A party crossed to the main with the Adelantado and
pushed a league into as tall and thick and shadowy a forest as
ever we met in all our wanderings. Here we found no village,
but came suddenly, right in the wood, upon a very great
thatched hut, and in it, upon a stone, lay in state a dead
cacique. He seemed long dead, but the body had not corrupted;
it was saved by some knowledge such as had the
Egyptians. A crown of feathers rested upon the head and
gold was about the neck. Around the place stood posts and
slabs of a dark wood and these were cut and painted with
I do not know what of beast and bird and monstrous idol
forms. We stared. The place was shadowy and very
silent. At last with an oath said Francisco de Porras, "Take
the gold!" But the Adelantado cried, "No!" and going
out of the hut that was almost a house we left the dead
cacique and his crown and mantle and golden breastplate.
Two wooden figures at the door grinned upon us. We saw
now what seemed a light brown powder strewed around
and across the threshold. One of our men, stooping, took
up a pinch then dropped it hastily. "It is the same they
threw against us!"
"Wizardry! We'll find harm from them yet!" That
song crept in now at every turn.
We sailed from the Garden south by east along the endless
coast that no strait broke. At first fair weather ran
with us.
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