e tanto q viera partio pera Cutifachiqui, no caminho se tomaram tres indios, os quaes dissera que a senora daqlla terra tinha ja dos christãos noticia e os estaua esperado em hú pouo seu. Ho gouernador por hú delles lhe mandou oferecer sua amizade e fazerlhe saber como hia pera la, ho gouernador chegou e logo viera pera elle quatro almadias, e hũa dellas vinha hua hirmã da cacica e chegando ao gouernador disse estas palavras. Excelẽte senor minha hirmã por mim mãda beijar as mãos a V. S. e dizerlhe q a causa porq ella nã vẽ em pessoa he parecer-lhe q mais ho serue qdando como queda dando ordẽ a q cõ brevidade se faça prestes todas as suas almadias pera que V. S. passe e q d'scanse porq logo será seruido. Ho Gouernador lhe deu os agardecimẽtos e ella se tornou pera outra parte do rio. Dahi a pouco espaço sahio a cacica do pouo e hú andor em que certos indios principaes até ho rio a leuaram. Entrou em hua almadia que tinha toldada a popa, e no sollo estaua jaa lançada sua esteira estẽdida e ẽ cima dous coxins hu sobre outro dõde se ella assentou e cõ seus principaes e outras almadias de indios que a acõpanhavã. Foy pera õde ho Gouernador estaua e como chegou fez a fala seguinte. Excelẽte senor a vinda de V. S. a estas suas terras seja muy boa, ainda que minha possibilidade se nã yguale a a võtade e meus seruiços nã seja cõformes ao q eu d'sejo e hum tã poderoso principe como V. S. lhe merece, pois a võtade he mais diria de receber q todos os tesouros do mundo q sem ella se ofereça cõ muy certa e crara lhe ofereço minha pessoa, terras e vassallos e este pobre seruiço: e apresentou-lhe muita roupa da terra q nas outras almadias trazia .s. mãtas, coyros; e de seu pescoço tirou hú grande fio de cõtas de perlas e o lãçou ao pescoço do gouernador passando cõ elle muy graciosas palauras de amor e cortesia, e mãdou alli vir almadias em q o gouernador e sua gente passou. Tanto q no pouo apousentado foi lhe fe outro seruiço de muitas gallinhas. Era aqlla terra muy aprazivel, grossa e de boas varzeas de rios: ho aruoredo ralo de muitas nogueiras e amoreiras: diziam q estaua ho mar duas jornadas: dalli ao redor a legoa e a mea legoa auia grades pouos despouoados e cheos derua q parecia q auia dias que nã abitauã nelles gente: deziam os indios q auia dous anos que naqlla terra ouuera peste e q se mudarã pera outros pouos: nas barbacoas delles auia grande cantidade de roupa, mantas de fiado de cascas d'aruores e mantas de pena, brancas, verdes, vermelhas e amarellas a seu uso louçãs e proueitosas pera ho inuerno: auia tãbe muitos coiros de veado bẽ cortidos de cores, debuxado nelles lauores e delles feitos calças e meãs calças e çapatos: e vendo a Cacica q os christãos estimaua as perlas, disse ao gouernador, que mandasse buscar certas sepulturas que naquelle pouo estauam, q acharia muitas: e se quisesse mãdar aos q despouoados estauã podiam carregar todos seus cauallos: foram buscadas as daqlle pouo, acharam se catorze arrobas de perlas e meninos e aves formados dellas. A gẽte era morena, bẽ d'posta e proporcionada e mais polida q nhuã da q se vio em toda a terra da Frolida e andauam todos calçados e vestidos. Neste pouo se achou hum punhal e cõtas d'xpãos e dissera os indios q auia estado no porto q duas jornadas dalli estaua e q auia ja muitos anos q foy o q alli chegou ho gouernador licenceado Aylhã q aqlla terra hia cõquistar, e ẽ chegando ao porto faleceo e ouue diuisam, brigas e mortes antre alguas pessoas principaes q cõ elle hiã sobre quẽ auia de gouernar: e do porto sem saberẽ nada da terra se tornarã a Espanha. A todos pareceo bẽ pouoarẽ aqlla terra por estar ẽ boa paragẽ: que se se pouoara todolos nauios da Noua Espanha e do Peru e Sancta Marta, e Terra firme, indo pera a Espanha lhes vinha bẽ fazer ali escala: porq he por alli seu caminho: e por ser boa terra e aparelhada pera fazer proveito. Ho gouernador como seu intẽto era buscar outro tesouro como ho d'Tabalipa senor do Peru, nã se quis cõtẽtar cõ boa terra nẽ cõ Perlas em caso q muitas dellas a peso de ouro valiã: e se se a terra repartira as que os indios depois pescaram valerã mais; porq as q tinham por as furarem cõ fogo lhe fazia perder sua cor. Respondeo ho gouernador aos q apertaram cõ elle q pouoasse: q em toda aqlla terra nã auia bastimentos pera sua gẽte se poder soster hũ mes: e era necessario acudir ao porto de Ochus dõde Maldonado auia desperar, q se outra terra mais rica nã se se achasse, que aqlla podia tornar cada vez q quisessem: e antre tanto fariã os indios suas sementeiras e estaria milhor prouida de mayz, preguntou aos indios se tinhã noticia d'algũ senor grade adiante dissera que doze jornadas dalli estaua hũa prouincia q Chiaha se chamaua sogeita ao senor de Coça: logo o gouernador d'tremino hir em demãda daquella terra; e por ser home rijo e seco de palaura, e ainda q folgaua de escutar e saber o parecer de todos, d'pois que dezia ho seu nam queria q ho contradissessem e sempre fazia ho q lhe a elle parecia: e assi todos se cõformauam cõ sua vontade: e ainda q pareceo erro deixar aquella terra porque se pudera ao rredor buscar outra dõde a gente se sustentara te que alli se fizeram as sementeiras e se colhera Mayz: e nam ouue que cousa alguã lhe disiesse sabida sua detreminaçam.

