23
Early Exploration of the Coast of Texas
to colonize the Rio de las Palmas. The details of the manner in which Zuazo served Garay in the delicate mission entrusted to him will remain a matter of conjecture, but it is evident that he was won over by the generosity of Cortes and that he did little or nothing for the cause of the Governor of Jamaica. 55 Whether it had been the original intention of Garay to go to take possession of the Panuco River is hard to determine. Testimony given by his men after they were captured at Santiestevan, seems to indicate clearly that his real intention had been to found a settlement at the Rio de las Palmas. 56 Perhaps his plan was to establish a base for his operations on this river and from there undertake to drive Cortes from the Panuco. His men agreed that he had often referred to the fact that he had a prior right as far as the Panuco and that he intended to fight for it if necessary. He was reputed to have said that if Cortes attempted to drive him out of the land or take him prisoner as he had done with Narvaez, he would have to do more than put out one of his eyes. 51 Whatever his original intention, the fact remains that after a stay of a few weeks in Cuba, he finally resumed his voyage to the new land. On Saint James day, July 25, the expedition reached the mouth of the Rio de las Palmas, which was about thirty or forty leagues north of the Panuco River. 58 Here the ships, which had been scattered by a storm, finally came together. It was decided to send Gonzalo de Ocampo to explore the river and select a convenient site for the settlement. While the fleet waited at the mouth, Ocampo ascended the stream for a distance of about fifteen leagues. This must have brought him up the Rio Grande to the neighborhood of present day Brownsville. After four days, he returned and reported he had noticed a number of rivulets flowing into the main river, that there were a number of Indian villages higher up, and that the land was unsuited for settlement. "Although this account was untrue," declares Herrera, "Garay believed it." 59 But according to the declarations of his men at Santiestevan, it was Garay who was anxious to leave the Rio de las Palmas and go on to the Panuco. In a written statement signed by twelve of his followers, they declared: "He 55 Herrera, Historia, Dec. iii, Lib. v, Cap. v; Gomara, Cronica, in Barcia, II, 158. 56 Pacheco y Cardenas Documentos /11editos, XXVI, 103, 121, 129. The declara- tions all agree on this point. 51 Pacheco y Cardenas, op. cit., XXVI, 120. 51 /bid., l 17. 59 Herrera, Hirtoria, Dec. iii, Lib. v, Cap. v.
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