Couriers were about to set out from Háwikuh with mes-
sages and presents for the viceroy who was waiting anxiously
in Mexico City. In his letter written on August 3, Coronado
told of the hard march to Cíbola, the capture of the town,
what he had seen and heard of the people and the country, and
the sending of still absent Tovar to Tusayán. He was sorely
disappointed with what he had learned, and by no means
optimistic with regard to the future. "So far as I can judge, it
does not appear to me there is any hope of finding either gold
or silver, but I trust in God that if there is any to be had we
shall get our share of it, and it shall not escape us through any
lack of diligence in the search." Then a slight contradiction,
in an effort to be strictly accurate. "Some gold and silver has
been found in this place, and those who know about minerals
say it is not bad, but I have not been able to learn from these
people where they got it." The mystery was solved at a later
time, when it was learned that the small quantity of gold in
question had been brought from Mexico by one of the Span-
iards.

Coronado asked Mendoza for new supplies. "We have great
need of provisions, and you should know that among all of
us here there is not one pound of raisins, nor any sugar, nor
oil, nor wine, except barely a pint saved for saying Mass, for
everything has been consumed, some of it having been lost
on the way. You may provide us whatever seems best, but if you
are planning to send us cattle you should know they will have
to spend a year on the road, because they cannot come in any
other way nor any quicker." A whole year on the road from
Mexico to Cíbola!

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