The Journey of Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca and His Companions From Florida to the Pacific, 1528-1536 Page: 71 of 253

ALVAR NUNEZ CABEZA DE VACA

end was a very large river, and at a small
island on the point I anchored to wait for
the other barges.
The Governor did not want to touch, but
entered a bay close by, where there
Were many small islands. There we got
together and took fresh water out of the
sea, because the river emptied into it like a
torrent.
For two days we had eaten the corn
raw, and now, in order to toast it, we
Went ashore on that island, but not find-
ing any firewood, agreed to go to the river,
rWhich was one league from there behind the
point. However, the current was so strong
that it in no way allowed us to land, but
rather carried us away from the shore
against all our efforts. The north wind that
blew off shore freshened so much that it
drove us back to the high sea, without our
being able to do anything against it, and at
about one-half league from shore we sound-
ed and found no bottom even at thirty fath-
mns. Without being able to understand it,
it was the current that disturbed our sound-
ings. We navigated two days yet, trying
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