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 JOHN S.C.ARE',OTT 
 
'LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.? 
 
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 * UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. | 
 

 
 
 
 
 ;'i^i/.a;vj;'i?fti^>3s» 
 
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Ferdinand De Soto, 
 
 DISCOVERER OF THE MISSISSIPPI 
 
 JOHN S. C. ABBOTT. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 
 DODD & MEAD, No. 762 BROADWAY. 
 1873. 
 
AMERICAN PIONEERS AND PATRIOTS. 
 
 \ . 
 
 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 THE 
 
 DISCOYERER OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 
 
 .^ 
 
 By JOHN sK:rABBOTT. 
 
 I) 
 
 ILLXISTRj^TBD. 
 
 NEW YORK: /I ^ 
 DODD & MEAD^No. 762 BROADWAY. 
 
 1873- 
 

 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1873, by 
 
 DODD & MEAD, 
 in the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. 
 
 Lange, Little Sl Hillman, 
 
 Wm. McCrea & Co., Stereotypers, printers, 
 
 ■«T 1. u XT ■ir 108 TO 114 Woostbr Street, N. Y. 
 
 Newburgh, N. Y, ' 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 Mr. Theodore Irving, in his valuable history of the 
 "Conquest of Florida, " speaking of the astonishing 
 achievements of the Spanish Cavaliers, in the dawn of the 
 sixteenth century says : 
 
 " Of all the enterprises undertaken in this spirit of 
 daring adventure, none has surpassed, for hardihood and 
 variety of incident, that of the renowned Hernando de 
 Soto, and his band of cavaliers. It was poetry put in ac- 
 tion. It was the knight-errantry of the old world carried 
 into the depths of the American wilderness. Indeed the 
 personal adventures, the feats of individual prowess, the 
 picturesque description of steel-clad cavaliers, with lance 
 and helm and prancing steed, glittering through the 
 wildernesses of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and the prairies 
 of the Far West, would seem to us mere fictions of ro- 
 mance, did they not come to us recorded in matter of fact 
 narratives of contemporaries, and corroborated by minute 
 and daily memoranda of eye-witnesses." 
 
 These are the wild and wondrous adventures which I 
 wish here to record. I have spared no pains in obtaining 
 the most accurate information which the records of those 
 
IV PREFACE. 
 
 da3's have transmitted to us. It is as wrong to traduce 
 the dead as the living. If one should be careful not to 
 write a line which dying he would wish to blot, he should 
 also endeavor to write of the departed in so candid and 
 paternal a spirit, while severely just to the truth of history, 
 as to be safe from reproach. One who is aiding to form 
 public opinion respecting another, who has left the world, 
 should remember that he may yet meet the departed in the 
 spirit land. And he may perhaps be greeted with the 
 w^ords, " Your condemnation was too severe. You did not 
 make due allowance for the limes in which I lived. You 
 have held up my name to unmerited reproach." 
 
 Careful investigation has revealed De Soto to me as by 
 no means so bad a man as I had supposed him to have 
 been. And I think that the candid reader will admit that 
 there was much, in his heroic but melancholy career, which 
 calls for charitable construction and sympathy. 
 
 The authorities upon which I have mainly relied for 
 my statements, are given in the body of the work. There 
 is no country on the globe, whose early history is so full 
 of interest and instruction as our own. The writer feels 
 grateful to the press, in general, for the kindly spirit in 
 which it has spoken of the attempt, in this series, to inter- 
 est the popular reader in those remarkable incidents which 
 have led to the establishment of this majestic republic. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 Childhood and Youth. 
 
 FAGS 
 
 Birthplace of Ferdinand De Soto. — Spanish Colony at Darien. — 
 Don Pedro de Avila, Governor of Darien. — Vasco Nunez. — 
 Famine. — Love in the Spanish Castle. — Character of Isa- 
 bella. — Embarrassment of De Soto. — Isabella's Parting 
 Counsel. . . . . . . . • 9 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Tlie Spatiish Colony. 
 
 Character of De Soto. — Cruel Command of Don Pedro. — Inci- 
 dent. ^— The Duel. — Uracca. — Consternation at Darien. — 
 Expedition Organized. — Uracca's Reception of Espinosa 
 and Ms Troops. — The Spaniards Retreat. — De Soto Indig- 
 nant. — Espinosa's Crueltj', and Deposition from Command. 21 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 Life at Darien. 
 
 Reinforcements from Spain. — Aid sent to Borrica. — Line of De- 
 fense Chosen by the Natives. — Religion of the Buccaneers. — 
 The Battle and the Rout. — Strategy of Uracca. — Cruelty of 
 Don Pedro. — The Retreat. — Character of Uracca. — Embar- 
 rassment of Don Pedro. — Warning of M. Codro. — Expedi- 
 tion of Pizarro. — Mission of M. Codro. — Letter of De Soto 
 to Isabella. . . . . . . -37 
 
VI CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Demoniac Reigtt, 
 
 PAQE 
 
 Giles Gonzales. — Unsuccessful Contest of De Soto with Gon- 
 zales. — Bold Reply of De Soto to the Governor. — Cruelty of 
 Don Pedro to M. Codro. — Assassination of Cordova. — New 
 Expedition of Discovery. — Revenge upon Valenzuela. — 
 Reign of Don Pedro at Nicaragua. — Unwise Decision of De 
 Soto. ..... • . 55 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Tfie Invasion of Peru. 
 
 The Kingdom of Peru. — Its Metropolis. — The Desperate Condi- 
 tion of Pizarro. — Arrival of De Soto. — Character of the 
 Spaniards. — Exploring Tour of De Soto. — The Colony at 
 San Miguel. — The General Advance. — Second Exploration 
 of De Soto. — Infamous Conduct of the Pizarros. . . 72 
 
 CHAPTER VL 
 
 The Atrocities of Fizarro. 
 
 Fears of Pizarro. — Honorable Conduct of the Inca. — The March 
 to Caxamarca. — Hospitable Reception. — Perfidious Attack 
 upon the Inca. — His Capture and Imprisonment. — The 
 Honor of De Soto. — The Offered Ransom. — Treachery and 
 Extortion of Pizarro. . . . . . .90 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 The Execution of the Inca, and Embarrassments of 
 De Soto. 
 
 Pledges of Pizarro. — His Perfidy. — False Mission of De Soto. — 
 Execution of the Inca. — His Fortitude. — Indignation of De 
 Soto. — Great Embarrassments. — Extenuating Considerations. 
 — Arrival of Almagro. — March Towards the Capital. . . 107 
 
CONTENTS. VU 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 De Soto Returns to Spain. 
 
 PAQI 
 
 Dreadful Fate of Chalcukima. — His Fortitude. — Ignominy of Pi- 
 zarro. — De Soto's Advance upon Cuzco. — The Peruvian High- 
 way. — Battle in the Defile. — De Soto talces the Responsi- 
 bility. — Capture of the Capital and its Conflagration. — De 
 Soto's Return to Spain. — His Reception there. — Preparations 
 for the Conquest of Florida. ..... 126 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 The Landing in Florida. 
 
 The Departure from Spain. — Arrival in Cuba. — Leonora and To- 
 bar. — Isabella Invested with the Regency. — Sad Life of Isa- 
 bella. — Sailing of the Expedition. — The Landing at Tampa 
 Bay. — Outrages of Narvaez. — Noble Spirit of Ucita. — Un- 
 successful Enterprises. — Disgrace and Return of Porcallo. . 144 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 The March to Ochile. 
 
 The March Commenced. — The Swamps of Florida. — Passage of 
 the Morass. — Heroism of Silvestre. — Message to Acuera. — 
 His Heroic Reply. — Fierce Hostility of the Indians. — Enter 
 the Town of Ocali. — Strange Incident. — Death of the Blood- 
 hound. — Historical Discrepancies. — Romantic Entrance to 
 Ochile. . . . . . . . .1^3 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 The Conspiracy and its Consequences. 
 
 The Three Brother Chieftains. — Reply of Vitachuco to his Bro- 
 thers. — Feigned Friendship for the Spaniards. — The Conspir- 
 acy, — Its Consummation and Results. — Clemency of De Soto. 
 — The Second Conspiracy. — Slaughter of the Indians. — 
 March of the Spaniards for Osachile. — Battle in the Moiass. 180 
 
Viil CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 Winter Quarters. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Incidents of the March. — Passage of the River. — Entering Anha- 
 yea. — Exploring Expeditions. — De Soto's desire for Peace. — 
 Capture of Capifi. — His Escape. — Embarrassu-ents of De 
 Soto. — Letter of Isabella. — Exploration (.f the Coast. — Dis- 
 covery of the Bay of Pensacola. — Testimony Respecting Cofa- 
 chiqui. — The March Resumed. .... 199 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Lost in the Wilderness. 
 
 Incidents at Achise. — Arrival at Cofa. — Friendly Reception by 
 Cofaqui. — The Armed Retinue. — Commission of Patofa. — 
 Splendors of the March. — Lost in the Wilderness. — Peril of 
 the Army. — Friendly Relations. — The Escape from the Wil- 
 derness. — They Reach the Frontiers of Cofachiqui. — Dismis- 
 sal of Patofa. — Wonderful Reception by the Princess of Cofa- 
 chiqui. ........ 220 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 The Indian Princess. 
 
 Crossing the River. — Hospitable Reception. — Attempts to visit 
 the Queen Mother. — Suicide of the Prince. — Futile search for 
 Gold. — The Discovery of Pearls. — The Pearl Fishery. — The 
 Princess a Captive. — Held in Silken Chains. — Her Escape. 
 — Location of Cutifachiqui. — The March Resumed. . . 240 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 The Dreadful Battle of Mobila. 
 
 The Army in Alabama. — Barbaric Pageant. — The Chief of Tusca- 
 loosa. — Native Dignity. — Suspected Treachery of the Chief. 
 — Mobila, its Location and Importance. — Cunning of the 
 Chief. — The Spaniards Attacked. — Incidents of the Battle. 
 — Disastrous Results. ...... 259 
 
CONTENTS. IX 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 Days of Darkness. 
 
 FAOS 
 
 The Melancholy Encampment. — The Fleet at Pensacola. — Singu- 
 lar Resolve of De Soto. — Hostility of the Natives. — Beautiful 
 Scenery. — Winter Quarters on the Yazoo. — Feigned Friend- 
 ship of the Cacique. — Trickery of Juan Ortiz. — The Teinible 
 Battle of Chickasaw. — Dreadful Loss of the Spaniards. . 276 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 TJie Discovery of the Mississippi. 
 
 The Fortress of Hostile Indians. — Its Capture. — The Disastrous 
 Conflict. — The Advance of the Army. — Discovery of the 
 Mississippi River. — Preparations for Crossing. — Extraordi- 
 nary Pageants. — Unjustifiable Attack. — The passage of the 
 River. — Friendly Reception by Casquin. — Extraordinary Re- 
 ligious Festival. ...... 296 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Vagrant Wanderifigs. 
 
 Trickery of Casquin. — The March to Capaha. — The Battle and 
 its Results. — Friendly Relations with Capaha. — The Return 
 Journey. — The March Southward. — Salt Springs. — The 
 Savages of Tulu. — Their Ferocity. — Anecdote. — Despond- 
 ency of De Soto. ... . . 315 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Death of De Soto. 
 
 Ascent of the Mississippi. — Revenge of Guachoya. — Sickness of 
 De Soto. — Affecting Leave-taking. — His Death and Burial. — 
 The March for Mexico. — Return to the Mississippi. — Descent 
 of the River. — Dispersion of the Expedition. — Death of Isa- 
 bella. . . . . . . . .334 
 
CHAPTER I. 
 
 ChildJiood and Youth. 
 
 Birthplace of Ferdinand De Soto. — Spanish Colony at Darien. — Don 
 Pedro de Avila, Governor of Darien. — Vasco Nunez. — Famine. 
 — Love in the Spanish Castle. — Character of Isabella. — Embar- 
 rassment of De Soto. — Isabella's Parting Counsel. 
 
 In the interior of Spain, about one hundred and 
 thirty miles southwest of Madrid, there is the small 
 walled town of Xeres. It is remote from all great 
 routes of travel, and contains about nine thousand 
 inhabitants, living very frugally, and in a state of 
 primitive simplicity. There are several rude castles 
 of the ancient nobility here, and numerous gloomy, 
 monastic institutions. In one of these dilapidated 
 castles, there was born, in the year 1 500, a boy, who 
 received the name of Ferdinand de Soto. His par- 
 ents were Spanish nobles, perhaps the most haughty 
 class of nobility which has ever existed. It was, 
 however, a decayed family, so impoverished as to 
 find it difficult to maintain the position of gentility. 
 The parents were not able to give their son a liberal 
 education. Their rank did not allow them to intro- 
 
lO DE SOTO 
 
 duce him to any of the pursuits of industry ; and so 
 far as can now be learned, the years of his early 
 youth were spent in idleness. 
 
 Ferdinand was an unusually handsome boy. He 
 grew up tall, well formed, and with remarkable mus- 
 cular strength and agility. He greatly excelled in 
 fencing, horseback riding, and all those manly exer- 
 cises which were then deemed far more essential for 
 a Spanish gentleman than literary culture. He was 
 fearless, energetic, self-reliant ; and it was manifest 
 that he was endowed with mental powers of much 
 native strength. 
 
 When quite a lad he attracted the attention of a 
 wealthy Spanish nobleman, Don Pedro de Avila, who 
 sent him to one of the Spanish universities, probably 
 that of Saragossa, and maintained him there for six 
 years. Literary culture was not then in high repute ; 
 but it was deemed a matter of very great moment 
 that a nobleman of Spain should excel in horseman- 
 ship, in fencing, and in wielding every weapon of at- 
 tack or defence. 
 
 Ferdinand became quite renowned for his lofty 
 bearing, and for all chivalric accomplishments. At 
 the tournaments, and similar displays of martial 
 prowess then in vogue, he was prominent, exciting 
 the envy of competitive cavaliers, and winning the 
 admiration of the ladies. 
 
CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH. II 
 
 Don Pedro became very proud of his foster son, 
 received him to his family, and treated him as though 
 he were his own child. The Spanish court had at 
 that time established a very important colony at the 
 province of Darien, on the Isthmus of Panama. 
 This isthmus, connecting North and South America, 
 is about three hundred miles long and from forty to 
 sixty broad. A stupendous range of mountains runs 
 along its centre, apparently reared as an eternal bar- 
 rier between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. From 
 several of the summits of this ridge the waters of 
 the two oceans can at the same time be distinctly 
 seen. Here the Spanish court, in pursuit of its en- 
 ergetic but cruel conquest of America, had estab- 
 lished one of its most merciless colonies. There 
 was gold among the mountains. The natives had 
 many golden ornaments. They had no conception 
 of the value of the precious ore in civilized lands. 
 Readily they would exchange quite large masses of 
 gold for a few glass beads. The great object of the 
 Spaniards in the conquest of Darien was to obtain 
 gold. They inferred that if the ignorant natives, 
 without any acquaintance with the arts, had ob- 
 tained so much, there must be immense quantities 
 which careful searching and skilful mining would re- 
 veal. 
 
