The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 28, July 1924 - April, 1925 Page: 73

The Expedition, of Pinfilo de Narvaez

on it, and if it is not sweet enough they add some more earth;
and then, sitting around, each of them takes his portion and
drinks the water the while. From this fruit they make two or
three other dishes.1r
In one village the Christians found that all the natives were
one-eyed, or absolutely blind, from cataracts.s8
This relation says that the Indians in one place gave the Chris-
tians, Cabeza de Vaca and his companions, small bags of silver;
but this is a printer's mistake, as it should say bags of marga-
ritas, and not bags of silver.'9
There are small pine trees and plenty of pinenuts, the cones
as big as eggs and the nuts better than those of Spain because
their shells are very thin. When green they grind them into
balls and eat them, and when dry they reduce them to powder,
shells and all, and eat that powder.0
There are many hares which they kill with sticks, many hunt-
ers gathering [and hunting together.]21
This relation also says that Cabeza de Vaca and his compan-
ions found a certain people who, the third part of the year eat
only straw made into powder.22
It also says that some Indians gave Dorantes some emeralds
that they used as arrow points, and when asked for their origin
they explained that they came from some high mountains in the
north, and that they obtained them in exchange for parrot
feathers.23
It says that there are three kinds of deer, and one kind as big
as young Castillian bulls.24
It tells also about a poison used by some Indians for their
1Bandelier, pp. 126-128.
"Bandelier, p. 133.
""The inmates of these abodes [on the "Beautiful River"] .
gave us a number of pouches with silver and powdered antimony (or
lead), with which they paint their faces." (Bandelier, pp. 139-140.)
"Bandelier, p. 140.
2'Bandelier, pp. 142-143.
"That is, ground refuse of the maguey or lechuguilla. (Bandelier, p.
155.) See Note 6, Ch. 5, ante, from Hist6ria de Nuevo Leon.
28The people of the settlement they called Corazones. (Bandelier, p.
156.) The Smith translation (Hodge, p. 106) of the 1555 edition of
Naufrdgios makes Cabeza de Vaca say that the emeralds were presented
to him.
"Bandelier, p. 161.