Nine armed Spaniards reach an abandoned village of 1,000 houses

The three men whom the Admiral had sent with the woman came back at three hours into the night, and they had not gone with her as far as the village, because it seemed far to them, or because they were afraid. They said that the next day many people would come to the ships, because they must by now be reassured by the news the woman would give. The Admiral, desiring to know if there was anything of profit in that land, and to have some speech with those people, since the land was so beautiful and fertile, and so that they might take a liking to serving the Sovereigns, determined to send again to the village, trusting in the news the Indian woman would have given of the Christians being good people, for which he chose nine men well furnished with arms and fit for such business, and with them went one of the Indians he carried. These went to the village, which was 4 leagues and a half to the southeast, which they found in a very great valley, and empty, because as soon as they heard the Christians coming they all fled inland, leaving everything they had. The village was of 1,000 houses and of more than 3,000 men. …