La Relación - page 32
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La Relación - page 32
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with all the able-bodied men in our boat until the sun had nearly set. Since the Governor had the healthiest and strongest men, we could in no way keep up with him.
When I saw this, I asked the Governor to throw me a line so I could follow him, but he answered that it would be enough of a struggle for them to reach shore that night themselves. I asked him what I should do since it was almost impossible to follow him and carry out his orders. He told me that it was no longer necessary for any of us to give orders, that each of us should do what seemed best to save his life, since that is what he intended to do. Saying this, he went farther away on his boat. Since I could not catch up with him, the other boat waited for me at sea until I reached it. When I approached it, I found that it was the one led by Captains Peñalosa and Téllez. We sailed in this manner together for four days, eating a daily ration of half a handful of raw corn.
After four days a storm came up and caused the other boat to be lost. We did not sink because of God's great mercy. The weather was rough, very cold and wintery. We had been suffering from hunger for many days and had been pounded so much by the sea that the following day many men began to faint. By nightfall all the men in my boat had passed out, one on top of another, so near death that few of them were conscious and fewer than five were still upright. During the night only the sailing master and I were left to sail the boat. Two hours after nightfall he told me I should take over because he was in such a condition that he thought he would die that very night; so I took the tiller. In the middle of the night, I went to see if the sailing master had died, but he told me that he was better and that he would steer until daybreak. At that time I certainly would have
When I saw this, I asked the Governor to throw me a line so I could follow him, but he answered that it would be enough of a struggle for them to reach shore that night themselves. I asked him what I should do since it was almost impossible to follow him and carry out his orders. He told me that it was no longer necessary for any of us to give orders, that each of us should do what seemed best to save his life, since that is what he intended to do. Saying this, he went farther away on his boat. Since I could not catch up with him, the other boat waited for me at sea until I reached it. When I approached it, I found that it was the one led by Captains Peñalosa and Téllez. We sailed in this manner together for four days, eating a daily ration of half a handful of raw corn.
After four days a storm came up and caused the other boat to be lost. We did not sink because of God's great mercy. The weather was rough, very cold and wintery. We had been suffering from hunger for many days and had been pounded so much by the sea that the following day many men began to faint. By nightfall all the men in my boat had passed out, one on top of another, so near death that few of them were conscious and fewer than five were still upright. During the night only the sailing master and I were left to sail the boat. Two hours after nightfall he told me I should take over because he was in such a condition that he thought he would die that very night; so I took the tiller. In the middle of the night, I went to see if the sailing master had died, but he told me that he was better and that he would steer until daybreak. At that time I certainly would have
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“La Relación - page 32,” Cabeza de Vaca, accessed October 7, 2024, https://exhibits.library.txstate.edu/cabeza/items/show/65.