 The wanton cruelties practised by the Spaniards 
 
12 DE SOTO. 
 
 upon the unoffending natives of these climes seem to 
 have been as senseless as they were fiendlike. It is 
 often difficult to find any motive for their atrocities. 
 These crimes are thoroughly authenticated, and yet 
 they often seem like the outbursts of dem'oniac ma- 
 lignity. Anything like a faithful recital of them 
 would torture the sensibilities of our readers almost 
 beyond endurance. Mothers and maidens were 
 hunted and torn down by bloodhounds ; infant chil- 
 dren were cut in pieces, and their quivering limbs 
 thrown to the famished dogs. 
 
 The large wealth and the rank of Don Pedro de 
 Avila gave him much influence at the Spanish court. 
 He succeeded in obtaining the much-coveted ap- 
 pointment of Governor of Darien. His authority 
 was virtually absolute over the property, the liberty, 
 and the lives of a realm, whose extended limits were 
 not distinctly defined. 
 
 Don Pedro occupied quite an imposing castle, his 
 ancestral mansion, in the vicinity of Badajoz. Here 
 the poor boy Ferdinand, though descended from fam- 
 ilies of the highest rank, was an entire dependent 
 upon his benefactor. The haughty Don Pedro 
 treated him kindly. Still he regarded him, in conse- 
 quence of his poverty, almost as a favored menial. 
 He fed him, clothed him, patronized him. 
 
 It was in the year 15 14 that Don Pedro entered 
 
CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH. 1 3 
 
 upon his office of Governor of Darien. The insa- 
 tiate thirst for gold caused crowds to flock to his 
 banners. A large fleet was soon equipped, and more 
 than two thousand persons embarked at St. Lucar for 
 the golden land. The most of these were soldiers ; 
 men of sensuality, ferocity, and thirst for plunder. 
 Not a few noblemen joined the enterprise ; some to 
 add to their already vast possessions, and others hop- 
 ing to retrieve their impoverished fortunes. 
 
 A considerable number of priests accompanied 
 the expedition, and it is very certain that some of 
 these at least were actuated by a sincere desire to do 
 good to the natives, and to win them to the religion 
 of Jesus : — that religion which demands that we 
 should do to others as we would that others should 
 do to us, and whose principles, the goverjior, the no- 
 bles, and the soldiers, were ruthlessly trampling be- 
 neath their feet. Don Pedro, when measured by the 
 standard of Christianity, was proud, perfidious and 
 tyrannical. The course he pursued upon his arrival 
 in the country was impolitic and almost insane. 
 
 His predecessor in the governorship was Vasco 
 Nuiiez. He had been on the whole a prudent, able 
 and comparatively merciful governor. He had en- 
 tered into trade with the natives, and had so far se- 
 cured their good will as to induce them to bring in 
 an ample supply of provisions for his colony. He 
 
14 DE SOTO. 
 
 had sent out Indian explorers, with careful instruc- 
 tions to search the gold regions among the moun- 
 tains. Don Pedro, upon assuming the reins of gov- 
 ernment, became very jealous of the popularity of 
 Nuiiez, whom he supplanted. His enmity soon be- 
 came so implacable that, without any cause, he ac- 
 cused him of treason and ordered him to be decapi- 
 tated. The sentence was executed in the public 
 square of Ada. Don Pedro himself gazed on the 
 cruel spectacle concealed in a neighboring house. 
 He seemed ashamed to meet the reproachful eye of 
 his victim, as with an axe his head was cut off upon 
 a block. 
 
 All friendly relations with the Indians were 
 speedily terminated. They were robbed of their 
 gold, of their provisions, and their persons were out- 
 raged in the most cruel manner. The natives, ter- 
 ror-stricken, fled from the vicinity of the colony, and 
 suddenly the Spaniards found all their supplies of 
 provisions cut off More than two thousand were 
 crowded into a narrow space on the shores of the 
 gulf, with no possibility of obtaining food. They 
 were entirely unprepared for any farming operations, 
 having neither agricultural tools nor seed. Neither 
 if they had them could they wait for the slow advent 
 of the harvest. Famine commenced its reign, and 
 with famine, its invariable attendant, pestilence. In 
 
CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH. 1 5 
 
 less than six months, of all the glittering hosts, which 
 with music and banners had landed upon the isth- 
 mus, expecting soon to return to Europe with their 
 ships freighted with gold, but a few hundred were 
 found alive, and they were haggard and in rags. 
 
 The Spaniards had robbed the Indians of their 
 golden trinkets, but these trinkets could not be eaten 
 and they would purchase no food. They were as 
 worthless as pebbles picked from the beach. Often 
 lumps of gold, or jewels of inestimable value, were 
 offered by one starving wretch to another for a piece 
 of mouldy bread. The colony would have become 
 entirely extinct, but for the opportune arrival of ves- 
 sels from Spain with provisions. Don Pedro had 
 sent out one or two expeditions of half-famished men 
 to seize the rice, Indian corn, and other food, wher- 
 ever such food could be found. 
 
 The natives had sufficient intelligence to perceive 
 that the colonists were fast wasting away. The In- 
 dians were gentle and amiable in character, and nat- 
 urally timid ; with no taste for the ferocities of war. 
 But emboldened by the miseries of the colonies, and 
 beginning to despise their weakness, they fell upon 
 the foraging parties with great courage and drove 
 them back ignominiously to the coast. The arrival 
 of the ships to which we have referred with provis- 
 
l6 DE SOTO. 
 
 ions and reinforcements, alone saved the colony from 
 utter extinction. 
 
 Don Pedro, after having been in the colony five 
 years, returned to Spain to obtain new acquisitions 
 of strength in men and means for the prosecution of 
 ever-enlarging plans of wealth and ambition. North 
 and south of the narrow peninsula were the two ma- 
 jestic continents of North and South America. 
 They both invited incursions, where nations could 
 be overthrown, empires established, fame won, and 
 where mountains of gold might yet be found. 
 
 It seems that De Soto had made the castle of 
 Don Pedro, near Badajoz, his home during the ab- 
 sence of the governor. There all his wants had 
 been provided for through the charitable munifi- 
 cence of his patron. He probably had spent his 
 term time at the university. He was now nineteen 
 years of age, and seemed to have attained the full 
 maturity of his physical system, and had developed 
 into a remarkably elegant young man. 
 
 The family of Don Pedro had apparently remain- 
 ed at the castle. His second daughter, Isabella, was 
 a very beautiful girl in her sixteenth year. She had 
 already been presented at the resplendent court of 
 Spain, where she had attracted great admiration. 
 Rich, beautiful and of illustrious birth, many noble- 
 men had sought her hand, and among the rest, one 
 
CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH. 1 7 
 
 of the princes of the blood royal. But Isabella and 
 De Soto, much thrown together in the paternal cas- 
 tle, had very naturally fallen in love with each other. 
 
 The haughty governor was one day exceedingly 
 astounded and enraged, that De Soto had the audac- 
 ity to solicit the hand of his daughter in marriage. 
 In the most contemptuous and resentful manner, he 
 repelled the proposition as an insult. De Soto was 
 keenly wounded. He was himself a man of noble 
 birth. He had no superior among all the young no- 
 blemen around him, in any chivalric accomplishment. 
 The only thing wanting was money. Don Pedro 
 loved-his daughter, was proud of her beauty and ce- 
 lebrity, and was fully aware that she had a very de- 
 cided will of her own. 
 
 After the lapse of a few days, the governor was 
 not a little alarmed by a statement, which the gover- 
 ness of the young lady ventured to make to him. 
 She assured him that Isabella had given her whole 
 heart to De Soto, and that she had declared it to be 
 her unalterable resolve to retire to a convent, rather 
 than to become the wife of any other person. Don 
 Pedro was almost fi"antic with rage. As totally de- 
 void of moral principle as he was of human feelings, 
 he took measures to have De Soto assassinated. 
 Such is the uncontradicted testimony of contempo- 
 rary historians. But every day revealed to him more 
 
1 8 DE SOTO. 
 
 clearly the strength of Isabella's attachment for De 
 Soto, and the inflexibility of her will. He became se- 
 riously alarmed, not only from the apprehension that 
 if her wishes were thwarted, no earthly power could 
 prevent her from burying herself in a convent, but 
 he even feared that if De Soto were to be assassina- 
 ted, she would, by self-sacrifice, follow him to the 
 world of spirits. This caused him to feign partial 
 reconciliation, and to revolve in his mind more cau- 
 tious plans for his removal. 
 
 He decided to take De Soto back with him to 
 Darien. The historians of those days represent that 
 it was his intention to expose his young protege to 
 such perils in wild adventures in the New World, as 
 would almost certainly secure his death. De Soto 
 himself, proud though poor, was tortured by the con- 
 temptuous treatment which he received, even from 
 the menials in the castle, who were aware of his re- 
 jection by their proud lord. He therefore eagerly 
 availed himself of the invitation of Don Pedro to 
 join in a new expedition which he was fitting out for 
 Darien. 
 
 He resolved, at whatever sacrifice, to be rich. 
 The acquisition of gold, and the accumulation of 
 fame, became the great objects of his idolatry. With 
 these he could not only again claim the hand of Isa- 
 bella, but the haughty Don Pedro would eagerly seek 
 
CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH. 19 
 
 the alliance of a man of wealth and renown. Thou- 
 sands of adventurers were then crowding to the 
 shores of the New World, lured by the accounts of 
 the boundless wealth which it was said could there 
 be found, and inspired by the passion which then 
 pervaded Christendom, of obtaining celebrity by the 
 performance of chivalric deeds. 
 
 Many had returned greatly enriched by the plun- 
 der of provinces. The names of Pizarro and Cortez 
 had been borne on the wings of renown through all 
 the countries of Europe, exciting in all honorable 
 minds disgust, in view of their perfidy and cruelty, 
 and inspiring others with emotions of admiration, in 
 contemplation of their heroic adventures. 
 
 De Soto was greatly embarrassed by his poverty. 
 Both his parents were dead. He was friendless ; 
 and it was quite impossible for him to provide himself 
 with an outfit suitable to the condition of a Spanish 
 grandee. The insulting treatment he had received 
 from Don Pedro rendered it impossible for him to 
 approach that haughty man as a suppliant for aid. 
 But Don Pedro did not dare to leave De Soto behind 
 him. The family were to remain in the ancestral 
 home. And it was very certain that, Don Pedro be- 
 ing absent, ere long he would hear of the elopement 
 of Ferdinand and Isabella. Thus influenced, he 
 offered De Soto a free passage to Darien, a captain's 
 
20 DE SOTO. 
 
 commission with a suitable outfit, and pledged him- 
 self that he should have ample opportunity of ac- 
 quiring wealth and distinction, in an expedition he 
 was even then organizing for the conquest of Peru. 
 As Don Pedro made these overtures to the young 
 ^iian, with apparently the greatest cordiality, assum- 
 ing that De Soto, by embarking in the all-important 
 enterprise, would confer a favor rather than receive 
 one, the offer was eagerly accepted. 
 
 Don Pedro did everything in his power to pre- 
 vent the two lovers from having any private inter- 
 view before the expedition sailed. But the ingenu- 
 ity of love as usual triumphed over that of avarice, 
 Isabella and De Soto met, and solemnly pledged con- 
 stancy to each other. It seems that Isabella thor- 
 oughly understood the character of her father, and 
 knew that he would shrink from no crime in the ac- 
 complishment of his purposes. As she took her 
 final leave of her lover, she said to him, very solemn- 
 ly and impressively, 
 
 " Ferdinand, remember that one treacherous 
 friend is more dangerous than a thousand avowed 
 enemies." 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 The Spanish Colony. 
 
 Character of De Soto. — Cruel Command of Don Pedro. — Incident. — 
 The Duel. — Uracca. — Consternation at Darien. — Expedition Or- 
 ganized. — Uracco's Reception of Espinosa and his Troops. — ■ 
 The Spaniards Retreat. — De Soto Indignant. — Espinosa's Cruel- 
 ty, and Deposition from Command. 
 
 It was in the year 1 5 19, when the expedition sailed 
 from St. Lucar for Darien. We have no account of 
 the incidents which occurred during the voyage. 
 The fleet reached Darien in safety, and the Spanish 
 adventurers, encased in coats of mail, which the ar- 
 rows and javelins of the natives could not pierce, 
 mounted on powerful war horses, armed with mus- 
 kets and cannon, and with packs of ferocious blood- 
 hounds at their command, were all prepared to scat- 
 ter the helpless natives before them, as the whirl- 
 wind scatters autumnal leaves. 
 
 De Soto was then but nineteen years of age. In 
 stature and character he was a mature man. There 
 are many indications that he was a young man of 
 humane and honorable instincts, shrinking from the 
 deeds of cruelty and injustice which he saw every- 
 
22 DE SOTO. 
 
 where perpetrated around him. It is' however prob- 
 able, that under the rigor of miUtary law, he at times 
 felt constrained to obey commands from which his 
 kindly nature recoiled. 
 
 Don Pedro was a monster of cruelty. He gave 
 De Soto command of a troop of horse. He sent him 
 on many expeditions which required not only great 
 courage, but military sagacity scarcely tx) be expect- 
 ed in one so young and inexperienced. It is how- 
 ever much to the credit of De Soto, that the annal- 
 ists of those days never mentioned his name in con- 
 nection with those atrocities which disgraced the 
 administration of Don Pedro. He even ventured at 
 times to refuse obedience to the orders of the gov- 
 ernor, when commanded to engage in some service 
 which he deemed dishonorable. 
 
 One remarkable instance of this moral and phys- 
 ical intrepidity is on record. Don Pedro had deter- 
 mined upon the entire destruction of a little village 
 occupied by the natives. The torch was to be ap- 
 plied, and men, women and children, were to be put 
 to the sword. Don Pedro had issued such a com- 
 mand as this, with as much indifference as he would 
 have placed his foot upon an anthill. It is not im- 
 probable that one of the objects he had in view was 
 to impose a revolting task upon De Soto, that he 
 might be, as it were, whipped into implicit obedience. 
 
