on our return towards the ships.  On our side one only was slain in this fight, and twenty-two wounded, all of whom, by the blessing of God, recovered from their wounds.  It was now determined to return into Spain:  wherefore the seven men who had accompanied us from the continent, of whom five were wounded in the battle, embarked in a canoe which we seized at this place, and returned to their own country, very joyful for the vengeance we had taken of their cruel enemies, and full of admiration at our war-like prowess.  On this occasion we gave them seven of our prisoners, three men and four women.  Proceeding from this place in our voyage to Spain, we arrived at Cadiz on the 15th October 1498, carrying with us 222 prisoners whom we had taken during the voyage, all of whom we sold.  These are all the circumstances worthy of notice which occurred during our first voyage.

[1] It is highly probable that the date is here falsified by error, or
    rather purposely to give a pretext for having discovered the continent
    of the New World before Columbus; for we are assured by Harris, II. 37,
    that the real date of this voyage was 1499.  Alonzo Hojeda and Americus
    Vespucius were furnished by Fonseca, bishop of Burgos, with charts and
    projects of discovery made by Columbus, whose honour and interest the
    bishop was eager to destroy by this surreptitious invasion of his
    rights as admiral and viceroy of the West Indies.—­E.

[2] In the original, having the wind between south and south-west.  It is
    often impossible to ascertain, as here, from the equivocal language of
    the original, whether the author intends to express the course of the
    voyage or the direction of the wind.  The course of the voyage from
    Cadiz to the Cananaries, whither Americus was now bound, certainly was
    towards the direction expressed in the text, and to this course the
    wind indicated is adverse.

[3] In the original, per Ponentem, sumpta una Lebeccio quarta. Ponente
    is the West in Italian, and Lebeccio the south-west; but it is
    difficult to express in English nautical language the precise meaning
    of the original, which is literally translated in the text.—­E.

[4] The latitude and longitude of the text would indicate the eastern
    coast of Yucutan, near the bay of Honduras; but from other
    circumstances, it is probable the coast now visited by Americus was
    that of Paria or the Spanish main, between the latitudes of 10 deg. and
    12 deg.  N. and perhaps twenty-five degrees less to the west than
    expressed in the text.  But the geographical notices in this work of
    Americus are scanty and uncertain.—­E.

[5] Praeterquam regiuncula illa anterior, quam verecundiore vocabulo
    pectusculum imum vocamus.

[6] The author appears to mean here that they were entirely destitute of
    religious belief.—­E.