_How the licentiate Zuazo set sail for New Spain in a small vessel,
accompanied by two monks of the order of Charity; and their
remarkable adventures on this voyage._
I mentioned in a former chapter that the licentiate Zuazo promised
Garay, during the few days he stayed at Cuba, that he would repair in
person to Mexico, and try to settle the differences between him and
Cortes. He had first wished to render an account to the royal court of
audience at St. Domingo of his administration of justice in the island
of Cuba, after which he really set sail for New Spain. On this voyage he
took along with him two monks of the order of Charity, one of whom was
named Juan Varillas, and the other Gonzalo Pondevedra. The former was a
native of Salamanca, and a most intimate friend of father Olmedo, to
visit whom he had purposely asked permission of his superiors, and had
been staying some time at Cuba with father Gonzalo to await a favorable
opportunity of crossing over to New Spain. As he was a relation of
Zuazo, he begged he would allow father Gonzalo and himself to accompany
him on this occasion. This Zuazo readily granted, and they both
accordingly embarked with him in a small vessel. They had scarcely
doubled the cape of Sant Anton, (which is also called the land of
Gamatabeis, a wild tribe of Indians whom the Spaniards have not yet
subdued,) when, either through ignorance of the pilot or owing to heavy
currents, they were driven out of their right course, and were wrecked
off the Viboras isles, which lie between the shallows near the so termed
Alacranes sands. When large vessels get aground here, they are
inevitably lost; whereas the smallness of Zuazo's vessel was the very
means of his preservation. Yet, in order to lighten the vessel, they
were obliged to throw a great part of the cargo overboard, which, as it
principally consisted of smoked meat, soon brought great numbers of
sharks about the vessel. One of the sailors, who had ventured with some
others into the shallow water, was seized and devoured by one of these
monsters; the rest would, no doubt, have shared a similar fate if they
had not immediately hastened on board again. It was, therefore, with
great difficulty and much risk the whole of the crew at length managed
to get on to the island; but as they had thrown all their provisions and
their water-casks overboard, they had at first nothing to eat or drink;
at length, indeed, they managed to fish up a few pieces of their smoked
meat from the sea. They would even have been without fire had it not
been for two Cuba Indians, who, by rubbing two pieces of dry wood
together, soon kindled a flame. After searching about for some time,
they likewise had the good fortune to meet with fresh water; and as the
island was small and very sandy, numbers of turtles came to lay their
eggs in the sand. These creatures, which they found would lay one
hundred eggs each, the two Indians of Cuba easily captured by turning
them on their backs, so that they were unable to move. With these eggs,
the flesh of the turtle, and of seals which came on land during the
night, thirteen people nourished themselves for many days.
Among the hands on board this small vessel there happened to be two
carpenters of Ribera, who had fortunately rescued their tools; it was
therefore determined that they should construct a boat from the timber
of the vessel. When they had finished and completely rigged this boat, a
supply of turtles and smoked seals' flesh, with some water, was put on
board, besides a sea-chart and a compass. With this frail bark, three
Spanish sailors, and one of the Cuba Indians, boldly put out to sea in
quest of some harbour of New Spain, whence they might send a vessel to
the rescue of those left on the island. After encountering various kinds
of weather, they at length arrived safe in the river Bandera, where at
that time goods were landed from Spain. The three Spaniards immediately
repaired to Medellin, where a certain Simon de Cuenca was Cortes'
commandant, to whom they related their unfortunate shipwreck off the
Viboras isles. Cuenca, on hearing this, fitted out a small vessel, which
he despatched thither with a letter to Zuazo, in which he told him how
pleased Cortes would be to hear of his arrival in New Spain. Cortes, to
whom Cuenca had sent information of this circumstance, highly commended
the conduct he had pursued, and desired him, as soon as Zuazo and his
companions should arrive, to provide them with every necessary, and with
horses for their journey to Mexico.
This vessel had very favorable weather, and soon reached the little
island. The joy of Zuazo and his companions can easily be imagined; but
they had, in this interval, to their great sorrow, lost their friend
father Gonzalo, who gradually sunk under hardships to which he was
unaccustomed. They commended his departed soul to God, embarked on board
the vessel which had come to their deliverance, and, in a short time,
reached the coast of New Spain, from whence they arrived in Medellin,
where they met with a very kind reception. From this place they hastened
to Mexico, where Cortes gave them one of his own palaces to live in, and
shortly after appointed Zuazo his alcalde major.
What I have here related of Zuazo's voyage to New Spain I have copied
word for word from a letter which Cortes wrote to us the town council of
Guacasualco about it, which exactly corresponds with what the sailors
related themselves. The reader may, therefore, rely upon this as being a
true narrative.