THE SPANISH COLONY. 23 
 
 He therefore sent one of the most infamous of his 
 captains to De Soto with the command that he 
 should immediately take a troop of horse, proceed to 
 the doomed village, gallop into its peaceful and de- 
 fenceless street, set fire to every dwelling, and with 
 their keen sabres, cut dovvn every man, woman and 
 child. It was a deed fit only for demons to execute. 
 De Soto deemed himself insulted in being ordered 
 on such a mission. This was not war, — it was butch- 
 ery. The defenceless natives could make no resist- 
 ance. Indignantly and heroically he replied : 
 
 " Tell Don Pedro, the governor, that my life and 
 services are always at his disposal, when the duty to 
 be performed is such as may become a Christian and 
 a gentleman. But in the present case, I think the 
 governor would have shown more discretion by en- 
 trusting you. Captain Perez, with this commission, 
 instead of sending you with the order to myself" 
 
 This reply Captain Perez might certainly regard 
 as reflecting very severely upon his own character, 
 and as authorizing him to demand that satisfaction 
 which, under such circumstances, one cavalier expects 
 of another. He however carried the message to the 
 governor. Don Pedro was highly gratified. He saw 
 that a duel was the necessary result. Captain Perez 
 was a veteran soldier, and was the most expert 
 swordsman in the army. He was famed for his quar- 
 
24 t)E SOTO. 
 
 relsome disposition ; had already fought many duels, 
 in which he had invariably killed his man. In a ren- 
 contre between the youthful De Soto and the veter- 
 an Captain Perez, there could be no doubt in the 
 mind of the governor as to the result. He therefore 
 smiled very blandly upon Captain Perez, and said in 
 language which the captain fully understood : 
 
 " Well, my friend, if you, who are a veteran sol- 
 dier, can endure the insolence of this young man, 
 De Soto, I see no reason why an infirm old man like 
 myself should not show equal forbearance." 
 
 Captain Perez was not at all reluctant to take the 
 hint. It was only giving him an opportunity to add 
 another to the list of those who had fallen before his 
 sword. The challenge was immediately given. De 
 Soto's doom was deemed sealed. Duels in the Span- 
 ish army were fashionable, and there was no moral 
 sentiment which recoiled in the slightest degree from 
 the barbaric practice. 
 
 The two combatants met with drawn swords in 
 the presence of nearly all the officers of the colonial 
 army, and of a vast concourse of spectators. The 
 stripling De Soto displayed skill with his weapon 
 which not only baffled his opponent, but which ex- 
 cited the surprise and admiration of all the on-look- 
 ers. For two hours the deadly conflict continued, 
 without any decisive results. De Soto had received 
 
THE SPANISH COLONY. 2$ 
 
 several trifling wounds^ while his antagonist was un- 
 harmed. At length, by a fortunate blow, he inflicted 
 such a gash upon the right wrist of Perez, that his 
 sword dropped from his hand. As he attempted to 
 catch it with his left hand, he stumbled and fell to the 
 ground. De Soto instantly stood over him with his 
 sword at his breast, demanding that he should ask 
 for his life. The proud duellist, thus for the flrst 
 time in his life discomfited, was chagrined beyond en- 
 durance. In sullen silence, he refused to cry for 
 mercy. De Soto magnanimously returned his sword 
 to its scabbard, saying: "The life that is not worth 
 asking for, is not worth taking." 
 
 He then gracefully bowed to the numerous spec- 
 tators and retired from the field, greeted with the en- 
 thusiastic acclaim of all who were present. This 
 achievement gave the youthful victor prominence 
 above any other man in the army. Perez was so hu- 
 miliated by his defeat, that he threw up his commis- 
 sion and returned to Spain. Thus the New World 
 was rid of one of the vilest of the adventurers who 
 had cursed it. 
 
 The region of the peninsula, and the adjoining 
 territory of South America, were at that time quite 
 densely populated. The inhabitants seem to have 
 been a happy people, not fond of war, and yet by no 
 means deficient in bravery. The Spanish colonists 
 
26 DE SOTO. 
 
 were but a handful among them. But the war horse, 
 bloodhounds, steel coats of mail and gunpowder, 
 gave them an immense, almost resistless superiority. 
 
 There was at this time, about the year 1521, an 
 Indian chief by the name of Uracca, who reigned 
 over quite a populous nation, occupying one of the 
 northern provinces of the isthmus. He was a man 
 of unusual intelligence and ability. The outrages 
 which the Spaniards were perpetrating roused all his 
 energies of resentment, and he resolved to adopt des- 
 perate measures for their extermination. He gath- 
 ered an army of twenty thousand men. In that warm 
 climate, in accordance with immemorial usage, they 
 went but half clothed. Their weapons were mainly 
 bows, with poisoned arrows ; though they had also 
 javelins and clumsy swords made of a hard kind of 
 wood. 
 
 The tidings of the approach of this army excited 
 the greatest consternation at Darien. A shower of 
 poisoned arrows from the strong arms of twenty thou- 
 sand native warriors, driven forward by the energies 
 of despair, even these steel-clad adventurers could 
 not contemplate without dread. The Spaniards had 
 taught the natives cruelty. They had hunted them 
 down with bloodhounds ; they had cut off their hands 
 with the sword ; they had fed their dogs with their 
 infants ; had tortured them at slow fires and cast 
 
THE SPANISH COLONY, 27 
 
 their children into the flames. They could not ex- 
 pect that the natives could be more merciful than the 
 Spaniards had been. 
 
 Don Pedro, instead of waiting the arrival of his 
 foes, decided to assail the army on its march, hoping 
 to take it by surprise and to throw consternation into 
 the advancing ranks. He divided his army of attack 
 into two parties. One division of about one hundred 
 men, he sent in two small vessels along the western 
 coast of the isthmus, to invade the villages of Urac- 
 ca, hoping thus to compel the Indian chief to draw 
 back his army for the defence of his own territories. 
 This expedition was under the command of General 
 Espinosa. 
 
 The main body of the Spanish troops, consisting 
 of about two hundred men, marched along the east- 
 ern shore of the isthmus, intending eventually to ef- 
 fect a junction with the naval force in the realms of 
 the foe. The energetic, but infamous Franc sco Pi- 
 zarro, led these troops. A very important part of 
 his command consflfced of a band of dragoons, thirty 
 or forty in number, under the leadership of De Soto. 
 His steel-clad warriors were well mounted, with hous- 
 ings which greatly protected their steeds from the 
 arrows of the natives. 
 
 The wary Indian chieftain, who developed during 
 the campaign military abilities of a high order, had 
 
28 DE SOTO. 
 
 his scouts out in all directions. They discerned in 
 the distant horizon the approach of the two vessels, 
 and swift runners speedily reported the fact to Urac- 
 ca. He immediately marched with a force in his 
 judgm nt sufficiently strong to crush the invaders, 
 notwithstanding their vast superiority in arms. 
 
 The Spaniards entered a sheltered bay skirted by 
 a plain, which could be swept by their guns, and 
 where the Indian warriors would have no opportunity 
 to hide in ambush. Uracca allowed the Spaniards 
 to disembark unopposed. He stationed his troops, 
 several thousand in number, in a hilly country, several 
 leagues distant from the place of landing, which was 
 broken with chasms and vast boulders, and covered 
 with tropical forest. Here every Indian could fight 
 behind a rampart, and the Spaniards could only ap- 
 proach in the scattered line of skirmishers. The 
 proud Spaniards advanced in their invading march 
 with as much of war's pageantry as could be assumed. 
 They hoped that nodding pluntes. and waving ban- 
 ners, and trumpet peals, would l^ike with conster- 
 nation the heart of the Indians. 
 
 Uracca calmly awaited their approach. His men 
 were so concealed that Espinosa could form no judg- 
 ment of their numbers or position. Indeed he was 
 scarcely conscious that there was any foe there who 
 would venture to oppose his march. Accustomed as 
 
THE SPANISH COLONY. 29 
 
 he was to ride rough shod over the naked Indians, 
 he was emboldened by a fatal contempt for the prow- 
 ess of his foe. Uracca allowed the Spaniards to be- 
 come entangled in the intricacies of rocks and gul- 
 lies and gigantic forest trees, when suddenly he 
 opened upon them such a shower of poisoned arrows 
 as the Spaniards had never encountered before. The 
 touch of one of these arrows, breaking the skin, 
 caused immediate and intense agony, and almost cer- 
 tain death. The sinewy arms of the Indians could 
 throw these sharp-pointed weapons with almost the 
 precision and force of a bullet, and with far greater 
 rapidity than the Spaniards could load and fire their 
 muskets. 
 
 Espinosa found himself assailed by a foe out- 
 numbering him ten or twenty to one. The air was 
 almost darkened with arrows, and every one was 
 thrown with unerring aim. The rout of the Span- 
 iards was almost instantaneous. Several were killed, 
 many wounded. In a panic, they turned and fled 
 precipitately from^he trap in which they had been 
 caught. The natives impetuously pursued, showing 
 no quarter, evidently determined to exterminate the 
 whole band. 
 
 It so happened that De Soto, with his dragoons, 
 had left Pizarro's band, and in a military incur- 
 sion into the country, was approaching the bay 
 
30 DE SOTO. 
 
 where Espinosa had landed his troops. Suddenly the 
 clamor of the conflict burst upon his ear — the shouts 
 of the Indian warriors and the cry of the fugitive 
 Spaniards. His little band put spurs to their horses 
 and hastened to the scene of action. Very great 
 difficulties impeded their progress. The rugged 
 ground, encumbered by rocks and broken by ravines, 
 was almost impassable for horsemen. But the energy 
 of De Soto triumphed over these obstacles, even when 
 the bravest of his companions remonstrated and hesi- 
 tated to follow him. At length he reached the open 
 country over which the Spaniards were rushing to 
 gain their ships, pursued by the Indians in numbers 
 and strength which seemed to render the destruction 
 of the Spaniards certain. 
 
 The natives stood in great dread of the horses. 
 When they saw the dragoons, glittering in their steel 
 armor, come clattering down upon the plain, their 
 pursuit was instantly checked. Espinosa, thus unex- 
 pectedly reinforced, rallied his panic-stricken troops, 
 and in good order continued the retreat to the .ships. 
 De Soto with his cavalry occupied the post of danger 
 as rear-guard. The Indians cautiously followed, 
 watching for every opportunity which the inequalities 
 of the ground might offer, to assail the invaders with 
 showers of arrows. Occasionally De Soto would 
 halt and turn his horses' heads towards the Indians. 
 
THE SPANISH COLONY. 3 1 
 
 Apprehensive of a charge, they would then fall 
 back. The retreat was thus conducted safely, but 
 slowly. 
 
 The Spaniards had advanced many leagues from 
 the shores of the Pacific. They were now almost 
 perishing from hunger and fatigue. Indian bands 
 were coming from all directions to reinforce the na- 
 tive troops. The sun was going down and night was 
 approaching. All hearts were oppressed with the 
 greatest anxiety. Just then Pizarro, with his two 
 hundred men, made his appearance. He had not 
 been far away, and a courier having informed him of 
 the peril of the Spaniards, he hastened to their relief. 
 Night with its gloom settled down over the plain, and 
 war's hideous clamor was for a few hours hushed. 
 The morning would usher in a renewal of the battle, 
 under circumstances which caused the boldest hearts 
 in the Spanish camp to tremble. 
 
 In the night Generals Espinosa and Pizarro held a 
 council of war, and came to the inglorious resolve to 
 steal away under the protection of darkness, leaving 
 Uracca in undisputed possession of the field. This 
 decision excited the indignation of De Soto. He 
 considered it a disgrace to the Spanish arms, and de- 
 clared that it would only embolden the natives in all 
 their future military operations. His bitter remon- 
 strances were only answered by a sneer from General 
 
32 DE SOTO. 
 
 Espinosa, who assured him that the veteran captains 
 of Spain would not look to his youth and inexperi- 
 ence for guidance and wisdom. 
 
 At midnight the Spaniards commenced their re- 
 treat as secretly and silently as possible. But they 
 had a foe to deal with who was not easily to be de- 
 ceived. His scouts were on the alert, and immediate 
 notice was communicated to Uracca of the move- 
 ments of the Spaniards. The pursuit was conducted 
 with as much vigor as the flight. For eight and forty 
 hours the fugitives were followed so closely, and with 
 such fierce assailment, that large numbers of the 
 rank and file perished. The officers and the dragoons 
 of De Soto, wearing defensive armor, generally es- 
 caped unharmed. The remnant at length, weary and 
 famine-stricken, reached their ships and immediately 
 put to sea. With the exception of De Soto's dra- 
 goons, they numbered but fifty men. Deeply despon- 
 dent in view of their disastrous campaign, they sailed 
 several leagues along the western coast of the isth- 
 mus towards the south, till they reached a flourishing 
 Indian village called Borrica. Conscious that here 
 they were beyond the immediate reach of Uracca's 
 avenging forces, they ventured to land. They found 
 all the men absent. They were probably in the ranks 
 of the native army. 
 
 General Espinosa, who was now chief in com- 
 
THE SPANISH COLONY. 33 
 
 mand, meanly sacked the defenceless village and 
 captured all the women and children, to be sent to 
 the West Indies and sold as slaves. The generous 
 heart of De Soto was roused by this outrage. He 
 was an imperious man, and was never disposed to be 
 very complaisant to his superiors. Sternly the young 
 captain rebuked Espinosa as a kidviapper, stealing 
 the defenceless ; and he demanded that the prisoners 
 should be set at liberty. An angry controversy en- 
 sued. De Soto accused Espinosa of cowardice and 
 imbecility, in ordering the troops of Spain to retreat 
 before naked savages. Espinosa, whose domineering 
 spirit could brook no opposition, accused De Soto of 
 mutinous conduct, and threatened to report him to 
 the governor. De Soto angrily turned his heel upon 
 his superior officer and called upon his troops to 
 mount their horses. Riding proudly at their head, he 
 approached the tent of Espinosa and thus addressed 
 him : 
 
 " Senor Espinosa, the governor did not place me 
 under your command, and you have no claim to my 
 obedience. I now give you notice, that if you retain 
 these prisoners so cruelly and unjustly captured, you 
 must do so at your own risk. If these Indian war- 
 riors choose to make any attempt to recover their 
 wives and their children, I declare to you upon 
 my solemn oath, and by all that I hold most sacred, 
 
34 DE SOTO. 
 
 that they shall meet with no opposition from me. 
 Consider, therefore, whether you have the power 
 to defend yourself and secure your prey, when 
 I and my companions have withdrawn from this 
 spot." 
 
 Pizarro does not seem to have taken any active 
 part in this dispvite, though he advised the headstrong 
 Espinosa to give up his captives. While these scenes 
 were transpiring, about one hundred of the men of 
 the village returned. Most earnestly they en- 
 treated the release of their wives and children. 
 If not peacefully released, it was pretty evident 
 that they would fight desperately for their res- 
 cue. It was quite apparent that the Indian runners 
 had gone in all directions to summon others to their 
 aid. The withdrawal of De Soto left Espinosa so 
 weakened that he could hardly hope successfully to 
 repel such forces. Indeed he was so situated that, 
 destitute of provisions and ammunition, he did not 
 dare to undertake a march back through the wilder- 
 ness to Darien. He therefore very ungraciously 
 consented to surrender his captives. 
 
 Governor Don Pedro had established his head- 
 quarters at Panama. De Soto, accompanied by a 
 single dragoon, who like himself was an admirable 
 horseman, rode with the utmost possible dispatch to 
 Panama, where he informed the governor of the dis- 
 
THE SPANISH COLONY. 35 
 
 asters which had befallen the expedition, and of 
 the precarious condition in which he had left the 
 remnant of the troops. He also made such represen- 
 tation of the military conduct of General Espinosa as 
 to induce the governor to remove him from the com- 
 mand and send General Herman Ponce to take his 
 place. The garrison at Panama was then so weak 
 that only forty men could be spared to go to the re- 
 lief of the troops at Borrica. 
 
