of that place wounded two of the Spaniards, which the general thought proper to overlook under the present circumstances.  Departing from Quiguate after a sojourn of seven days, they arrived in five days more at the province of Colima, marching still down the river, and were received in a friendly manner.  At this place they found another river having blue sand, which was salt to the taste.  The Spaniards being much in want of salt, steeped some of this sand in water, which they strained and boiled, and procured excellent salt to their great joy; yet some ate of it so voraciously that ten of them died.

Departing from this province of Colima, which the Spaniards named De Sal, or the Salt Country, they marched four days through an uninhabited wilderness, after which they came to a province called Tula[178].  On approaching the first town, the whole population both male and female came out to oppose them, and a battle ensued in which the Indians were defeated, and the Spaniards rushed into the town along with the fugitives; and as the inhabitants obstinately refused to submit or surrender they were all massacred.  After this, on Reynoso Cabeza de Vaca[179] going into one of the houses, he was suddenly beset by five women who had hidden themselves in a corner, who would have stifled him if he had not been rescued by two soldiers who came in upon hearing his cries for assistance, and who were forced to kill the women before they could extricate him from their hands.  From this place Soto sent out parties of his cavalry to view the country.  When any Indians were made prisoners in these excursions, they used to throw themselves on the ground, exclaiming “either kill me or leave me,” refusing obstinately to accompany the Spaniards, or to give any account of the country.  At this place the Spaniards found several well dressed cows hides, though they could never learn from whence they came[180], and likewise other good skins of various kinds.  Four days after the arrival of the Spaniards at this place, they were attacked one morning early by surprise by a large party of Indians, in three several places at once, all calling out Tula!  Tula! continually, which was considered as a watch-word to know each other in the obscurity and confusion of the attack.  The Spaniards seized their arms in all haste, invoking the blessed virgin and their patron apostle St Jago for aid, as they were in the utmost peril.  In this battle the Indians fought with great clubs, a weapon which had not been seen before in Florida.  The Indians continued the assault with such obstinacy till after sunrise, and the Spaniards had been so completely surprised, that they were forced to lay aside all punctilios of military discipline, each using his utmost individual efforts for safety, and the officers even submitting to fight occasionally under the command of their inferiors.  At length the Indians were repulsed, and retired unpursued by the Spaniards, of whom four were killed and a good many wounded.