"From Relations of Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca"
             Cabeza de Vaca and three companions survived out of hundreds of their fellow men. They survived many difficult obstacles. First, they survived the Indian attacks at Apalachen by fleeing. Second, when their ship was tossed in the waters they managed to crawl to shore. The first Indians they encountered accepted their gifts of beads and hawk-bells, and the Indians in return gave them an arrow, which was a pledge of friendship.... there was hope after all.
             Then they were shipwrecked in 1528 off the Louisiana/Texas coast, captured and forced to serve the Indian. A bad mishap became great when some of the Indians came to Castillo with great pain in the head, and he made them over with the sign of the cross, "healing" them. Word spread among the Indians and before they realize it they have gained the Indian's trust and were allowed to move freely among the tribes. A major factor in their survival was the fact that they learned to communicate with the Indians and worked hard at whatever they were allowed to do and exploited it. This was a very effective way of helping their cause.
             In the beginning I thought it was survival of the fittest. Then I thought it may have been because of the relationship they had developed with the Indians who greatly respected them. In the end I believe they survived because of their faith (religion). They often gave thanks to GOD for bringing them out of many difficult situations and never faltered from their path. Also their treatment of the Indians kept them alive. It must have been difficult to them when they did meet up with the other "Christians". They wanted peace amongst everyone. The "Christians" still wanted to treat the Indians as slaves. It would be difficult after having come so close to another culture convinced that things would change only to be wrong.
             ...