The nearer these islands were to the shore of Cuba, they appeared the higher, greener, and more beautiful, some of them being a league or two in compass, and others, three or four.  On the first day he saw many, and the next still more; and considering that they were so numerous that it was impossible to give each a name, he called the whole group or range El Jarden de la Reyna, or the Queen’s Garden.  Between these islands there were many channels through which the ships could pass; and in some of them they found a sort of red cranes, or flamingos, which are only found on the coast of Cuba and among the small islands, living on the salt water upon some kind of food which they there find.  These birds are often domesticated, and are then fed on cazabi, or casada, which is the Indian bread, and which is given them in pans of salt water.  They saw cranes likewise, resembling those in Spain; also crows, and many kinds of singing-birds, and abundance of tortoises or turtles as large as bucklers.

At this time the Spaniards were much astonished by a new mode of fishing which they saw practised by some Indians in a canoe, who shewed no symptoms of dread on the approach of the Christians.  These people in the first place caught some fishes called reves, the largest of which are about the size of a pilchard, and have a certain roughness on their belly, by which they cling with such force to any thing they have a mind to, that they may be sooner torn in pieces than forced to quit their hold.  Having caught some of these, the Indian fishermen fastened them by the tail to one end of a small cord about 200 fathoms long, and allowed the fish to swim about in the water, holding fast by the other end of the line.  When this fish came to a tortoise, it clung so close to the under shell of the tortoise, that the men drew up one of an hundred weight or more into their canoe.  In the same manner they take sharks, the fiercest and most ravenous creatures of the deep, which even devour men.  When the Indians had satisfied themselves with fishing, they came on board the admirals ship, who ordered them to have a number of toys, and from them it was learnt that there were many more islands to the west along the coast.  The admiral continued his way to the westwards among the islands, constantly having much rain with thunder and lightning every evening, which continued till the moon rose; and though all imaginable care was taken, the ship often touched and stuck, and was got off with much labour.  In one of the islands of this group, larger than the rest, and which he named Santa Martha, he found a town, in which there was abundance of fish, many dogs which did not bark, large flocks of flamingos or red cranes, plenty of parrots and other birds, but the inhabitants all fled.