whom we treated with kindness, and from whom we received farther information, respecting, the Spanish settlement, to which two of the natives of this place undertook to shew us the way.  From this place we entered upon vast open plains, in which not a tree was to be seen, and in which innumerable herds of deer were feeding, which were so tame as almost to come up to us.  Our horsemen, therefore, easily took as many as they pleased, and we found that the Indians never disturbed them, considering them as a kind of divinities, and had even been commanded by their idols, or priests rather in their name, neither to kill or frighten these animals.  The heat of the weather was now so excessive that Palacios Rubios, a relation of Cortes, lost his horse by pursuing the deer.  We continued our march along this open campaign country, passing several villages where the destructive ravages of war were distinctly perceivable.  On one occasion we met some Indians on their return from hunting, who had along with them a huge lion[1] just killed, and several iguanas[2], a species of small serpent very good to eat.  These people shewed us the way to their town, to which we had to wade up to our middles through a lake of fresh water by which it was surrounded.  This lake was quite full of fish, resembling shads, but enormously large, with prickles on their backs; and having procured some nets, we took above a thousand of them, which gave us a plentiful supply.  On inquiry, five of the natives of this place engaged to guide us to the settlement of our countrymen; and they were glad to get so easily rid of us, as they were apprehensive we had come to put them all to death.

Leaving this place, we proceeded to a town named Tayasal, situated on an island in a river, the white temples, towers, and houses, of which place, glistened from a distance.  As the road now became very narrow, we thought proper to halt here for the night, having in the first place detached some soldiers to the river to look out for a passage.  They were so fortunate as to take two canoes, containing ten men and two women, who were conveying a cargo of maize and salt.  Being brought to Cortes, they informed him that they belonged to a town about four leagues farther on.  Our general detained one of the canoes and some of the people, and sent two Spaniards along with the rest in the other canoe, to desire the cacique of that town to send him canoes to enable us to cross the river.  Next morning, we all marched down to the river, where we found the cacique waiting for us, who invited the general to his place of residence.  Cortes accordingly embarked with an escort of thirty crossbows, and was presented on his arrival at the town with a few toys of gold very much alloyed, and a small number of mantles.  They informed him that they knew of Spaniards being at three different places, which were Nito, Buena Vista, and Naco, the last being ten days journey inland from Nito, and where the greater number of the Spaniards resided, Nito being on the coast.  On hearing this, Cortes observed to us that De Oli had probably divided his forces, as we knew nothing as yet respecting Gil Gonzalo de Avila, or Las Casas.