credit to his powers of imagination.  Coronado lost no time in accompanying Marcos to Mexico, where a conference with Mendoza resulted in the promotion of the monk, and the immediate organisation of the great expedition mentioned.  Coronado was made general of the land forces, and Hernando de Alarcon was placed in charge of the ships.  Having a land march to make Coronado, started in February, 1540, while Alarcon sailed in May.  Coronado proceeded to San Miguel de Culiacan, the last settlement toward the north, near the coast, whence he took a direction slightly east of north.

Alarcon, with his ships the San Pedro and the Santa Catalina, laid a course for the haven of Sant Iago.  They were caught in a severe storm which so greatly frightened the men on the Santa Catalina, “more afraid than was need,” remarks Alarcon, that they cast overboard nine pieces of ordnance, two anchors, one cable, and “many other things as needful for the enterprise wherein we went as the ship itself.”  At Sant Iago he repaired his losses, took on stores and some members of his company, and sailed for Aguaiauall, the seaport of San Miguel de Culiacan, where Coronado was to turn his back on the outposts of civilisation.  The general had already gone when Alarcon arrived, but they expected to hold communication with each other, if not actually to meet, farther on; and it seems from this that they must have felt confidence in finding a river by which Alarcon might sail into the interior.  As early as 1531 there were vague reports of a large river, the mouth of which was closed by the Amerinds living there by means of a huge cable stretched across from side to side.  There may also have been other rumours of a large river besides the surmises of the Ulloa party.  At any rate, Alarcon and Coronado fully expected to be in touch much of the time.  This expectation appears absurd to us now when we understand the geography, but there was nothing out of the way about the supposition at that time.  As it happened, the two divisions never met, nor were they able to communicate even once.  So far as rendering Coronado any assistance was concerned, Alarcon might as well have been on the coast of Africa.  The farther they proceeded the farther apart they were, but Alarcon kept a constant and faithful lookout for the other party the whole time, never losing an opportunity to inquire its whereabouts.

Coronado had left a well-provisioned ship, the San Gabriel, at Aguaiauall, for Alarcon to bring along.  These supplies were for the use of the army when the two parties should meet in the north from time to time.  Alarcon added the vessel to his fleet and proceeded along up the coast, keeping as near the land as the water would permit, and constantly on the lookout for signals from the other party, or for Amerinds who might be able to give information concerning the position of the general.  Thus, at last, he came to the very head of the gulf where Ulloa had wondered at the rush of waters and had turned away