The correct answer to this open question is the following.
Although there are no options attached, we can say the following.
Resendez's claim in the "A Desperate Trek Across America" is that the Spaniards explorers led by Cabeza de Vaca had to make difficult decisions in order to survive the harsh conditions in a foreign land. The Spanish explorers were strained in the Americas. They had better weapons that the Indians, they had horses, and armors that made them impose their will on the Native Indians. But under the present conditions of desperation, and after so many explorers had died, Cabeza de Vaca and the survivors had to kill their horses to eat them while trying to build some ships. They also had to trade their weapons with the Indians to get some supplies and food. So the situation was extreme for them.
Andres Resendez is the author of the article called "A Desperate Trek Across America," published in 2008.