At the place down the river, Diaz found a tree bearing an inscription: "Alarcon reached this point; there are letters at the foot of this tree." Alarcon does not, as before noted, mention burying letters, and these were found at the foot of a tree, so that Diaz evidently failed to reach the cross erected at Alarcon's highest point.
* Relacion del Suceso.

Alarcon must have reached his highest point about October 5th or 6th, and the ships on the return about the 10th.
Diaz probably arrived at the river about November 1st.
Diaz now proceeded up the river again, looking for a place where he could safely cross to explore the country on the opposite side.

After ascending from the spot where he found the letters for five or six days, he concluded they could cross by means of rafts.

In the construction of these rafts he invited the help of the natives of the neighbourhood.

He was probably up near the Chocolate Mountains and the Cumanas, who were hostile to Alarcon, and whose sorcerer had attempted to destroy him by means of the magic reeds.