After Cortés had crossed the great river of the Golfo Duke in the way I have related, he went to the town where the Spaniards of Gil Gonzáles de Ávila were settled, about two leagues distant and close to the sea, and not to where they made their first settlement named San Gil de Buena Vista.

When these saw a man on horseback and six others on foot among their houses, they were greatly startled, and when they knew that it was Cortés who was so renowned throughout the Indies and in Castile they were beside themselves with delight. After all the caciques had come to kiss his hand and give him a welcome Cortés addressed them very affectionately and instructed the Lieutenant, who was called Nieto, to go to where they careened the ship and bring the two boats they possessed, and if there were any canoes to bring them also, tied two and two, and he ordered them to collect all the cassava bread in the place and take it to Captain Sandoval (for they had no maize bread), that it might be divided and eaten by all of us belonging to his army. The Lieutenant promptly searched but did not find so much as fifty pounds of it, for they lived only on roasted zapotes, vegetables, and some shell fish which they fished for, and even the cassava which they gave us they were preserving as stores for the voyage to Cuba when the ship should have been calked.