the Indians of that land and island.
[302] Mbiazá; cf. _supra_, pp. 35 and 83.
CHAPTER THE FOURTH.
_How nine Christians came to the island._