La Relación - page 27
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La Relación - page 27
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sailing along the coast in the direction of the River of Palms, with greater hunger and thirst each day because we had few provisions and these were running out. We ran out of water because the skins we made from the horses' legs rotted and became useless. Sometimes we entered inlets and bays that extended far inland, all of them shallow and dangerous. We went on this way for thirty days and sometimes encountered Indians who fished, a poor and wretched people.
At the end of thirty days, we needed water very badly. We heard a canoe approaching while we were sailing along the coast. Once we saw it, we waited for it to reach us, but it refused to face us. Although we called out to it, it did not return or wait for us. Since it was night we did not follow it but went on our way. At dawn we saw a small island where we went to see if we could find water, but our effort was in vain since there was none there. While we were anchored there, a very great storm came up, and we waited six days before we dared go out into the open sea. Since we had not drunk water for five days, our thirst obliged us to drink salt water. And some drank so much that soon afterwards five of our men died. I tell of this briefly because I do not think it necessary to give all the details of the misery and suffering we bore. Considering where we were and the scarce hope for relief, one can readily imagine what we were enduring. Although the storm had not ended, when we saw that our thirst 'increased and the water was killing us, we decided to commend ourselves to God our Lord and take our chances with the dangers at sea rather than remain and be certain to die of thirst. So we left that night heading in the direction where we had seen the canoe the night we had arrived. Many times that day we thought we were so lost and would certainly sink and drown that there was no one who did not believe that death was close at hand.
It pleased our Lord, who shows his favor in the greatest adversity,
At the end of thirty days, we needed water very badly. We heard a canoe approaching while we were sailing along the coast. Once we saw it, we waited for it to reach us, but it refused to face us. Although we called out to it, it did not return or wait for us. Since it was night we did not follow it but went on our way. At dawn we saw a small island where we went to see if we could find water, but our effort was in vain since there was none there. While we were anchored there, a very great storm came up, and we waited six days before we dared go out into the open sea. Since we had not drunk water for five days, our thirst obliged us to drink salt water. And some drank so much that soon afterwards five of our men died. I tell of this briefly because I do not think it necessary to give all the details of the misery and suffering we bore. Considering where we were and the scarce hope for relief, one can readily imagine what we were enduring. Although the storm had not ended, when we saw that our thirst 'increased and the water was killing us, we decided to commend ourselves to God our Lord and take our chances with the dangers at sea rather than remain and be certain to die of thirst. So we left that night heading in the direction where we had seen the canoe the night we had arrived. Many times that day we thought we were so lost and would certainly sink and drown that there was no one who did not believe that death was close at hand.
It pleased our Lord, who shows his favor in the greatest adversity,
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“La Relación - page 27,” Cabeza de Vaca, accessed October 6, 2024, https://exhibits.library.txstate.edu/cabeza/items/show/60.