History of Utah, 1540-1886 - Brigham Young University

4
DISCOVERIES OF THE SPANIARDS.
a chasm only a few feet wide, but which if they
might believe the natives was half a league across.
In vain for several days, with their faces toward the
south and west, they sought to escape from the
mountains that environed them, and descend to the
river, for they were suffering from thirst. At length
some. When they had marched during three or four days, the guides declared
to them that it was impossible to go further, that water would not be found
'before four clays; that when the Indians travelled on this road, they took
with them women who carried calabashes filled with water, and they buried
a certain part, so that they might find it when returning; and besides they
made in one day as many miles as the Spaniards would in two. This was the
river del Tizon. They arrived much nearer to its source than the place
where Melchor Diaz and his people had crossed, and it was known later that
the Indians spoken of belonged to the same nation as those seen by Diaz.
The Spaniards therefore came back, and the expedition had no other result.
While marching, they arrived at a cascade falling from a rock. The guides
affirmed that the white crystals hanging around were salt. A quantity of it
was gathered, carried away, and distributed at Cibola, where a written account
of all that had been seen was sent to the general. Garci-Lopez had taken
with him a certain Pedro de Sotomayor, who was the chronicler of the expedition.
All the villages of this province have remained our allies, but they
have not been visited since, and no attempt at discovery has been made in
that direction.
The other is from a relation by an unknown author, found in the archives
of the Indies, and printed in Pacheco and Cardenas, Col. Dot:, xiv. 321-3,
under title of Relation del suceso de la Jornada que Francisco Vazquez hizo en
I
el desctibrimiento de Cibola, and from which I give the extract covering the
same incident:
' Vuelto D. Pedro de Tobar, 6 dada relacion de aquellos pueblos, luego
despacho a I). Garcia Lopez de Cardenas, maestre de campo, por el mesmo
camino que habia venido D. Pedro, e que pasase de aquella provincia de
Tuzan, al Poniente, e" para ida 6 vuelta de la Jornada e descobrimiento, le
senalu ochenta dias de termino de ida e vuelta, el qual fue' echado adelante
de Tuzan con guias de los naturales que decian que habia adelante, poblado,
aunque lejos, andadas cincuenta leguas de Tuzan al Poniente, 6 ochenta de
Cibola, hallo una barranca de un rio que fu6 imposible por una parte ni otra
hallarle baxada para caballo, ni aun para pi6, sino por una parte muy trabaxosa,
por donde tenia casi dos leguas de baxada. Estaba la barranca tan
acantillada de pefias, que apenas podian ver el rio, el cual, aunque es segun
dicen, tanto 6 mucho mayor que el de Sevilla, de arriba aparescia un arroyo;
por manera que aunque con harta diligencia se busco pasada, e por muchas
gartes no so halla, en la cual estuvieron artos dias con mucha necesidad de
agua, que no la hallaban, e" la del rio no se podian aprovechar della aunque la
vian ; 6 a esta causa le rue" forzado a don Garcia Lopez volverse a donde hallaron
; este rio venia del Nordeste e volvia al *Sur Sudueste, por manera que
sin falta ninguna es aquel donde llego Melchor Diaz.'
Don Pedro do Tobar "Having returned, and having made a report concerning
those towns, I). Garcia Lopez de Cardenas, maestre de campo, was
ordered to take the same route by which Don Pedro had come, and to go on
from the province of Tuzan to the westward. He was given 80 days in which
to make the journey, from his departure until his return. He went on
beyond Tuzan, accompanied by Indian guides, who told him that farther on
there wa a settlement. Having gone 50 leagues to the westward of Tuzan,
and 80 from < Sfbola, lie came to the canon of a river adown the side of which
there was no descent practicable for horse, nor even for those on foot, except