In a district of the province of Bainoa in the mountains of Daiagon, lying twelve miles from the salt lake of the Caspian, are mines of rock salt, whiter and more brilliant than crystal, and similar to the salts which so enrich the province of Laletania, otherwise called Catalonia, belonging to the Duke of Cardona, who is the chief noble of that region.  People, in a position to compare the two, consider the salts of Bainoa the richer.  It seems that it is necessary to use iron tools for mining the salt in Catalonia.  It also crumbles very easily as I know by experience, nor is it harder than spongy stone.  The salt of Bainoa is as hard as marble.  In the province of Caizcimu and throughout the territories of Iguanama, Caiacoa, and Quatiaqua springs of exceptional character are found.  At the surface their waters are fresh, a little deeper down they are salty and at the bottom they are heavily charged with salt.  It is thought that the salt sea-water partially feeds them, and that the fresh waters on the surface flow from the mountains through subterranean passages.  The salt-waters, therefore, remain at the bottom while the others rise to the surface, and the former are not sufficiently strong to entirely corrupt the latter.  The waters of the middle strata are formed by a mixture of the two others, and share the characteristics of both.

By placing one’s ear to the ground near the opening of one of these springs it is easily perceived that the earth is hollow underneath, for one may hear the steps of a horseman a distance of three miles and a man on foot a distance of one mile.  It is said there is a district of savana in the most westerly province of Guaccaiarima, inhabited by people who only live in caverns and eat nothing but the products of the forest.  They have never been civilised nor had any intercourse with any other races of men.  They live, so it is said, as people did in the golden age, without fixed homes or crops or culture; neither do they have a definite language.  They are seen from time to time, but it has never been possible to capture one, for if, whenever they come, they see anybody other than natives approaching them, they escape with the celerity of a deer.  They are said to be quicker than French dogs.

Give ear, Most Holy Father, to a very amusing exploit of one of these savages.  The Spaniards own cultivated fields along the edge of the woods and thick forests, which some of them went to visit, as though on a pleasure trip, in the month of September, 1514.  All at once one of these dumb men suddenly emerged from the woods and smilingly picked up from the very midst of the Christians a young boy, son of the owner of the field, whose wife was a native.  The savage fled, making signs that the people should follow him, so several Spaniards and a number of naked natives ran after the robber, without, however, being able to catch him.  As soon as the facetious savage perceived the Spaniards had given up the pursuit, he left the child at a crossroads where the swineherds pass driving herds to pasture.  One of these swineherds recognised the child and taking it in his arms brought it back to the father, who had been in despair, thinking this savage belonged to the Carib race, and mourning the child as dead.