Then the brisa starts.  This wind is the ordinary one in the South Sea, especially in low latitudes.  Since it is a head wind, the course is changed, and the bow is pointed betwen the north and east, as much as the wind will allow.  With this they reach a higher latitude, and the ship is kept in this course until the vendaval returns.  Then, by means of it, the ship again takes an eastern course in that latitude where it happens to be, and keeps that direction as long as that wind lasts.  When the vendaval dies, the ship takes the best course that the winds allow, by the winds then blowing between north and east.  If the wind is so contrary that it is north or northwest, so that the ship cannot take that course, the other course is taken so that they may continue to maintain their voyage without losing time.  At four hundred leguas from the islands they sight certain volcanoes and ridges of the islands of Ladrones, which run north as far as twenty-four degrees. [261] Among these they generally encounter severe storms and whirl-winds.  At thirty-four degrees is the cape of Sestos, [262] at the northern head of Japon, six hundred leguas from the Filipinas.  They sail among other islands, which are rarely seen, in thirty-eight degrees, encountering the same dangers and storms, and in a cold climate, in the neighborhood of the islands Rica de Oro ["rich in gold”] and Rica de Plata ["rich in silver"], which are but seldom seen. [263] After passing them the sea and open expanse of water is immense, and the ship can run free in any weather.  This gulf is traversed for many leguas with such winds as are encountered, until a latitude of forty-two degrees is reached, toward the coast of Nueva Espana.  They seek the winds that generally prevail at so high a latitude, which are usually northwest.  After a long voyage the coast of Nueva Espana is sighted, and from Cape Mendocino (which lies in forty-two and one-half degrees) the coast extends nine hundred leguas to the port of Acapulco, which lies in sixteen and one-half degrees.

When the ships near the coast, which they generally sight betwen forty and thirty-six degrees, the cold is very severe, and the people suffer and die.  Three hundred leguas before reaching land, signs of it are seen, by certain aguas malas, [264] as large as the hand, round and violet colored, with a crest in the middle like a lateen sail, which are called caravelas ["caravels"].  This sign lasts until the ship is one hundred leguas from land; and then are discovered certain fish, with half the body in the form of a dog; [265] these frolic with one another near the ship.  After these perrillos ["little dogs”] are seen the porras ["knobsticks"], which are certain very long, hollow shoots of a yellow herb with a ball at the top, and which float on the water.  At thirty leguas from the coast are seen many great bunches of grass which are carried down to the sea by the great rivers of the country.