Christians presenting them to us; and they related how the Christians at other times had come through the land, destroying and burning the towns, carrying away half the men, and all the women and the boys, while those who had been able to escape were wandering about fugitives.  We found them so alarmed they dared not remain anywhere.  They would not nor could they till the earth, but preferred to die rather than live in dread of such cruel usage as they received.  Altho these showed themselves greatly delighted with us, we feared that on our arrival among those who held the frontier, and fought against the Christians, they would treat us badly, and revenge upon us the conduct of their enemies; but, when God our Lord was pleased to bring us there, they began to dread and respect us as the others had done, and even somewhat more, at which we no little wondered.  Thence it may at once be seen that, to bring all these people to be Christians and to the obedience of the Imperial Majesty, they must be won by kindness, which is a way certain, and no other is.

They took us to a town on the edge of a range of mountains, to which the ascent is over difficult crags.  We found many people there collected out of fear of the Christians.  They received us well, and presented us all they had.  They gave us more than two thousand back-loads of maize, which we gave to the distrest and hungered beings who guided us to that place.  The next day we dispatched four messengers through the country, as we were accustomed to do, that they should call together all the rest of the Indians at a town distant three days’ march.  We set out the day after with all the people.  The tracks of the Christians and marks where they slept were continually seen.  At mid-day we met our messengers, who told us they had found no Indians, that they were roving and hiding in the forests, fleeing that the Christians might not kill nor make them slaves; the night before they had observed the Christians from behind trees, and discovered what they were about, carrying away many people in chains....

From this spot, called the river Petutan, to the river to which Diego de Guzman came, where we heard of Christians, may be as many as eighty leagues; thence to the town where the rains overtook us, twelve leagues, and that is twelve leagues from the South Sea.  Throughout this region, wheresoever the mountains extend, we saw clear traces of gold and lead, iron, copper, and other metals.  Where the settled habitations are, the climate is hot; even in January the weather is very warm.  Thence toward the meridian, the country unoccupied to the North Sea is unhappy and sterile.  There we underwent great and incredible hunger.  Those who inhabit and wander over it are a race of evil inclination and most cruel customs.  The people of the fixt residences and those beyond regard silver and gold with indifference, nor can they conceive of any use for them.