T/1e Narvaez Expedition, 1526-1536
55
roar of the surf broke upon their ears. 'When day dawned, the frail boat was lifted high on one of the rolling waves and thrown abruptly upon the sand. The shock, the spray from the raging sea, the firm ground on which they were tossed seemed to have brought the half-dead men to life. After forty-five days, for it was now November 6, 1528, they were on the coast of Texas, somewhere on the western extremity of Galveston • .. Island, or perhaps on San Luis Peninsula or Bolivar Point, after the most trying and daring voyage ever recorded. 33 Numbed by the cold, the men feebly crawled up the shore and made their way to some ravines nearby, where they built a fire, parched some maize, and found rain water to quench their thirst. Cabeza de Vaca, who seems to have taken charge now, asked Lope de Oviedo, the stoutest of the survivors, to climb one of the neighboring trees and learn what he could of the surrounding country. He reported it looked like an island. 34 A more careful exploration disclosed an Indian village not far away. Before the day was over, the wretched survivors were visited by a large group of Indian archers, who proved friendly and promised to bring food next day. True to their promise, they returned next morning, November 7, and brought a quantity of fish and edible roots. That afternoon they brought more food and their women came with them to behold the Spaniards, who gave them as presents such trinkets as they had saved. . Feeling they .had sqpplies sufficient to renew their journey to Panuco, the emaciated crew dug out their boat from the sand by dint of much exertion. They then stripped themselves, and placing everything on board, proceeded to embark. Before they had gone a hundred yards a large wave swept over them. The cold numbed their hands and chilled their bodies, the grip on the oars relaxed, and the next wave turned the boat over. Solis and two companions who held to the wreck were drowned, while the rest were washed ashore "naked as the day they were born" and half drowned. The little provisions they had were now lost. Their plight was worse than ever. The north wind blew pitilessly and the famished men, without clothes, shivered before the fire they had kindled with the dying embers they left in the previous camp. When the Indians came that evening, they were much surprised to see 33R. T. Hill, "Hideous Shipwreck on the Texas Coast," Dallas News, July 30, I 933; Davenport and Wells, "The First Europeans in Texas," Quarterly, Vol. 22, pp. 1 19-121. This study is the most detailed and scholarly and makes use of all previous studies up to 1919. It will be referred to hereafter as Davenport and Wells. "Hodge, 44; 52, note 2.
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