Our Catholic IIeritage in Texas
54
, I
toiled on till they came to the lVI ississippi. Here they took water from the open sea and were much refreshed. As they tried to enter the river, the current of the stream, accompanied by a high wind which had just arisen, was so strong that the boats were swept about half a league out to sea. For three more days the weary travelers kept on, slowly approach- ing the land as they continued their western course. At the end of this time, just before dawn, they took a sounding and found they were in water three fathoms deep. Instead of landing, they decided to wait for the light of the rising sun. During their stormy voyage, they had obsenred many clouds of smoke along the shore and they now feared a surprise attack from the natives should they attempt to land in the dark. Fate, however, once more intervened. In the morning Cabeza de Vaca's boat found itself out at sea in thirty fathoms of water, alone. A wind had come up and again separated the fleet. At the end of the day he came in sight of two boats. The nearer one was that of the governor. Cabeza de Vaca, coming within hailing distance, suggested they should join the third boat and keep together. The governor declared the other boat was too far out and that he wanted to get ashore. Cabeza de Vaca agreed to follow, but soon found he was unable to keep up with Narvaez, who had the strongest men in his boat. He called for a towing rope, but the governor refused to help him, saying "that each should do what he thought best to save his own life." 3 : Sl,ipwrcckcd on the Texas coast. Left to his own resources, Cabeza de Vaca decided to join the third boat, which waited for him. This was the one entrusted to Captains Tellez and Penalosa. For four more days they continued painfully along the coast, eating their daily ration of half a handful of raw maize and suffering greatly from thirst. Another furious storm then arose and separated them once more. "Because of winter and its inclemency, the many days we had suffered hung er, and the heavy beating of the waves, the people began next day to despair in such manner that when the sun sank, all who were on my boat," declares Cabeza de Vaca, "were fallen on one another, so near to death that there were few among them in a state of sensibility." Before mid- night, Solis succumbed to fatigue and fell asleep. Only Cabeza de Vaca was left to hold weakly to the steering oar. Shortly before dawn, the
\ I 1
l I
32 Barcia, I, 12; Oviedo, Vol. 3, p. 590; Pacheco y Cardenas, Dnc11111e11tos lneditos, Vol. 14, p . 275.
Powered by FlippingBook