Mendoza: "How did you subsist?"
De Vaca: "We were careful to prepare before starting, so we had our bows and about twenty-five arrows each, the finest we could get, and we aimed to never shoot unless to procure food and to save our lives and the shaft never left the string unless we were pretty certain of recovering it again, so we lost very few. Thus we were able to kill ample game in most places, especially on the buffalo plains. Then we had three flints and steels which were a part of those we had when captured. Thus we were able to cook our game. The animals were not afraid of us as a rule, so we could easily get within range of them; thus we had no lack of meat; but except when we could procure some maize from the Indians, we had nothing but animal flesh to appease our hunger and that caused us much trouble, for it became nauseating and made us ill."
Mendoza: "Now tell us of the peoples you saw."
De Vaca: "It is a marvelous story. We saw many tribes of Indians. They wore precious stones and gold and silver ornaments. But more especially, some of the natives told us of the seven cities of Ci- bola, which were rich and densely populated, the people having much gold and silver. We were north of the place where they are located. We did not see them ourselves, but by reason of our acquaintance with the sign language of the natives, and some of the words used by the tribe where we were in captivity being understood, it convinces me of the truth of the statements."
Mendoza: "Did you meet many natives in your
