"Holy Mother protect us! Where is the native village? Where is the tribe?... How many warriors do they have?..."
"In the west! We ran into a few native fishing boats, and they fled into the lagoon to the west... The native village is far off by the lake!..."
"Lord above! The mouth of this lagoon is so narrow, only a few dozen meters wide, and it twists so badly... Our big sailing ships will have a hard time getting in, and an even harder time getting out once they do! If we run into the natives' fire boats again..."
"May the Son protect us, and the Queen bless us! Esteemed Captain Big Pinzon has given an order: lower the fleet's armed boats, row into the mouth of the lagoon, and probe the scale and attitude of the native villages in this area... You must be careful and cautious! Remember to tell any natives you encounter that we bear no hostility, that we are friendly friends!..."
"Yes, may the Lord protect us!... Come, take these shining glass beads as gifts for the natives!..."
Three Castilian sailing ships lay anchored at the lagoon's outlet to the sea. The sailors shouted and bustled about, lowering three armed boats. The boats rowed four or five li out, pushing deep along the narrow channel. Then this bright coastal lagoon suddenly unfurled at the end of the waterway like an uncarved scroll of nature.
The lagoon was roughly twenty li across, shaped like an embrace. The bay was a clear pale green, reflecting the woods around the lake. The beach was a long stretch of gray-white, dotted with scattered coastal reefs. Schools of fish gathered at the river mouth, and sea turtles rested beside the sand. The lake light was brilliant; everything truly looked like an