 In the mean time the Indian chief Uracca had 
 received full information of the position and condition 
 of the Spanish troops. Very sagaciously he formed 
 his plan to cut off their retreat. Detachments of 
 warriors were placed at every point through which 
 they could escape ; they could not venture a league 
 from their ramparts on any foraging expedition, and 
 no food could reach them. They obtained a misera- 
 ble subsistence from roots and herbs. 
 
 At length De Soto returned with a fresh fupply 
 of ammunition and the small reinforcement. By the 
 aid of his cavalry he so far broke up the blockade as 
 to obtain food for the famishing troops. Still it was 
 very hazardous to attempt a retreat to Panama. 
 With the reinforcements led by General Ponce, their 
 whole army, infantry and cavalry, amounted to less 
 than one hundred and fifty men. They would be 
 
36 DE SOTO. 
 
 compelled on their retreat to climb mountains, plunge 
 into ragged ravines, thread tropical forests and nar- 
 row defiles, where armies of uncounted thousands of 
 natives were ready to dispute their passage. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 Life at Darien. 
 
 Reinforcements from Spain. — Aid sent to Borrica. — Line of Defense 
 Chosen by the Natives. — Religion of the Buccaneers. — The Bat- 
 tle and the Rout. — Strategy of Uracca. — Cruelty of Don Pedro. — 
 The Retreat. — Character of Uracca. — Embarrassment of Don 
 Pedro. — Warning of M. Codro. — Expedition of Pizarro. — Mission 
 of M. Codro. — Letter of De Soto to Isabella. 
 
 While governor Don Pedro was awaiting with in- 
 tense anxiety the receipt of intelligence from Bor- 
 rica, a ship arrived from Spain bringing three or 
 four hundred adventurers, all of whom were eager 
 for any military expedition which would open to them 
 an opportunity for plunder. One hundred and fifty 
 of these were regular soldiers, well taught in the 
 dreadful trade of war. Don Pedro took these fresh 
 troops and one hundred and fifty volunteers, and set 
 out with the utmost expedition for Borrica. His im- 
 petuous nature was inspired with zeal to retrieve the 
 disgrace which had befallen the Spanish arms. He 
 took with him several pieces of ordnance, — guns 
 with which the Indians thus far had no acquaintance. 
 
 Upon arriving at Borrica he very earnestly har- 
 angued his troops, reminding them of the ancient re- 
 
38 DE SOTO. 
 
 nown of the Spanish soldiers, and stimulating their 
 cupidity by the assurance that the kingdom of Ver- 
 agua, over which Uracca reigned, was full of gold ; 
 and that all that was now requisite for the conquest 
 of the country and the accumulation of princely 
 wealth, was a display of the bravery ever character- 
 istic of Spanish troops. 
 
 There was a deep and rapid river, the Arva, rush- 
 ing down from the mountains, which it was necessary 
 for the Spaniards to cross in their renewed invasion 
 of Veragua. On the northern banks of this stream 
 Uracca stationed his troops, selecting this spot with 
 much skill as his main line of defence. He however 
 posted an advanced guard some miles south of the 
 stream in ground broken by hills, rocks and ravines, 
 through which the Spaniards would be compelled to 
 pass, and where their cavalry could be of very little 
 avail. 
 
 By great effort Don Pedro had collected an 
 army of about five hundred men. Rapidly march- 
 ing, he soon reached the spot of broken ground 
 where the native troops were stationed awaiting their 
 approach. 
 
 It seems almost incomprehensible that this band 
 of thieves and murderers, who, without the slightest 
 excuse or provocation, were invading the territory of 
 the peaceful natives, carrying to their homes death 
 
LIFE AT DARIEN. 39 
 
 and woe, that they might acquire fame for military 
 exploits and return laden with plunder, could have 
 looked to God for his blessing upon their infamous 
 expedition. But so it was. And still more strange 
 to say, they did not apparently engage ifl these religi- 
 ous services with any consciousness of hypocrisy. 
 The thoughtful mind is bewildered in contemplating 
 such developments of the human heart. Previous to 
 the attack the whole army was drawn up for prayers, 
 which were solemnly offered by the ecclesiastics who 
 always accompanied these expeditions. Then every 
 soldier attended the confessional and received abso- 
 lution. Thus he felt assured that, should he fall in 
 the battle, he would be immediately translated to the 
 realms of the blest. 
 
 Thus inspired by military zeal and religious fa- 
 naticism, the Spaniards rushed upon the natives in a 
 very impetuous assault. We are happy to record 
 that the natives stood nobly on the defence. They 
 met their assailants with such a shower of arrows 
 and javelins that the Spaniards were first arrested 
 in their march, then driven back, then utterly routed 
 and put to flight. In that broken ground where the 
 cavalry could not be brought into action, where every 
 native warrior stood behind a tree or a rock, and 
 where the natives did not commence the action till 
 the Spaniards were within half bow shot of them, ar- 
 
40 DE SOTO. 
 
 rows and javelins were even more potent weapons of 
 war than the clumsy muskets then in use. 
 
 Upon the open field the arrows of the natives 
 were quite impotent. A bullet could strike the heart 
 at twice or three times the distance at which an ar- 
 row could be thrown. The Spaniards, hotly pursued, 
 retreated from this broken ground several miles back 
 into the open plain. Many were slain. Here the 
 rout was arrested by the cavalry and the discharges 
 from the field-pieces, which broke the Indian ranks. 
 
 The natives, however, boldly held their ground, 
 and the Spaniards, disheartened and mortified by their 
 discomfiture, encamped upon the plain. It was very 
 evident that God had not listened to their prayers. 
 
 For several days they remained in a state of un- 
 certainty. For five hundred Spaniards to retreat be- 
 fore eight hundred natives, would inflict a stigma 
 upon their army which could never be effaced. They 
 dared not again attack the natives who were flushed 
 with victory in their stronghold. They were well 
 aware that the band of warriors before them was but 
 the advanced guard of the great army of Uracca. 
 These eight hundred natives were led by one of 
 Uracca's brothers. Even should these Indians be 
 attacked and repulsed, they had only to retreat a few 
 miles, cross the river Arva in their canoes, and on 
 the northern banks join the formidable army of twen- 
 
LIFE AT DARIEN. 4I 
 
 ty thousand men under their redoubtable chief, who 
 had already displayed military abilities which com- 
 pelled the Spaniards to regard him with dread. 
 
 Affairs were in this position when Uracca adopted 
 a stratagem which completely deceived the Spaniards 
 and inflicted upon them very serious loss. He caused 
 several of his warriors to be taken captive. When 
 closely questioned by Don Pedro where gold was to 
 be found, and threatened with torture if they refused 
 the information, they with great apparent reluctance 
 directed their captors to a spot, at the distance of but 
 a few leagues, where the precious metal could be ob- 
 tained in great abundance. These unlettered sav- 
 ages executed their artifice with skill which would 
 have done honor even to European diplomatists. 
 
 Don Pedro immediately selected a company of 
 forty of his most reliable men and sent them to the 
 designated spot. Here they were surrounded by In- 
 dian warriors in ambush, and the whole party, with 
 the exception of three, put to death. The three who 
 escaped succeeded in reaching the Spanish camp 
 with tidings of the disaster. Don Pedro in his rage 
 ordered his captives to be torn to pieces by the blood- 
 hounds. They were thrown naked to the dogs. The 
 Spaniards looked on complacently, as the merciless 
 beasts, with bloody fangs, tore them limb from limb, 
 devouring their quivering flesh. The natives bore 
 
42 DE SOTO. 
 
 this awful punishment with fortitude and heroism, 
 which elicited the admiration of their foes. With 
 their last breath they exulted that they were permit- 
 ted to die in defence of their country. 
 
 The expedition of Don Pedro had thus far proved 
 an utter failure. He had already lost one-fourth of 
 his army through the prowess of the natives. The 
 prospect before him was dark in the extreme. His 
 troops were thoroughly discouraged, and the difficul- 
 ties still to be encountered seemed absolutely insur- 
 mountable. Humiliated as never before, the proud 
 Don Pedro was compelled to order a retreat. He 
 returned to Panama, where, as we have mentioned, 
 he had removed his seat of government from Darien. 
 Panama was north of Darien, or rather west, as the 
 isthmus there jruns east and west. Its seaport was 
 on the Pacific, not the Atlantic coast. 
 
 Uracca, having thus rescued his country from the 
 invaders, did not pursue the retreating Spaniards. 
 He probably in this course acted wisely. Could Don 
 Pedro have drawn his enemies into the open field, he 
 could undoubtedly have cut down nearly their whole 
 army with grape shot, musketry, and charges by his 
 strongly mounted steel-clad cavaliers. A panic had 
 however pervaded the Spanish camp. They were in 
 constant apprehension of pursuit. Even when they 
 had reached Panama, they were day after day in in- 
 
LIFE AT DARIEN. 43 
 
 tense apprehension of the approach of their outnum- 
 bering foes, by whose valor they had already been 
 discomfited, and so greatly disgraced. 
 
 "When the Spaniards looked out towards the 
 mountains and the plains," writes the Spanish histo- 
 rian Herrera, " the boughs of trees and the very grass, 
 which grew high in the savannas, appeared to their 
 excited imagination to be armed with Indians. And 
 when they turned their eyes towards the sea, they 
 fancied that it was covered with canoes of their ex- 
 asperated foemen." 
 
 Uracca must have been in all respects an extra- 
 ordinary man. We have the record of his deeds 
 only from the pen of his enemies. And yet accord- 
 ing to their testimony, he, a pagan, manifested far 
 more of the spirit of Christ than did his Christian 
 opponents. In the war which he was then waging, 
 there can be no question whatever that the wrong 
 was inexcusably and outrageously on the side of Don 
 Pedro. We cannot learn that Uracca engaged in 
 any aggressive movements against the Spaniards 
 whatever. He remained content with expelling the 
 merciless intruders from his country. Even the fiend- 
 like barbarism of the Spaniards could not provoke 
 him to retaliatory cruelty. The brutal soldiery of 
 Spain paid no respect whatever to the wives and 
 daughters of the natives, even to those of the high- 
 est chieftains. 
 
44 DE SOTO. 
 
 On one occasion a Spanish lady, Donna Clara 
 Albitez, fell into the hands of Uracca. He treated 
 her with as much delicacy and tenderness as if she 
 had been his own daughter or mother, and availed 
 himself of the first opportunity of restoring her to 
 her friends. 
 
 Though De Soto was one of the bravest of his cav- 
 aliers, and was so skilful as an officer that his services 
 were almost indispensable to Don Pedro, yet the gov- 
 ernor was anxious to get rid of him. It is probable 
 that he felt somewhat condemned by the undeniable 
 virtues of De Soto ; for the most of men can feel the 
 power of high moral principle as witnessed in others. 
 De Soto, intensely proud, was not at all disposed to 
 play the sycophant before his patron. He had al- 
 ready exasperated him by his refusal to execute or- 
 ders which he deemed dishonorable. And worst of 
 all, by winning the love of Isabella, he had thwarted 
 one of the most ambitious of Don Pedro's plans ; he 
 having contemplated her alliance with one of the 
 most illustrious families of the Spanish nobility. 
 
 Don Pedro did not dare to send De Soto to the 
 scaffold or to order him to be shot. He had already 
 braved public opinion by the outrageous execution of 
 Vasco Nuiiez, without a shadow of law or justice, 
 and had drawn down upon himself an avalanche of 
 condemnation from the highest dignitaries of both 
 
LIFE AT DARIEN. 45 
 
 church and state. He was trembling through fear 
 that the Spanish government might call him to ac- 
 count for this tyrannic act. Thus situated, it was 
 highly impolitic to send De Soto, who was greatly 
 revered and admired by the army, to the block. He 
 therefore still sought, though with somewhat waning 
 zeal, to secure the death of De Soto on the field of 
 battle. De Soto could not fail to perceive that Don 
 Pedro was not his friend. Still, being a magnanimous 
 man himself, he could not suspect the governor of 
 being guilty of such treachery as to be plotting his 
 death. 
 
 When the little army of Spaniards was beleaguered 
 at Borrica, and De-Soto with his cavalry was scour- 
 ing the adjacent country on foraging expeditions, he 
 chanced to rescue from captivity M. Codro, an Ital- 
 ian philosopher, who had accompanied the Spaniards 
 to Darien. In the pursuit of science, he had joined 
 the fo ty men who, under the command of Herman 
 Ponce, had been sent as a reinforcement to Borrica. 
 While at some distance from the camp on a botanical 
 excursion, he was taken captive by the natives, and 
 would have been put to death but for the timely res- 
 cue by De Soto. 
 
 M. Codro was an astrologer. In that supersti- 
 tious age he was supposed by others, and probably 
 himself supposed, that by certain occult arts he was 
 
46 DE SOTO. 
 
 able to predict future events. Six months after the 
 return of the Spaniards from their disastrous expe- 
 dition against Uracca, this singular man sought an 
 interview with De Soto, and said to him ; 
 
 " A good action deserves better reward than ver- 
 bal acknowledgment. While it was not in my power 
 to make any suitable recompense to, you for saving 
 my life, I did not attempt to offer you any. But the 
 time has now come when I can give you some sub- 
 stantial evidence of my gratitude. I can now inform 
 you that your life is now in no less danger than mine 
 was when you rescued me from the Indians." 
 
 De Soto replied : " My good friend, though I do 
 not profess to be a thorough believer in your pro- 
 phetic art, I am no less thankful for your kind inten- 
 tions. And in this case, I am free to confess that 
 your information, from whatever source derived, is 
 confirmed in a measure by my own observations." 
 
 " Ferdinand De Soto," said the astrologer with 
 great deliberation and solemnity of manner, " I think 
 I can read the page of your destiny, even without 
 such light as the stars can shed upon it. Be assured 
 that the warning I give you does not come from an 
 unearthly source. But if any supernatural confirma- 
 tion of my words were needed, even on that score 
 you might be satisfied. While comparing your horo- 
 scope with that of my departed friend Vasco Nunez, 
 
LIFE AT DARIEN, 47 
 
 I have observed some resemblances in your lives and 
 fortunes, which you, with all your incredvility, must 
 allow to be remarkable. Nuiiez and you were both 
 born in the same town ; were both members of noble 
 but impoverished families ; both sought to ally your- 
 selves with the family of Don Pedro, and both thus 
 incurred his deadly resentment." 
 
 " These coincidences are certainly remarkable," 
 replied De Soto ; " but what other similarities do you 
 find in the destinies of Nunez and myself .-^ " 
 
 '* You are a brave man," replied M. Codro, " and 
 you are too skeptical to be much disturbed by the 
 prognostications of evil. I may therefore venture to 
 tell you that according to my calculations, you will be 
 in one important event of your life more happy than 
 Vasco Nunez. It seems to be indicated by the su- 
 perior intelligences, that your death will not be in the 
 ordinary course of nature ; but I find likewise that 
 the term of your life will be equal to that which Nu- 
 nez attained. When I consider your present circum- 
 stances, this appears to me to be the most improba- 
 ble part of the prediction." 
 