As soon as they had come, he set out for Cutifachiqui. On the way three Indians were taken. They said that the lady of that land already had news of the Christians and was waiting for them in one of her towns. Through one of them the governor sent to offer her his friendship and to let her know he was coming. When the governor arrived, four canoes came to him at once. In one of them came a sister of the cacica. She came up to the governor and spoke these words: "Excellent lord, my sister sends me to kiss Your Lordship's hands. She asks me to tell you why she does not come in person. She thinks she serves you better by staying where she is, giving orders to make all her canoes ready quickly so that Your Lordship may cross. Rest, for you will soon be served." The governor thanked her, and she went back to the other side of the river. A short while later the cacica came out of the town in a litter, and some leading Indians carried her to the river. She got into a canoe with an awning over its stern. Her mat was already spread on the floor, with two cushions on top, one on the other, and there she sat. With her leading men, and other canoes of Indians around her, she went to where the governor was. When she arrived, she made this speech: "Excellent lord, welcome to these lands, which are yours. My means do not match my goodwill, and my services do not match what I wish or what so powerful a prince as Your Lordship deserves. But goodwill is worth more than all the treasures of the world offered without it. With sure and open goodwill I offer you my person, my lands, my people, and this poor gift." She presented him with much cloth of the country, cloaks and skins, which she had brought in the other canoes. From her own neck she took a great string of pearl beads and put it around the governor's neck, and they exchanged very gracious words of friendship and courtesy. She had canoes brought, and in them the governor and his men crossed. As soon as he was lodged in the town, he was given another gift of many fowl. That land was very pleasant and fertile, with good meadows along the rivers. The woods were open, with many walnut and mulberry trees. They said the sea was two days' journey away. All around, a league or half a league off, there were large towns standing empty and full of weeds, as if no one had lived in them for some time. The Indians said that two years before there had been a pestilence in that land, and the people had moved to other towns. In their barbacoas there was a great quantity of cloth: cloaks woven of thread from tree bark, and feather cloaks, white, green, red and yellow, handsome in their way and good for winter. There were also many deerskins, well tanned and dyed in colors, with designs drawn on them. From them they made leggings, stockings and shoes. Seeing that the Christians prized the pearls, the cacica told the governor to have certain graves in that town searched, for he would find many there. If he wanted to send to the graves in the empty towns, they could load all their horses. The graves of that town were searched, and fourteen arrobas of pearls were found, along with figures of children and birds made of them. The people were brown, well built and well proportioned, and more refined than any seen in the whole land of Florida. All of them wore shoes and clothes. In this town a dagger and some Christian beads were found. The Indians said that Christians had been at the harbor two days' journey from there. Many years before, the governor, Licentiate Aylhã, had come there to conquer that land. On reaching the harbor he died. Then there were divisions, quarrels and killings among some of the leading men with him over who should govern. They went back to Spain from the harbor without learning anything about the land. Everyone thought it good to settle that land, because it lay in a good position. If it were settled, all the ships from New Spain, Peru, Santa Marta and Tierra Firme could put in there on the way to Spain, since their route passes that way. It was also good land, fit for making a profit. But the governor's aim was to find another treasure like that of Tabalipa, lord of Peru. He would not be content with good land or with pearls, though many of them were worth their weight in gold. If the land had been divided among settlers, the pearls the Indians fished later would have been worth more. The ones they had lost their color because the Indians bored the holes with fire. The governor answered those who pressed him to settle there. In all that land, he said, there was not food enough to keep his men for a month. They also had to go to the harbor of Ochus, where Maldonado was to wait for them. If no richer land were found, they could come back to this one whenever they liked. Meanwhile the Indians would plant their fields, and the land would be better supplied with maize. He asked the Indians whether they knew of any great lord farther on. They said that twelve days' journey away was a province called Chiaha, subject to the lord of Coça. At once the governor decided to go in search of that land. He was a hard man and sparing of words. He liked to listen and hear everyone's opinion, but once he had said his own, he would not be contradicted, and he always did as he thought best. So everyone fell in with his will. It seemed a mistake to leave that land. They could have looked for another nearby where the men could live until the fields there were planted and the maize harvested. But once his decision was known, no one said a word to him.