A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 03 eBook

Robert Kerr (writer)
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 756 pages of information about A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 03.

A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 03 eBook

Robert Kerr (writer)
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 756 pages of information about A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 03.

They held their course along the coast for fifteen days, always laying to at night, when they came to a large town with a bay, which they believed to be a river in which they might find water, of which they were now in great need.  They landed, and hearing the Indians call the place Quimpeche, it ever afterwards was called Campechy.  Being come to a well of excellent water, of which the natives used to drink, and having taken what they needed, they were about to return to the ships, when fifty Indians clad in jackets and large cotton cloth cloaks came up, asking by signs what they wanted, whether they came from the east, and finally invited them to their town.  When they had seriously considered this, and put themselves into a good posture of defence, lest they should be treacherously used as they had already been at Cotoche, they accompanied the Indians to certain temples or places of worship, built of stone and lime, where there were many idols of very ugly shapes, with fresh signs of blood, and several painted crosses, at which last they were much amazed.  Great numbers of men, women, and children, flocked to look at them, shewing signs of great amazement, though some of them smiled.  Soon afterwards, two parties of armed men appeared in good order, clothed and armed like those they had seen at Cotoche.  In the next place, ten men in very long white mantles came from one of the temples, having their long black hair twisted up in rolls behind.  In their hands these men held little earthen fire-pans, into which they cast gum anime, which they call copal, with which they perfumed the Spaniards, ordering them to depart from the country on pain of death.  They then began to beat upon small kettle drums, and to sound their horns, trumpets, and pipes.  The Spaniards, who were rather weak, as two of the men wounded at Cotoche had died, and the rest were not yet quite recovered, thought it prudent to retire to the shore, which they did in good order, followed by the armed Indians, and embarked without any conflict.  After sailing six days longer, the wind came round to the north, blowing with such violence on the coast that they thought to have been cast away.  When the storm abated, they endeavoured to approach the shore for water, as the casks had become leaky, and soon ran out.  They landed accordingly in a bay near an Indian town, and about a league from the town of Pontonchan, and filled their casks at a well near certain places of worship, which were built of stone and lime like those they had seen formerly.  When ready to return to the ships, they perceived a party of armed men advancing towards them, who asked whether they had come from where the sun rises?  On being answered in the affirmative, the Indians drew back to some houses not far off, and the Spaniards, because night was coming on, resolved to remain on shore.  A great noise was heard soon afterwards among the Indians, and the Spaniards became divided in opinion; some being clear for getting on board immediately, while others thought it would be dangerous to retreat in the dark, as there seemed 300 Indians to every one of their small party.

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A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 03 from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.