 Nunez was forty-two years old at the time of his 
 death. This gave De Soto the promise of nearly 
 twenty years more of life. Reverently he replied, " I 
 am in the hands of God. I rely with humble confi- 
 dence on his protection." 
 
48 DE SOTO. 
 
 " In that you do well," rejoined M. Codro. " Still 
 it is your duty to use such human means as may be 
 required to defend yourself against open violence or 
 fraudful malice." 
 
 De Soto thanked the astrologer for the caution he 
 had given him, and as he reflected upon it, saw that 
 it was indeed necessary to be constantly on his guard. 
 As time passed on Don Pedro became more undis- 
 guised in his hostility to De Soto. Ferdinand and 
 Isabella exerted all their ingenuity to correspond 
 with each other. Don Pedro had been equally vigi- 
 lant in his endeavors to intercept their letters ; and 
 so effectual were the plans which he adopted, that 
 for five years, while the lovers remained perfectly 
 faithful to each other, not a token of remembrance 
 passed between them. 
 
 These were weary years to De Soto. He was 
 bitterly disappointed in all his expectations. There 
 was no glory to be obtained even in victory, in riding 
 rough-shod over the poor natives. And thus far, in- 
 stead of victory attending the Spanish arms, defeat 
 and disgrace had been their doom. Moreover, he was 
 astonished and heartily ashamed when he saw the 
 measures which his countrymen had adopted to en- 
 rich themselves. They were highway robbers of the 
 most malignant type. They not only slaughtered the 
 victims whom they robbed, but fired their dwellings, 
 
LIFE AT DARIEN. • 49 
 
 trampled down their harvests and massacred their 
 wives and children. 
 
 The most extravagant tales had been circulated 
 through Europe respecting the wealth of the New 
 World. It was said that masses of pure gold could 
 be gathered like pebble stones from the banks of the 
 rivers, and that gems of priceless value were to be 
 found in the ravines. De Soto had been now five 
 years on the isthmus of Darien, and had acquired 
 neither fame nor fortune, and there was nothing in 
 the prospect of the future to excite enthusiasm or 
 even hope. 
 
 There was quite a remarkable man, made so by 
 subsequent events, under the command of Don Pe- 
 dro. His name was Francisco Pizarro. He was a 
 man of obscure birth and of very limited education, 
 save only in the material art of war. He could neither 
 read nor write, and was thus intellectually hardly the 
 equal of some of the most intelligent of the natives. 
 We have briefly alluded to him as entrusted with the 
 command of one portion of the army in the inglori- 
 ous expedition against Uracca. De Soto had very 
 little respect for the man, and was not at all disposed 
 as a subordinate officer to look to him for counsel. 
 Don Pedro, however, seems to have formed a high 
 opinion of the military abilities of Pizarro. For not- 
 withstanding his ignominious defeat and retreat from 
 
50 DE SOTO. 
 
 Veragua, he now appointed him as the leader of an 
 expedition, consisting of one hundred and thirty men, 
 to explore the western coast of the isthmus by cruis- 
 ing along the Pacific Ocean. 
 
 Pizarro set sail from Panama on the fourteenth of 
 November, 1524, in one small vessel. It was intend- 
 ed that another vessel should soon follow to render 
 such assistance as" might be necessary. De Soto was 
 urged to become one of this party ; but probably 
 from dislike of Pizarro, refused to place himself under 
 his command. 
 
 The vessel, which was soon joined by its consort 
 under Almagro, coasted slowly along in a northerly 
 direction, running in at every bay, and landing when- 
 ever they approached a flourishing Indian village, 
 plundering the natives and maltreating them in every 
 shameful way. At length they aroused such a spirit 
 of desperation on the part of the nativ^es, that they 
 fell upon the buccaneers with resistless ferocity. 
 Two-thirds of the miscreants were slain. Pizarro 
 barely escaped with his life, having received severe 
 wounds and being borne to his ship in a state of in- 
 sensibility. 
 
 While Pizarro was absent on this ill-fated expe- 
 dition, a new trouble befell Don Pedro. Las Casas, 
 a devoted Christian missionary, whose indignation 
 was roused to the highest pitch by the atrocities per- 
 
LIFE AT DARIEN. 5 1 
 
 petrated upon the Indians, reported the inhuman 
 conduct of Don Pedro to the Spanish government. 
 The King appointed Peter de Los Rios to succeed 
 him. The new governor was to proceed immediately 
 to Panama and bring the degraded official to trial, 
 and, if found guilty, to punishment. The governor of 
 a Spanish colony in those days was absolute. Don 
 Pedro had cut off the head of his predecessor, though 
 that predecessor was one of the best of men. He 
 now trembled in apprehension of the loss of his own 
 head. Conscious of his deserts, he was terror- 
 stricken. 
 
 About four or five hundred miles north of Pana- 
 ma there was the magnificent province of Nicaragua. 
 The isthmus is here about one hundred and fifty 
 miles in breadth, and the province being about two 
 hundred miles in a line from north to south, extended 
 from the Atlantic to the Pacific shores. Don Pedro 
 was popular with his brutal soldiery, since he allowed 
 them unlimited license and plunder. He resolved, 
 surrounded by them, to take refuge in Nicaragua. 
 Nevertheless, to render himself as secure as possible, 
 he decided to send an agent to plead his cause at the 
 Spanish court. 
 
 Among those rude, unprincipled adventurers, men 
 of violence and blood, it was very difficult to find a 
 suitable person. At length he fixed with much hesi- 
 
52 DE SOTO. 
 
 tation upon M. Codro, the astrologer. He was a 
 simple-minded, good man ; learned, though very art- 
 less. M. Codro was strongly attached to De Soto, 
 the preserver of his life. As we have seen, he was 
 well aware of the peril to which his benefactor was 
 hourly exposed from the malignity of the governor. 
 Gladly therefore he accepted the mission, as he 
 hoped it would afford him an opportunity of confer- 
 ring some favor upon his imperilled friend. 
 
 Don Pedro had adopted the most rigorous m-eas- 
 ures to prevent any communication between the col- 
 ony and Spain, which was not subjected to his inspec- 
 tion. He was mainly influenced to this course that 
 he might prevent the interchange of any messages 
 whatever between De Soto and Isabella. The most 
 severe penalties were denounced against all persons 
 who should convey any writing across the seas, ex- 
 cepting through the regular mails. But the grateful 
 M. Codro declared himself ready to run all risks in 
 carrying a letter from De Soto to Isabella. Though 
 De Soto at first hesitated to expose his friend to 
 such hazard, his intense desire to open some commu- 
 nication with Isabella, at length induced him to ac- 
 cept the generous offer. 
 
 As we have mentioned, for five years not one 
 word had passed between the lovers. It is said that 
 the following is a literal translation of the letter which 
 
LIFE AT DARIEN. 53 
 
 De Soto wrote. We cannot be certain of its authen- 
 ticity, but it bears internal evidence of genuineness, 
 and a manuscript copy is in the Hbrary of a Spanish 
 gentleman who has spent his life in collecting docu- 
 ments in reference to the past history of his country ? 
 
 " Most Dearly Beloved Isabella : 
 
 *' For the first time within five years, I write to 
 you with some assurance that you will receive my let- 
 ter. Many times have I written before ; but how 
 could I write freely when I had reason to fear that 
 other eyes might peruse those fond expressions which 
 your goodness and condescension alone could par- 
 don ? But what reason have I to hope that you can 
 still look with favorable regard on my unworthiness .'' 
 My mature judgment teaches me that this dream of 
 my youth, which I have so long cherished, is not pre- 
 sumption merely, but madness. 
 
 "When I consider your many perfections, and 
 compare them with my own little deserving, I feel 
 that I ought to despair, even if I could empty into 
 your lap the treasure of a thousand kingdoms. How 
 then can I lift my eyes to you when I have nothing 
 to offer but the tribute of an affection which time 
 cannot change, and which must still live when my 
 last hope has departed. 
 
 " O Isabella ! the expectation which brought me 
 
54 DE SOTO. 
 
 to this land has not been fulfilled. I can gather no 
 gold, except by such means as my honor, my con- 
 science and yourself must condemn. Though your 
 nobleness may pity one on whom fortune has disdain- 
 ed to smile, I feel that your relations are justified in 
 claiming for you an alliance with exalted rank and 
 affluence ; and I love you far too well to regard my 
 own happiness more than your welfare. If, therefore, 
 in your extreme youth you have made a promise 
 which you now regret, as far as it is in my power to 
 absolve you from that engagement, you are released. 
 On my side, the obligation is sacred and eternal. It 
 is not likely that I shall ever return to my country. 
 While I am banished from your presence, all countries 
 are alike to me. 
 
 " The person who brings you this exposes him- 
 self to great danger in his desire to serve me. I en- 
 treat you to use such precautions as his safety may 
 require. If your goodness should vouchsafe any 
 message to me, he will deliver it, and you may have 
 perfect confidence in his fidelity. Pardon my bold- 
 ness in supposing it possible that I still have a i)lace 
 in your remembrance. Though you may now think 
 of me with indifference or diiiikj, do not censure me 
 too severely for calling myself unchangeably and de- 
 votedly, Yours, De Soto." 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Demoniac Reign. 
 
 Giles Gonzales. — Unsuccessful Contest of De Soto with Gonzales. — 
 Bold Reply of De Soto to the Governor. — Cruelty of Don Pedro 
 to M. Codro. — Assassination of Cordova. — New Expedition of 
 Discovery. — Revenge upon Valenzuela. — Reign of Don Pedro at 
 Nicaragua. — Unwise Decision of De Soto. 
 
 It was supposed at that time that there must be 
 a strait somewhere north of Panama across the nar- 
 row isthmus, which would connect the waters of the 
 Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Several expeditions had 
 been fitted out in search of this all-important passage. 
 Almost invariably a company of priests joined these 
 expeditions, who exerted all their energies to convert 
 the Indians to nominal Christianity. A fanatic ad- 
 venturer by the name of Giles Gonzales, acquired 
 much celebrity for his success in inducing the na- 
 tives to accept the Christian faith and to acknowledge 
 fealty to the king of Spain. He was at the head of 
 one hundred steel-clad warriors. His mode of per- 
 suasion, though unique, was very potent. When he 
 approached the seat of the chief of Nicaragua, he 
 sent a courier to him with the following message : 
 
56 DE SOTO. 
 
 " I am coming as a friend to teach you the only 
 true religion, and to persuade you to recognize the 
 most powerful monarch on the globe. If you refuse 
 to yield to my teachings, you must prepare for battle, 
 and I challenge you to meet me in the field." 
 
 The gentle and peace-loving natives contempla- 
 ted with consternation these fierce Spaniards mount- 
 ed on powerful war horses, animals which they had 
 never before seen, and glittering in coats of mail. 
 They had no religious creed to which they adhered 
 with any tenacity. The Nicaraguan chief unhesi- 
 tatingly expressed his readiness to accept the new 
 faith, and in token of friendship, sent Gonzales a 
 quantity of gold, equal it is said in value to seventy- 
 five thousand dollars of our money. The Spanish 
 historian Herrera, whose record is generally deemed 
 in the main accurate, says that the chief, his family, 
 and nine thousand of his subjects, were baptized and 
 became Christians. Influenced by this example, and 
 by the glowing representations of the rewards which 
 were sure to follow the acceptance of the Christian 
 faith, more than thirty-six thousand of the natives 
 were baptized within the space of half a year. The 
 baptismal fees charged by Gonzales amounted to over 
 four hundred thousand dollars. 
 
 While Gonzales was engaged on his own respon- 
 sibility in this career of spiritual conquest, with its 
 
DEMONIAC REIGN. 57 
 
 rich pecuniary accompaniment, Don Pedro sent two 
 of his generals, Ferdinand de Cordova and Ferdi- 
 nand De Soto, to explore Nicaragua and take pos- 
 session of it in his name. He assumed that Gonzales, 
 acting without authority, was engaged in a treasona- 
 ble movement. The two parties soon came into col- 
 lision. 
 
 De Soto, with a party of fifty men, twenty of 
 them being well mounted cavaliers, encamped at a 
 small village called Torebo. Gonzales was in the 
 near vicinity with a little army of three hundred men, 
 two hundred of whom were Indians. In the darkness 
 of the night, Gonzales fell upon De Soto, and out- 
 numbering him six to one, either killed or took cap- 
 tive all the thirty footmen ; while the cavaliers, on their 
 horses, cut their way through and escaped. Gon- 
 zales lost fifty of his best men in the conflict, and 
 was so impressed with the military vigor of De Soto, 
 that he was not at all disposed again to meet him on 
 the field of battle. He therefore retired to a distant 
 part of the province, where he vigorously engaged in 
 the work of converting the natives, never forgetting 
 his baptismal fee. 
 
 De Soto and Cordova, established themselves in 
 a new town which they called Grenada. Here they 
 erected a church, several dwelling houses, and bar- 
 racks for the soldiers. They also surrounded tlie vil- 
 3* 
 
58 DE SOTO. 
 
 lage with a trench and earthworks, as protection from 
 any sudden assault. Gonzales was a fugitive from 
 justice, having assassinated an officer sent by Her- 
 nando Cortes to arrest him. 
 
 Cordova was a mild and humane man. Under 
 his sway the Indians were prosperous and happy. 
 Two flourishing towns grew up rapidly quite near 
 each other, Leon and Grenada. The climate was 
 delightful, the soil fertile, the means of living abun- 
 dant. Many of the inhabitants of Panama emigrated 
 to this more favored region. 
 
 De Soto, leaving -Cordova in command of Nicara- 
 gua, returned to Panama to report proceedings to 
 Don Pedro. It was not till then that he learned, to 
 his extreme regret, that the Governor had selected 
 Nicaragua as a place for his future abode. He knew 
 that the presence of the tyrannical governor could 
 only prove disastrous to the flourishing colony, and 
 ruinous to the happiness of the natives. The gloom 
 with which the contemplation oppressed his mind 
 spread over his speaking countenance. The eagle 
 eye of the suspicious governor immediately detected 
 these indications of discontent. With an air of defer- 
 ence, but in a tone of mockery, he said : 
 
 "I judge from your appearance, captain, that my 
 Nicaraguan enterprise does not meet with your cor- 
 dial approbation." 
 
DEMONIAC REIGN. 59 
 
 De Soto boldly, and with great deliberation of 
 words, replied: 
 
 " Governor Don Pedro, I confess that I feel but 
 little interested in any of your movements or inten- 
 tions, except when they encroach upon the rights of 
 others. Nicaragua is at this time Avell governed by 
 Ferdinand de Cordova. The change you propose to 
 make, is to be deprecated as one of the greatest mis- 
 fortunes that could befall not only the Indian inhabi- 
 tants of that district, but our own countrymen like- 
 wise, who have flocked thither to escape from your 
 jurisdiction." 
 
