bearing an inscription: "Alarcon reached this point; there are
letters at the foot of this tree." Alarcon does not, as before noted,
mention burying letters, and these were found at the foot of a tree,
so that Diaz evidently failed to reach the cross erected at Alarcon's
highest point.

* Relacion del Suceso. Alarcon must have reached his highest point
about October 5th or 6th, and the ships on the return about the 10th.
Diaz probably arrived at the river about November 1st.


Diaz now proceeded up the river again, looking for a place where he
could safely cross to explore the country on the opposite side. After
ascending from the spot where he found the letters for five or six
days, he concluded they could cross by means of rafts. In the
construction of these rafts he invited the help of the natives of the
neighbourhood. He was probably up near the Chocolate Mountains and
the Cumanas, who were hostile to Alarcon, and whose sorcerer had
attempted to destroy him by means of the magic reeds. They had been
merely waiting for an opportunity to attack Diaz, and they perceived
their chance in this assistance in crossing the river. They readily
agreed to help make the rafts, and even to assist in the crossing.
But while the work was in progress a soldier who had gone out from
the camp was surprised to observe a large number of them stealing off
to a mountain on the other side. When he reported this, Diaz caused
one of the natives to be secured, without the others being aware of
it. He was tortured till he confessed that the plan was to begin the
attack when some of the Spaniards were across the river, some in the
water, and the others on the near bank. Thus separated they believed
they could easily be destroyed. The native, as a reward for this