that drew so little water; the other three vessels were smaller. It was agreed between the English and French that as the French awaited help from France that Monsieur Ludovic, who was Governor here, should wait for them until the end of September; failing to return, he, Ludovic, was to go to France in search of them, and that by the month of April they would return with a large fleet, to await and capture the fleet of New Spain, which was forced to pass their Fort; that if aid came, for which they had written to France, they would advise the English who would come to this coast by the month of April. It was for this purpose that I found in the Fort a large vessel and seven small ones, and another five, one or two of which had been stolen, and the four they wished to send to France to have them equipped with men and provisions to join the English and themselves by April; that by that time John Ribaut would have returned and with the eight hundred men who remained he wished to go by January to Los Martyres, about twenty-five leagues from Havana, and there build a fort. They had reconnoitered and found it a very desirable port. This was agreed between them, and that before leaving France John Ribaut was to obtain the order that they should fortify Los Martyres, a strait by which no vessel could enter or depart without being sighted by them. To keep there always in readiness six vessels, it being the best sea in the world for them. That from there they would take Havana, free all the negroes; that they would then send to make the same offer to the Spanish of Porto Rico and all other colonies. All this information I gained from the skilful Frenchman to whom I granted life. They had with them six Portuguese pilots whom they hung when no longer needed; two others had been killed by the Indians, and two were with Ribaut. The river San Mateo, running by the Fort we captured, goes seventy leagues inland and turns to the southeast emptying into the bay of Juan Ponce, and from there to New Spain and the port of San Juan de Luca, where there is only upwards of fifty leagues. In the bay of Juan Ponce they thought next year to build a fort on account of its proximity to New Spain, distant a hundred and fifty leagues and about the same distance from Honduras and as many more from Yucatan, and where with their six vessels they could navigate with ease. On this river are three large Indian towns. The Indians are great friends of the French who have been there three times in search of corn. These French landed there in great need of supplies, having only enough to carry them eight days. Corn they found scarce and took it almost by force. The Indians themselves are great thieves--a poor but brave people. All the Indians are not more friendly to them than to us, and I will not consent to take a grain of corn from them, but prefer to give them of what I may have. I consider this country so vast and fertile and the danger from enemies and