saying that they had found very few people, since all of them had gone to where the buffalo were, since this was the season for them. We told those who had been sick to remain and those who were well to go with us. Two days' journey from there, those same two women would go with two of us to bring out people to the trail to receive us. So the next morning all the fittest departed with us. We stopped after journeying for three days. The following day Alonso del Castillo set out with Estebanico the black man, taking the two women as guides. The one who was a captive took them to a river that ran through some mountains, to a village where her father lived. Here we saw the first houses that really looked like houses. Castillo and Estebanico went there. Having spoken to the Indians, Castillo returned after three days to where he had left us, bringing five or six of those Indians. He said that he saw people's dwellings and permanent settlements, and that those people ate beans and squash, and that he had seen corn. This made us the happiest people in the world, and we thanked our Lord heartily for it. He said that the black man would return with all the people from the houses to wait near there along the way.

For this reason we departed. A league and a half away, we came upon the black man and the people who were coming to receive us. They gave us beans and many squashes to eat and gourds for carrying water, and buffalo skin blankets and other things. Since these people and the ones who had come with us were enemies and did not get along, we left the latter, giving them what we had been given, and went with these new people. Six leagues from there, as night was falling, we reached their houses, where they had a great celebration with us. We stayed there for a day, and the following day took them with us to another permanent settlement where they ate the same things as these people.

From that point on there was a new custom. Those who knew we were coming would not come out to the trails to welcome us as the others