 The countenance of Don Pedro became pallid 
 with rage. Struggling, however, to suppress the un- 
 availing outburst of his passion, he said, with a ma- 
 lignant smile : 
 
 " I thank you, Captain De Soto, for giving me this 
 opportunity which I have so long desired. Were I 
 to permit such insolence to go unpunished, my au- 
 thority in this colony would soon be at an end." 
 
 " It is at an end," replied De Soto. " You must 
 be aware that your successor, De Los Rios, is now 
 on his way to Panama." 
 
 " I do not choose," replied Don Pedro, " to debate 
 this matter with you. I still claim the right to com- 
 mand you as your superior military officer. I now 
 command you to hold yourself and your company in 
 
6o DE SOTO. 
 
 readiness to march. When we arrive at Leon, I 
 promise you that full justice shall be done to your 
 friend De Cordova, and to yourself." 
 
 De Soto fully comprehended the significance of 
 these threats. He wrote immediately to Cordova, 
 urging him to be on his guard. The inhabitants of 
 Leon and Grenada, learning of the intention of Don 
 Pedro, — to take the government into his own hands, 
 — entreated De Cordova to resist the tyrant, promis- 
 ing him their unanimous and energetic support. But 
 De Cordova declined these overtures, saying, that all 
 the authority to which he was legitimately entitled 
 was derived from Don Pedro, and that it was his 
 duty to obey him as his superior officer, until he 
 should be deposed by the Spanish crown. 
 
 Just before Don Pedro, with his suite, left Panama 
 for Nicaragua, M. Codro returned from Spain. He 
 brought dispatches to the governor, and also secret- 
 ly a letter from Isabella to De Soto. The spies of 
 the governor, in his castle in Spain, watched every 
 movement of M. Codro. The simple minded man 
 had very little skill in the arts of duplicity. These 
 spies reported to Don Pedro that M. Codro had 
 held a secret interview with Isabella, and had frank- 
 ly stated that he was entrusted with a private mes- 
 sage to her. Don Pedro knew that such a mes- 
 sage could have gone only from De Soto ; and that 
 
DEMONIAC REIGN. 6 1 
 
 unquestionably M. Codro had brought back from his 
 daughter a response. We may remark in passing, 
 that the letter from Isabella to De Soto informed 
 him of the inflexible fidelity of Isabella, and filled the 
 heart of De Soto with joy. 
 
 The malignant nature of Don Pedro was roused 
 by these suspicions to intensity of action, and he re- 
 solved upon direful revenge. As the new governor 
 was hourly expected, he could not venture upon any 
 open act of assassination or violence, for he knew 
 that in that case summary punishment would be his 
 doom. Calling M. Codro before him, he assumed 
 his blandest smile, thanked the artless philosopher 
 for the services he had rendered him in Spain, and 
 said that he wished to entrust him with the manage- 
 ment of a mineralogical survey of a region near the 
 gulf of San Miguel. 
 
 The good man was delighted. This was just the 
 employment which his nature craved. He was di- 
 rected to embark in a vessel commanded by one of 
 the governor's tools, an infamous -wretch by the 
 name of De Valenzuela. This man had been for 
 many years a private, and was then engaged in kid- 
 napping Indians for the slave trade. He was order- 
 ed as soon as the vessel was at sea, to chain M. 
 Codro to the foremast, to expose him to all the tor- 
 tures of the blaze of a tropical sun by day and chil- 
 
62 DE SOTO. 
 
 ling dews by night. The crew were enjoined to as- 
 sail him with insulting mockery. Thus exposed to 
 hunger, burning heat, and incessant abuse, he was 
 to be kept through these lingering agonies until he 
 died. 
 
 For ten days the good man bore this cruel 
 martyrdom, when he breathed his last, and was 
 buried on a small island about a hundred miles 
 southwest of Panama. This brutal assassination was 
 so conducted, that De Soto at the time had no 
 knowledge of the tragedy which was being enacted. 
 
 Early in the year 1526, Don Pedro, surrounded 
 by a large retinue of his obedient soldiery, left Pana- 
 ma to assume the government of Nicaragua, to which 
 he had no legitimate title. De Soto accompanied 
 the governor. Much as he detested his character, 
 he could not forget that he was the father of Isa- 
 bella. When Don Pedro approached the little town 
 of Leon, he sent a courier before him, to order De 
 Cordova to meet him in the public square, with his 
 municipal officers and his clergy, prepared to give 
 an account of his administration. 
 
 De Soto with his horsemen was .ordered to form 
 in line -on one side of the square. The foot soldiers 
 of Don Pedro surrounded the governor on the other 
 side. All the vacant space was filled with citizens 
 and natives. By the side of the governor stood his 
 
DEMONIAC REIGN. 63 
 
 executioner ; a man of gigantic stature and of hercu- 
 lean strength, whose massive sword few arms but his 
 could wield. De Cordova advanced to meet Don Pe- 
 dro, and bowing respectfully before him, commenced 
 giving an account of the state of affairs in the prov- 
 ince. Suddenly he was interrupted in his narrative 
 by Don Pedro, who with forced anger exclaimed ; 
 
 " Silence, you hypocrite ! Your treasonable pro- 
 jects cannot be hidden under these absurd preten- 
 sions of loyalty and patriotism : I will now let your 
 accomplices see how a traitor should be punished." 
 
 He made a sign to his executioner. His gleam- 
 ing sword flashed through the air, and in an instant 
 the dissevered head of Cordova rolled in the dust. 
 The headsman grasped the gory trophy by the hair, 
 and raising it high above his head exclaimed, 
 
 ^^ Behold the doom of a traitor ^^ 
 
 All this took place in an instant. The specta- 
 tors were horror stricken. De Soto instinctively seiz- 
 ed his sword, and would doubtless have put spurs to 
 his horse, rushed upon the governor, and phmged 
 the weapon to the hilt in his breast, but for the re- 
 straining memories of the past. Hesitatingly he 
 returned his sword to its scabbard. 
 
 But Don Pedro had not yet finished the contem- 
 
64 IJE SOTO. 
 
 plated work of the day. Another victim he had 
 doomed to fall. A file of soldiers, very resolute men, 
 led by a determined officer, crossing the square, ap- 
 proached De Soto, at the head of his troops. Don 
 Pedro then exclaimed in a loud voice, 
 
 " Ferdinand De Soto, you are ordered to dis- 
 mount and submit yourself to the punishment which 
 you have just seen inflicted on your traitorous com- 
 rade. Soldiers ! drag him from his horse if he refuse 
 to obey." 
 
 The officer reached forth his hand to seize De 
 Soto. Like lightning's flash, the sword of the cav- 
 alier fell upon the officer, and his head was cleft from 
 crown to chin. The spurs were applied to the fiery 
 steed. He plunged through the soldiers, knocking 
 several of them down, and in an instant De Soto had 
 his sword's point at the breast of the governor. 
 Shouts of " kill the tyrant," rose from all parts of the 
 square, which were echoed even from the ranks of 
 Don Pedro's soldiers. Again De Soto held back his 
 avenging hand ; but in words which made Don Pedro 
 quake in his shoes, he said, 
 
 " You hear the expression of public sentiment. 
 You hear the wishes of those who are subject to your 
 authority. It is the voice of justice speaking through 
 these people. In refusing to obey the call, I am 
 scarcely less guilty than yourself. But remember, 
 
DEMONIAC REIGN. 65 
 
 Don Pedro, that in sparing your life at- this moment, 
 I discharge all the obligations I have owed you. 
 Miserable old man ! Be thankful that the recollection 
 of one that is absent, can make me forget what I owe 
 to my murdered friend. 
 
 " I will now sheathe my sword, but I solemnly de- 
 clare by the sacred emblem of the cross which it 
 bears, that I will never draw it again in your ser- 
 vice." 
 
 The assassination, for it could hardly be called 
 execution, of De Cordova, excited the general indig- 
 nation of the Spanish settlers. They all knew that 
 Don Pedro had no authority from the king of Spain 
 to assume the government of Nicaragua, and that he 
 was therefore an usurper. The noble character which 
 De Soto had exhibited, and his undeniable ability and 
 bravery, had won for him universal regard. The Span- 
 iards generally rallied around him, and entreated him 
 to assume the command, promising him their enthu- 
 siastic support. They could not comprehend why De 
 Soto so persistently refused their solicitations. They 
 knew nothing of the secret reasons which rendered it 
 almost impossible for De Soto to draw his sword 
 against the father of Isabella. 
 
 As we have mentioned, it was generally supposed 
 that there must be some strait between the Isthmus 
 of Darien and the southern frontiers of Mexico, which 
 
66 DE SOTO. 
 
 connected the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific 
 Oceans. The king of Spain had offered a large re- 
 ward for the discovery of this passage. Several of the 
 wealthy citizens of Leon organized an expedition in 
 pursuit of this object. De Soto was placed at its 
 head. He selected, from his cavalry troop, five of his 
 most intelligent and energetic young men. They 
 started from Leon, and followed along the coast of 
 the Pacific, in northwesterly course, penetrating every 
 bay and inlet. They travelled on horseback and en- 
 countered innumerable difficulties from the rugged 
 and pathless wilderness, through which they pressed 
 their way. They also had much to fear from the un- 
 friendly character of the natives, whose hostility had 
 been aroused by the outrages which companies of 
 vagabond Spaniards had inflicted upon them. 
 
 De Soto, however, and his companions, by their 
 just and kindly spirit, soon won the regards of the 
 Indians, They found that the natives possessed large 
 quantities of gold, which they seemed to esteem of 
 little value. Eagerly they exchanged the precious 
 metal for such trinkets as the explorers took with 
 them. Upon this arduous expedition, which De 
 Soto managed with consummate skill, he was absent 
 eleven months. Seven hundred miles of sea-coast 
 were carefully explored, and he became fully con- 
 vinced that the looked-for strait did not exist. 
 
DEMONIAC REIGN. 6/ 
 
 Though in this respect the expedition had proved a 
 failure, he returned to Leon quite enriched by the 
 gold which he had gathered. With honesty, rarely 
 witnessed in those days, he impartially divided the 
 treasure among the projectors of the enterprise. 
 
 As De Soto was returning, he discovered a small 
 Spanish vessel anchored near the present site of 
 San Salvador. As his men and horses were worn 
 down by their fatiguing journey, he engaged a pas- 
 sage in the vessel to Leon. Upon embarking he 
 found the captain and crew consisted of some of the 
 most depraved and brutal men who had ever visited 
 the New World. They were cruising along the 
 coast, watching for opportunity to kidnap the natives, 
 to convey them to the West Indies as slaves. The 
 captain was the infamous Valenzuela, who, as agent 
 of Don Pedro, had tortured M. Codro to death. 
 
 De Soto had no knowledge, as we have mentioned, 
 of the dreadful doom which had befallen his friend. 
 One day the fiendlike captain was amusing his crew 
 with a recital of his past deeds of villany. He told 
 the story of the murder of Codro. 
 
 " He was," he said, " an old wizard whom Don 
 Pedro, the governor of Panama, commissioned me to 
 torture and to put to death, in consequence of some 
 treachery of which he had been guilty while on a 
 mission to Spain. 
 
68 DE SOTO. 
 
 The words caught the ear of De Soto. He join- 
 ed the group, and Hstened with breathless attention 
 and a throbbing heart, to the statement of Valen- 
 zuela. 
 
 " I chained the old fellow," said the captain, " to 
 the mainmast, and the sailors amused themselves by 
 drenching him with buckets of cold water, till he 
 was almost drowned. After several days, he became 
 so sick and exhausted, that we saw that our sport 
 would soon be at an end. For two days he was 
 speechless. He then suddenly recovered the use of 
 his voice, and endeavored to frighten me by saying : 
 
 " Captain, your treatment has caused my death. 
 I now call upon you to hear the words of a dying 
 man. Within a year from this time, I summon you 
 to meet me before the judgment seat of God." 
 
 Here the captain burst into a derisive and scorn- 
 ful laugh. He then added : 
 
 " Come comrades, we'll have a hamper of wine, 
 and drink to the repose of M. Codro's soul." 
 
 De Soto stepped forward, and repressing all ex- 
 ternal exhibition of the rage which consumed his 
 soul, said calmly to the captain 
 
 " You say that the astrologer prophesied that 
 you should die within the year. When will that year 
 expire .-" " 
 
 " In about two weeks," the captain replied. " But 
 
DEMONIAC REIGN. 69 
 
 I have no fear but that the prophet will prove to be 
 a liar." 
 
 " He shall not," De Soto added. And drawing 
 from his scabbard his keen, glittering sword, with 
 one blow from his sinewy arm, severed the captain's 
 head from his body. The ghastly trophy rolled 
 gushing with blood upon the deck. These wild and 
 savage men were accustomed to such scenes. They 
 admired the courage of De Soto, and the marvellous 
 skill with which, at one blow, he had struck oft' the 
 head of the captain. De Soto then turned to the 
 crowd and said : 
 
 " Gentlemen, if any of you are disposed to hold 
 me accountable for what I have just done, I am ready 
 to answer you according to your desires. But I con- 
 sider myself bound, in reason and in courtesy, to in- 
 form you, that M. Codro, the man whom this villain 
 murdered, was my friend ; and I doubt not that he 
 was condemned to death for doing me an important 
 service." 
 
 All seemed satisfied with this explanation. These 
 sanguinary scenes in those days produced but a mo- 
 mentary impression. 
 
 De Soto and Don Pedro no longer held any inter- 
 course with each other. The reign of the usurping 
 governor was atrocious beyond the power of lan- 
 guage to express. With horses and bloodhounds he 
 
yo DE SOTO. 
 
 ran down the natives, seizing and selling them as 
 slaves. Droves of men, women and children, chained 
 together, were often driven into the streets of Leon. 
 
 The assumption then was that a nominal Christian 
 might pardonably inflict any outrages upon those who 
 had not accepted the Christian faith. Several of the 
 Indian chiefs had embraced Christianity. Don Pedro 
 compelled them all to pay him a tribute of fifty slaves 
 a month. All orphans were to be surrendered as 
 slaves. And then the wretch demanded that all 
 parents who had several children, should surrender 
 one or more, as slaves to the Spaniards. The natives 
 were robbed of their harvests, so that they had no 
 encouragement to cultivate the soil. This led to 
 famine, and more than twenty thousand perished of 
 starvation. Famine introduced pestilence. The good 
 Las Casas declares that in consequence of the oppres- 
 sions of the Spaniards, in ten years, more than si.xty 
 thousand of the natives of Nicaragua perished. 
 
 About this time Francisco Pizarro had embarked 
 in a hair-brained enterprise for the conquest of Peru, 
 on the western coast of South America. Very slowly 
 he had forced his way along, towards that vast empire, 
 encountering innumerable difficulties, and enduring 
 frightful sufterings, until he had reached a point where 
 his progress seemed to be arrested. His army was 
 greatly weakened, and he had not sufficient force to 
 
DEMONIAC REIGN. 7I 
 
 push his conquests any farther. Threatened with the 
 utter extermination of his band, he remembered De 
 Soto, whom he had never loved. He knew that he 
 was anxious for fame and fortune, and thouglit that 
 his bravery and great military ability might extricate 
 him from his embarrassments. 
 
