EXPEDITION OE IIERNANDO DE SOTO.
209
the river they could not go back. Four Spaniards fled to the brigan-tine that was nearest to the canoes ; and only these escaped of those that came among the Indians. There were eleven that died there : among whom John de Guzman was one, and a son of Don Carlos, called John de Vargas : the rest also were persons of account and men of great courage. Those that escaped by swimming said that they saw the Indians enter the canoe of John de Guzman at the stern of one of their canoes, and whether they carried him away dead or alive they could not certainly tell.
The Indians, seeing that they had got the victory, took such courage, that they assaulted them in the brigantines, which they durst not do before. They came first to that brigantine wherein Caldcron went for captain, and was in the rearward : and at the first volley of arrows they wounded twenty-five men. There were only four armed men in this brigantine ; these did stand at the brigantine's side to defend it. Those that wore unarmed, seeing how they hurt them, left their oars and went under the deck : whereupon the brigantine began to cross, and to go where the current of the stream carried it. One of the armed men seeing this, without the commandment of the captain, made a footman to take an oar and steer the brigantine, he standing before him and defending him with his target. The Indians came no nearer than a bowshot, from whence they offended and were not offended, receiving no hurt : for in every brigantine was but one crossbow, and those which we had were very much out of order. So that the Christians did nothing else but stand for a butt to receive their arrows. Having left this brigantine they went to another, and fought with it half an hour ; and so from one to another they fought with them all. The Christians had mats to lay under them, which were double, and so close and strong, that no arrow went through them. And as soon as the Indians gave them leisure, they fenced the brigantines with them. And the Indians seeing that they could not shoot level, shot their arrows at random up in the air, which fell into the brigantines, and hurt some of the men : and not therewith, contented, they sought to get to them which were in the canoes with the horses. Those of the brigantines environed them to defend them, and took them among them. Thus seeing themselves much vexed by them, and so wearied that they could no longer endure it, they determined to travel all the night following, thinking to get beyond the country of Quvjalta, and that they would leave them : but when they thought least of it, supposing that they had now left them, they heard 15