Hojeda, who was the first to arrive, was likewise the first to leave, starting with his men in search of Uraba, which is under his jurisdiction.  On his way thither he came upon an island called La Fuerte, which lies halfway between Uraba and the harbour of Carthagena.  There he landed and found it inhabited by ferocious cannibals, of whom he captured two men and seven women, the others managing to escape.  He likewise gathered one hundred and ninety drachmas of gold made into necklaces of various kinds.  He finally reached the eastern extremity of Uraba.  This is called Caribana, because it is from this country that the insular Caribs derive their origin, and have hence kept the name.[4] Hojeda’s first care was to provide protection, and to this end he built a village defended by a fort.  Having learned from his prisoners that there was a town twelve miles in the interior, called Tirufi, celebrated for its gold mines, he made preparations for its capture.  The inhabitants of Tirufi were ready to defend their rights, and Hojeda was repulsed with loss and disgrace; these natives likewise used poisoned arrows in fighting.  Driven by want, he attacked another village some days later, and was wounded by an arrow in the hip; some of his companions affirm that he was shot by a native whose wife he had taken prisoner.  The husband approached and negotiated amicably with Hojeda for the ransom of his wife, promising to deliver, on a fixed day, the amount of gold demanded of him.  On the day agreed upon he returned, armed with arrows and javelins but without the gold.  He was accompanied by eight companions, all of whom were ready to die to avenge the injury done to the inhabitants of Carthagena and also the people of the village.  This native was killed by Hojeda’s soldiers, and could no longer enjoy the caresses of his beloved wife; but Hojeda, under the influence of the poison, saw his strength ebbing daily away.

[Note 4:  The place of origin of the Caribs is disputed, some authorities tracing them to Guiana, others to Venezuela, others to the Antilles, etc.]

At this juncture arrived the other commander, Nicuesa, to whom the province of Veragua, lying west of Uraba, had been assigned as a residence.  He had sailed with his troops from the port of Carthagena the day after Hojeda’s departure, with Veragua for his destination, and entered the gulf called by the natives Coiba, of whom the cacique was named Caeta.  The people thereabouts speak an entirely different language from those of Carthagena and Uraba.  The dialects of even neighbouring tribes are very dissimilar.[5] For instance, in Hispaniola, a king is called cacique, whereas in the province of Coiba he is called chebi, and elsewhere tiba; a noble is called in Hispaniola taino, in Coiba saccus, and in other parts jura.

[Note 5:  La Bibliotheque Americaine of Leclerc contains a list of the different works on American languages.  Consult also Ludwig, The Literature of American Aboriginal Languages.]