 He therefore wrote to Don Pedro, praying that 
 De Soto, with reinforcements, might be sent to his aid. 
 For three years there had been no communication 
 whatever between the governor and the lover of his 
 daughter. But Don Pedro regarded the adventure of 
 Pizarro as hazardous in the extreme, and felt sure 
 that all engaged in the enterprise would miserably 
 perish. Eagerly he caught at the idea of sending De 
 Soto to join them ; for his presence was to Don Pedro 
 a constant source of annoyance and dread. He there- 
 fore caused the communication from Pizarro to be 
 conveyed to De Soto, saying to the messenger who 
 bore it : 
 
 " Urge De Soto to depart immediately for Peru. 
 And I pray Heaven that we may never hear of him 
 again." 
 
 De Soto, not knowing what to do with himself, im- 
 prudently consented, and thus allied his fortunes with 
 those of one of the greatest villains of any age or 
 country. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 TJic Invasion of Peru. 
 
 The Kingdom of Peru. — Its Metropolis. — The Desperate Condition 
 of Pizarro. — Arrival of De Soto. — Character of the Spaniards. — 
 Exploring tour of De Soto. — The Colony at San Miguel. — The 
 General Advance. — Second Exploration of De Soto. — Infamous 
 Conduct of the Pizarros. 
 
 The kingdom of Peru, skirting the western coast 
 of South America, between the majestic peaks of the 
 Andes and the mirrored waters of the Pacific Ocean, 
 was one of the most beautiful countries in the world. 
 This kingdom, diversified with every variety of scen- 
 ery, both of the sublime and the beautiful, and enjoy- 
 ing a delicious climate, was about eighteen hundred 
 miles in length and one hundred and fifty in breadth. 
 The natives had attained a high degree of civilization. 
 Though gunpowder, steel armor, war horses, and 
 blood-hounds gave 'the barbarian Spaniards the su- 
 premacy on fields of blood, the leading men, among 
 the Peruvians, seem to have been in intelligence, hu- 
 manity and every virtue, far superior to the savage 
 leaders of the Spaniards, who so ruthlessly invaded 
 their peaceful realms. 
 
THE INVASION OF PERU. 73 
 
 The metropolis of the empire was the city of 
 Cuzo, which was situated in a soft and luxuriant val- 
 ley traversing some table-lands which were about 
 twelve thousand feet above the level of the sea. The 
 government of the country was an absolute mon- 
 archy. But its sovereign, called the Inca, seems to 
 have been truly a good man, the father of his people; 
 wisely and successfully seeking their welfare. The 
 Peruvians had attained a degree of excellence in 
 many of the arts unsurpassed by the Spaniards. 
 Their houses were generally built of stone ; their 
 massive temples, though devoid of architectural beau- 
 ty, were constructed of hewn blocks of granite, so ad- 
 mirably joined together that the seams could be with 
 difficulty discerned. 
 
 Humbolt found, among the ruins of these temples, 
 blocks of hewn stone thirty-six feet long, nine feet 
 wide, and six feet in thickness. Their great high- 
 ways, spanning the gulfs, clinging to the precipitous 
 cliffs and climbing the mountains, were wonderful 
 works of mechanical skill. 
 
 De Soto was .thoroughly acquainted with the 
 cruel, faithless, and treacherous character of Pizarro. 
 A stigma must ever rest upon his name, for consent- 
 ing to enter into any expedition under the leadership 
 of such a man. It may however be said, in reply, 
 that he had no intention of obeying Pizarro in any 
 4 
 
74 DE SOTO. 
 
 thing that was wrong ; that his love of adventure was 
 roused by the desire to explore one of the most mag- 
 nificent empires in the New World, which rumor had 
 invested with wealth and splendor surpassing the 
 dreams of romance. And perhaps, most important 
 of all, he hoped ho7iestly to be able to gather from 
 the fabled mines of gold, with which Peru was said 
 to be filled, that wealth with which he would be en- 
 abled to return to Spain and claim the hand, as he 
 had already won the heart, of the fair and faithful 
 Isabella. 
 
 Pizarro had entered upon his enterprise with an 
 army of one hundred and eighty men, twenty-seven 
 of whom were mounted. It seems to be the uncon- 
 tradicted testimony of contemporary historians, that 
 this army was composed of as worthless a set of vag- 
 abonds as ever disgraced humanity. There was no 
 crime or cruelty from which these fiends in human 
 form would recoil. 
 
 Pizarro, following down the western coast of 
 South America five or six hundred miles, had reach- 
 ed the island of Puna, in the extreme northern part 
 of Peru. It was separated from the mainland by a 
 narrow strait. The inhabitants received him cor- 
 dially, but the murders, rapine and other nameless 
 atrocities, perpetrated by the Spaniards upon the 
 friendly natives, soon so aroused their resentment 
 
THE INVASION OF PERU. 75 
 
 that a conspiracy was formed for the entire exterm- 
 ination of the invaders. The expedition had become 
 so weakened and demoraUzed that even Pizarro saw 
 that it would be the height of imprudence for him to 
 venture, with his vile crew, upon the mainland, be- 
 fore reinforcements under some degree of military 
 discipline should arrive. He was in this precarious 
 condition, and on the eve of extermination, when De 
 Soto and his select and well-ordered troops reached 
 the island. 
 
 They came in two vessels, bringing with them an 
 abundant supply of arms and ammunition. The party 
 consisted of fifty men, thoroughly equipped. Thirty 
 of them were steel - clad cavaliers, well mounted. 
 De Soto bad been offered the rank of second in 
 command. But when he arrived at Puna, he found 
 that Pizarro's brother — Hernando — occupied this 
 post, and that he had no intention of relinquishing it. 
 De Soto reproached Pizarro in very plain terms for 
 this wrong and insult. He however did not allow it 
 long to trouble him. Surrounded by his own brave 
 and devoted followers, he felt quite independent of 
 the authority of Pizarro, and had no intention of 
 obeying him any farther than might be in, accordance 
 with his own wishes. 
 
 On the other hand, Pizarro had but little confi- 
 dence in his brother, and was fully conscious that the 
 
76 DE SOTO. 
 
 success of his enterprise would be mainly dependent 
 upon the energy and skill of De Soto. 
 
 Pizarro,now finding himself at the head of really a 
 formidable force, prepared to pass over to the main- 
 land. There was quite a large town there called 
 Tumbez, surrovuided by a rich and densely popidat- 
 ed country. The Peruvians had gold in abundance, 
 and weapons and utensils of copper. With iron and 
 steel, they were entirely unacquainted. As when 
 fighting at a distance, the bullet of the Spaniard was 
 immeasurably superior to the arrow of the native, so 
 in a hand to hand fi^ht, the keen and glittering sabre 
 of steel, especially in the hands of steel-clad cava- 
 liers left the poorly armed Peruvians almost entirely 
 at their mercy. 
 
 Arrangements were made to cross the strait and 
 make a descent upon Tumbez. Pizarro had already 
 visited the place, where he had been kindly received 
 by the inhabitants, and where he had seen with his 
 own eyes that the houses and temples were dec- 
 orated with golden ornaments, often massive in 
 weight, and of almost priceless value. He floated 
 his little band across the narrow strait on rafts. 
 
 The inhabitants of Tumbez and "its vicinity had 
 been disposed to receive their Spanish visitors as 
 guests, and to treat them with the utmost courtesy 
 and kindness. But the tidings had reached them of 
 
THE INVASION OP PERU. 77 
 
 the terrible outrages which they had inflicted upon 
 the inhabitants of Puna. They therefore attacked 
 the Spaniards as they approached the shore on their 
 rafts and endeavored to prevent their landing. But 
 the invaders, with musketry and a cannon which they 
 had with them, speedily drove off their assailants, and 
 with horses and hounds planted their banners upon 
 the shore. They then marched directly upon Tum- 
 bez, confident of gathering, from the decorations of 
 her palaces and her temples, abounding wealth. Bit- 
 ter was their disappointment. The Peruvians, con- 
 scious of their probable inability to resist the invaders, 
 had generally abandoned the city, carrying with them, 
 far away into the mountains, all their treasures. 
 
 The Spaniards, who had entered the city with 
 hideous yells of triumph, being thus frustrated in the 
 main object of their expedition, found, by inquiry, 
 that at the distance of several leagues easterly from 
 the sea-coast, among the pleasant valleys of the moun- 
 tains, there were populous cities, where abundance 
 of booty might be found. 
 
 The whole number of Spaniards, then invading 
 Peru, did not exceed two hundred and fifty. The 
 Peruvians were- daily becoming more deeply exas- 
 perated. With such a number of men, and no forti- 
 fied base to fall back upon, Pizarro did not deem it 
 safe to enter upon a plundering tour into the interior. 
 
78 DE SOTO. 
 
 Keeping therefore about one hundred and thirty 
 men with him, and strongly fortifying himself at 
 Tumbez, he sent De Soto, at the head of eighty men, 
 sixty of whom were mounted, back into the moun- 
 tains, to search for gold, and to report respecting the 
 condition of the country, in preparation for future ex- 
 peditions. 
 
 The bad fame of Pizarro Avas spreading far and 
 wide. And though De Soto enjoined it strictly 
 upon his men, not to be guilty of any act of injustice, 
 still he was an invading Spaniard, and the Peruvians 
 regarded them all as the shepherd regards the wolf. 
 De Soto had passed but a few leagues from the sea- 
 shore, ere he entered upon the hilly country. As he 
 was ascending one of the gentle eminences, a band 
 of two thousand Indians, who had met there to arrest 
 his progress, rushed down upon him. His sixty 
 horsemen instantly formed in column and impet- 
 uously charged into their crowded ranks. These 
 Peruvians had never seen a horse before. Their 
 arrows glanced harmless from the impenetrable 
 armor, and they were mercilessly cut down and 
 trampled beneath iron hoofs. The Spaniards gallop- 
 ed through and through their ranks, strewing the 
 ground with the dead. The carnage was of short 
 duration. The panic-stricken Peruvians fled where- 
 ever there was a possibility of escape. The trumpets 
 
THE INVASION OF PERU. 79 
 
 of the conquerors pealed forth their triumphant 
 strains. The silken banners waved proudly in the 
 breeze, and the victors exultingly continued their 
 march through one of the defiles of the mountains. 
 
 Whatever excuses De Soto may make for himself, 
 humanity will never forgive him for the carnage of 
 that day. Having thus fairly embarked upon this 
 enterprise, where he was surely gaining military re- 
 nown, infamous as it was, and where there was the 
 prospect before him of plunder of incalculable worth, 
 De Soto seems to have assumed to act upon his own 
 responsibility, and to have paid very little regard to 
 the authority of Pizarro, whom he had left behind. 
 He had already penetrated the country much farther 
 than he had been authorized to do by the orders of his 
 superior. One of the men, whom Pizarro had sent 
 with him, very probably as a spy upon his movements, 
 deserted, and returned to Tumbez with the report 
 that De Soto was already practically in revolt, and 
 had renounced all dependence on Pizarro. For this 
 alleged insubordination, Pizarro did not venture to 
 call his energetic lieutenant to account. 
 
 In the mean time, Pizarro was exploring the coun- 
 try in the vicinity of Tumbez, for the site of the colo- 
 ny he wished to establish. He selected a position 
 about ninety miles south of that city, in a rich and 
 well-watered valley which opened upon the placid 
 
So DE SOTO. 
 
 surface of the Pacific. His troops were transported 
 lo the spot by the two vessels. Here he laid the 
 foundations of a town, which he called San Miguel. 
 With timber from the mountains, and stone from the 
 quarries, and the labor of a large number of natives, 
 who were driven to daily toil, not as servants, by the 
 stimulus of well-paid labor, but as slaves, goaded by 
 the sabres of their task masters, quite a large and 
 strongly-fortified town rapidly arose. 
 
 De Soto continued his explorations in the interior 
 for some time, and discovered a very magnificent 
 highway, leading to the capital of the empire. It 
 was smoothly paved with flat blocks of stone, or with 
 cement harder than stone. He returned to San 
 Miguel with the report of his discoveries, and quite 
 richly laden with the gold which he had received as a 
 present from the natives, or which he had seized as 
 what he considered the lawful spoils of war. The 
 sight of the gold inspired all the Spaniards at San 
 Miguel with the intense desire to press forward into 
 a field which promised so rich a harvest. 
 
 It was ascertained that the Inca had command of 
 an army of over fifty thousand men. Pizarro, leaving 
 sixty men in garrison at San Miguel, set out with one 
 hundred and ninety men to visit the Inca in his capi- 
 tal. De Soto accompanied him. It was not ostensi- 
 bly a military expedition, seeking the conquest of the 
 
THE INVASION OF PERU. 8 1 
 
 country, or moving with any hostile intent whatever. 
 De Soto had a conscience ; Pizarro had none. What- 
 ever reproaches might arise in tlie mind of De Soto 
 in reference to the course he was pursuing, he si- 
 lenced them by the very plausible assumption that 
 he was an ambassador from the king of Spain, com- 
 missioned to make a friendly visit to the monarch of 
 another newly-discovered empire ; that he was the 
 messenger of peace seeking to unite the two king- 
 doms in friendly relations with each other for their 
 mutual benefit. This was probably the real feeling 
 of De Soto. The expedition was commissioned by 
 the king of Spain. The armed retinue was only 
 such as became the ambassadors of a great monarch. 
 Such an expedition was in every respect desirable. 
 The fault — perhaps we ought in candor to say the ca- 
 lamity — of De Soto was in allowing himself to be at- 
 tached to an expedition under a man so thoroughly 
 reckless and unprincipled as he knew Pizarro to 
 have been. Perhaps he hoped to control the actions 
 of his ignorant and fanatic superior officer. It is 
 quite manifest that De Soto did exert a very powerful 
 influence in giving shape to the expedition. 
 
 An Indian courier was sent forward to Cuzco, 
 one of the capitals of the Peruvian monarch, with 
 a friendly and almost an obsequious message to the 
 Inca, whose name was Attahuallapa. The courier 
 
82 DE SOTO. 
 
 bore the communication that Pizarro was an am- 
 bassador commissioned by the king of Spain to visit 
 the king of Peru, and to kiss his hand in token of 
 peace and fraternity. He therefore soHcited that 
 protection in passing through the country which every 
 monarch is bovmd to render to the representatives of 
 a foreign and friendly power. 
 
 Pizarro, as it will be remembered, was a rough 
 and illiterate soldier, unable either to read or write. 
 In this sagacious diplomatic arrangement, we un- 
 doubtedly see the movement of De Soto's reflective 
 and cultivated mind. The expedition moved slowly 
 along, awaiting the return of the courier. He soon 
 came back with a very indefinite response, and with a 
 present of two curiously carved stone cups, and some 
 perfumery. The guarded reply and the meagre pres- 
 ent excited some alarm in the Spanish camp. It 
 was very evident that the expedition was not to antic- 
 ipate a very cordial reception at the Peruvian court. 
 Pizarro was much alarmed. He was quite confident 
 that the Inca was trying to lure them on to their 
 ruin. Having called a council of war, he urged that 
 they should proceed no farther until he had sent 
 some faithful Indian spies to ascertain the intentions 
 of Attahuallapa. 
 
