Accidents > Dangers of the deep, or, Narratives of shipwreck and adventure at sea

RECEPTION BY THE SPANIARDS. 237
on horseback to attend us. We rode about
eight miles that night, when we came to an
Estancia, or farm-house, belonging to an
old lady who had two handsome daughters.
Here we were very well entertained, and the
good old lady seemed to have great compas¬
sion for us. She asked the governor’s son if
he thought his father would have any objec¬
tion to my passing a month with her at hex-
farm. As she was a person of rank in this
island, he said he would acquaint his father
with her request, and made no doubt but he
would grant it. I observed our soldiers, when
they came into the house, had none of them
any shoes on, but wore buskins, like the In¬
dians, without any feet to them. They all
had monstrous great spurs, some of silver
and others of copper, which made a rattling
when they walked like chains. They were
all stout, strong-looking men, as the Spa¬
niards, natives of the island, in general are.
After a good supper, we had sheepskins laid
near the fire for us to sleep on. Early in the
morning we mounted again, and after riding
some miles across the country, we came to
the water-side, where we found several peri-
agos waiting for us, with some officers in