 But De Soto, whose youthful energies were in- 
 
THE INVASION OF PERU. 83 
 
 spired by love and ambition, was eager to press for- 
 ward. 
 
 " It is not necessary," said he, " for the Inca to 
 use treachery with us. He could easily overpower 
 us with numbers were he so disposed. We have also 
 heard that he is a just and merciful prince ; and the 
 courtesy he has already shown us, is some token at 
 least of his good will. But why should we hesitate .-' 
 We have no longer any choice but to go forward. If 
 we now retreat, it will prove our professions to be 
 false ; and when the suspicions of the Inca are once 
 aroused, we shall find it impossible to escape from his 
 country." 
 
 Pizarro's brother — Hernando — was a man of ig- 
 noble birth, of ruffianly manners, of low and brutal 
 character. Tauntingly he inquired of De Soto, if he 
 were ready to give proof of his confidence in the faith 
 of the Peruvian monarch, by going forward to his 
 court, as an envoy from the embassy. 
 
 De Soto turned his keen and flashing eye upon 
 the man, whom he despised, and. said in slow and 
 measured words : 
 
 "Don Hernando, I may yet convince you that it 
 is neither civil nor safe to call my sincerity in ques 
 tion. I have as much confidence in the honor of the 
 Inca as I have in the integrity of any man in this 
 company, not excepting the commander or yourself. 
 
84 r>E SOTO. 
 
 I perceive that you are disposed to go backward. 
 You may all return, when and how you please, or re- 
 main where you are. But I have made up my mind 
 to present myself to Attahuallapa. And I shall cer- 
 tainly do so, without asking the assistance or permis- 
 sion of any of your party." 
 
 This was x:ertainly a very defiant speech. It as- 
 serted his entire rejection of the authority of Pizarro. 
 De Soto could not have dared thus to have spoken, 
 unless he had felt strong in the support of his own 
 dragoons. 
 
 Hernando Pizarro was silent, indulging only in a 
 malignant smile. It was not safe for him to provoke 
 De Soto to a personal rencontre. Francisco Pizarro 
 smothered his chagrin and very adroitly availed him- 
 self of this statement, to commission De Soto to take 
 twenty-four horsemen, such as he might select, and 
 accompanied by an Indian guide called Filipillo, go 
 forward to the Peruvian court. 
 
 Both of the Pizarros seemed quite relieved when 
 the sound of the departing squadron of brave cava- 
 liers died away in the distance. De Soto, during the 
 whole of his adventurous life, seems to have been 
 entirely unconscious of the emotion of fear. Dur- 
 ing his residence in the camp of the Pizarros, he 
 had exerted a powerful restraint upon their ferocious 
 natures. He had very earnestly endeavored to im- 
 
THE INVASION OF PERU. 85 
 
 press their minds with the conviction that they could 
 not pass through the populous empire of Peru, or even 
 remain in it, if their followers were allowed to trample 
 upon the rights of the natives. So earnestly and 
 persistently did he urge these views, that Pizarro at 
 length acknowledged their truth, and in the presence 
 of De Soto, commanded his men to abstain from 
 every act of aggression. 
 
 But now that De Soto was gone, the Pizarros and 
 their rabble rout of vagabonds breathed more freely. 
 Scarcely had the plumed helmets of the cavaliers 
 disappeared in the distance, when Hernando Pizarro 
 set out on a plundering expedition into the villages 
 of the Peruvians. The natives fled in terror before 
 the Spaniards. Pizarro caught one of the leading men 
 and questioned him very closely respecting the de- 
 signs of Attahuallapa. The captive honestly and 
 earnestly declared, that he knew nothing about the 
 plans of his sovereign. 
 
 This demoniac Hernando endeavored to extort a 
 confession from him by torture. He tied his victim 
 to a tree, enveloped his feet in cotton thoroughly 
 saturated with oil and applied the torch. The 
 wretched sufferer in unendurable agony, said "yes" to 
 anything and everything. Two days after, it was 
 proved that he could not have known anything re- 
 specting the intended operations of the Inca. It is 
 
86 DE SOTO. 
 
 a satisfaction to one's sense of justice to remember 
 that there is a God who will not allow such crimes to 
 go unpunished. 
 
 De Soto, with his bold cavaliers, pressed rapidly 
 on towards the Peruvian camp. Very carefully he 
 ■guarded against every act of hostility or injustice. 
 Everywhere the natives were treated with the ut- 
 most courtesy. In the rapid advance of the Span- 
 iards through the country, crowds flocked to the high- 
 way attracted by the novel spectacle. And a won- 
 derful spectacle it must have been ! These cavaliers, 
 with their nodding plumes, their burnished armor, 
 their gleaming sabres, their silken banners, mounted 
 on magnificent war horses and rushing along over 
 the hills and through the valleys in meteoric splendor, 
 must have presented an aspect more imposing to 
 their minds than we can well imagine. 
 
 De Soto, who had not his superior as a horseman 
 in the Spanish army, was mounted on a milk white 
 steed of extraordinary size and grace of figure, and 
 wore a complete suit of the most costly and showy 
 armor. It is said that on one occasion his path was 
 crossed by a brook twenty feet wide. The noble 
 animal disdained to wade through, but cleared it at a 
 single bound. 
 
 The crowds who lined the highways seemed to 
 understand and appreciate the friendly feelings De 
 
THE INVASION OF PERU. 8/ 
 
 Soto manifested in gracefully bowing to them and 
 smiling as he passed along. He soon ascertained, 
 though his guide Filipillo, that the head-quarters of 
 the Peruvian camp was at a place now called Caxa- 
 marca, among the mountains, about eighty miles 
 northeast of the present seaport of Truxillo. 
 
 After a rapid ride of about six hours, the expedi- 
 tion approached quite a flourishing little town called 
 Caxas. Several hundred Peruvian soldiers were 
 drawn up in battle array in the outskirts, to arrest 
 the progress of the Spaniards. De Soto halted his 
 dragoons, and sent forward Filipillo to assure the 
 commandant that he was traversing the country not 
 with any hostile intent, and that he bore a friendly 
 message from his own sovereign to the king of Peru. 
 
 The kindly disposed Peruvians immediately laid 
 aside their arms, welcomed the strangers, and enter- 
 tained them with a sumptuous feast. Thus refresh- 
 ed, they pressed on several leagues farther, until they 
 reached a much larger city called Guancabama. 
 From all the accounts given it would seem that the 
 •inhabitants of this region had reached a degree of 
 civilization, so far as the comforts of life are concern- 
 ed, fully equal to that then to be found in Spain. 
 This city was on the magnificent highway which 
 traversed fifteen hundred miles through the very 
 heart of the empire. The houses, which were built 
 
88 DE SOTO. 
 
 of hewn stone, admirably jointed, consisted of several 
 rooms, and were distinguished for cleanliness, order, 
 and domestic comfort. 
 
 The men seemed intelligent, the women modest, 
 and various arts of industry occupied their time. De 
 Soto testified that the great highway which passed 
 through this place far surpassed in grandeur and 
 utility any public work which had ever been attempt- 
 ed in Spain. Happy and prosperous as were the Pe- 
 ruvians, compared with the inhabitants of most other 
 countries, it is quite evident that the ravages of the 
 Fall were not unknown there. 
 
 Just before entering the town, De Soto passed a 
 high gibbet upon which three malefactors were hung 
 in chains, swaying in the breeze. That revolting 
 spectacle revealed the sad truth that in Peru, as well 
 as elsewhere, man's fallen nature developed itself in 
 crime and woe. The Emperor had also a large stand- 
 ing army, and the country had just been ravaged by 
 the horrors of civil war. 
 
 De Soto was kindly received at Guancabama. 
 Just as he was about to leave for Caxamarca, an en- 
 voy from the Inca reached the city on its way to the 
 Spanish camp. The ambassador was a man of high 
 rank. Several servants accompanied him, laden with 
 presents for Pizarro. He entreated De Soto to re- 
 turn with him to the head-quarters of the Spaniards. 
 
THE INVASION OF PERU. 89 
 
 As these presents and this embassy would probably 
 convince Pizarro of the friendly feeling of the Peru- 
 vian monarch, De Soto judged it wise to comply 
 with his request. Tbiis he tamed back, and the 
 united party soon reached Pizarro's encampment. 
 
CIIArTER VI. 
 TJie Atrocities of Pizarro. 
 
 Fears of Pizarro. — Honorable Conduct of the Inca. — The March to 
 Caxamarca. — Hospitable Reception. — Perfidious Attack upon the 
 Inca. — His Capture and Imprisonment. — The Honor of De Soto. 
 — The Offered Ransom. — Treachery and Extortion of Pizarro. 
 
 The report which De Soto brought back was 
 in many respects quite alarming to the Pizarros. 
 Though they were dehghted to hear of the wealth 
 which had been discovered, and the golden ornaments 
 decorating houses, temples and shrines, they were 
 not a little alarmed in the contemplation of the large 
 population over which the Inca reigned, and of the 
 power of his government. The spectacle of the gal- 
 lows also at Guancabama, caused very uncomfortable 
 sensations. 
 
 Both of these men were aware that they and their 
 troops had committed crimes which would doom them 
 to the scaffold, should the Inca be able to punish them 
 according to their deserts. Indeed it subsequently 
 appeared, that the Inca had heard of their outrages. 
 But with humanity and a sense of justice which re- 
 flects lustre upon his name, he had resolved not to 
 
THE ATROCITIES OF PIZARRO. 
 
 91 
 
 punish them unheard in their own defence. He knew 
 not but that false representations had been made of 
 the facts. He knew not but that the Spaniards had 
 been goaded to acts of retaUation by outrages on 
 the part of the Peruvians. 
 
 He therefore invited the Spanish adventurers to 
 meet him at Caxamarca, assuring them of a safe pass- 
 age to that place. With fear and trembling Pizarro 
 consented, with his little band of two hundred and 
 fifty men, to visit the 'Peruvian camp, where fifty 
 thousand soldiers might be arrayed against him. The 
 path they were to traverse led through defiles of the 
 mountains, where a few hundred men could arrest the 
 march of an army. The Spaniards afterwards could 
 not but admit, that had the Inca cherished any per- 
 fidious design, he might with the utmost ease have 
 utterly exterminated them. Not a man could have 
 escaped. 
 
 The march of these trembling men was not with 
 the triumphant tramp of conquerors. They did not 
 enter the Peruvian camp with flourish of trumpets 
 and bugle blasts, but as peaceful ambassadors, with 
 a showy retinue, who had been permitted to traverse 
 the country unharmed. The sun was just sinking 
 behind the rugged peaks of the mountains on the fif- 
 teenth of November, 1532, when Pizarro's band rode 
 into the streets of Caxamarca. In the centre of the 
 
92 - DE SOTO. 
 
 town there was a large public square. On one side 
 of that square was a spacious stone edifice, which the 
 Inca had caused to be prepared for the accommoda- 
 tion of his guests. This building was a part of a 
 strong fortress, within whose massive walls, a small 
 party of well armed men might easily defend them- 
 selves against a host. 
 
 The fact that Attahuallapa assigned to them such 
 quarters, proves conclusively that he had no intention 
 to treat them otherwise than in the most friendly 
 manner. The Inca, with the troops immediately 
 under his command, was encamped at a distance of 
 about three miles from the town. The treacherous 
 Pizarro was ever apprehensive of treachery on the 
 part of others. He was an entire stranger to that 
 calm and peaceful courage which seemed always to 
 reign in the bosom of De Soto. 
 
 Immediately after he reached Caxamarca he dis- 
 patched De Soto to inform the Inca of his arrival. 
 The Peruvian camp covered several acres of ground, 
 with substantial and commodious tents. In the cen- 
 tre there was truly a magnificent pavilion, gorgeous 
 in its decorations, which was appropriated to the 
 Inca. Attahuallapa was informed of the approach of 
 the Spanish cavaliers. He came from his tent and 
 took his seat upon a splendid throne prepared for the 
 occasion. The Peruvian soldiers gazed with amaze- 
 
THE ATROCITIES OF PIZARRO. 93 
 
 ment upon the spectacle of these horsemen as they 
 were led mto the presence of their sovereign. 
 
 De Soto, with the native grace which attended all 
 his actions, alighted from his horse, bowed respectful- 
 ly to the monarch, and said in words which were inter- 
 preted by Filipillo. 
 
 " I am sent by my commander, Don Francisco Pi- 
 zarro, who desires to be admitted to your presence, to 
 give you an account of the causes which have brought 
 him to this country, and other matters which it may 
 behoove your majesty to know. He humbly entreats 
 you to allow him an interview this night or to-morrow, 
 as he wishes to make you an offer of his services, 
 and to deliver the message which has been commit- 
 ted to him by his sovereign, the king of Spain." 
 
 Attahuallapa replied with much dignity and some 
 apparent reserve, that he cordially accepted the 
 friendly offers of Pizarro, and would grant him the 
 desired interview the following morning. The Inca 
 was a young man about thirty years of age. He was 
 tall, admirably formed, and with a very handsome 
 countenance. But there was an expression of sad- 
 ness overspreading his features, and a pensive tone 
 in his address, indicating that he was a man who had 
 seen affliction. 
 
 The splendid steed from which De Soto had 
 alighted was restlessly pawing the ground at a short 
 
94 DE SOTO. 
 
 distance from the tent of the Inca, attracting the par- 
 ticular attention and admiration of the sovereign. De 
 Soto, perceiving the admiration which his steed ehc- 
 ited, remounted, and touching the spirited animal 
 with the spur, went bounding with almost the speed 
 of the wind over the level plain, causing his horse 
 now to rear, and now to plunge, wheeling him 
 around, and thus exhibiting his excellent qualities. 
 He then came down at full speed to the spot where 
 the Inca stood, until within a few feet of the monarch, 
 when he checked his horse so suddenly as to throw 
 him back upon his haunches. Some of the attendants 
 of the Inca were evidently alarmed ; but the Inca 
 himself stood proudly immovable. He reproved his 
 attendants for their timidity ; and Mr. Prescott, who 
 represents Atthuallapa as a very cruel man, intimates 
 that he put some of them to death that evening for 
 betraying such weakness before the strangers. Re- 
 freshments were offered to De Soto and his party, 
 and a sort of wine was presented to them in golden 
 cups, of extraordinary size. 
 
 As De Soto, having fulfilled his mission, was 
 about to leave the royal presence and return to Cax- 
 amarca, Attahuallapa said : 
 
 " Tell your companions, that as I am keeping a 
 fast, I cannot to-day accept their invitation. I will 
 come to them to-morrow. I may be attended by a 
 
THE ATROCITIES OF PIZARRO. 95 
 
 large and armed retinue. But let not that give you 
 any uneasiness. I wish to cultivate your friendship 
 and that of your king. I have already given ample 
 proof that no harm is intended you, though your 
 captain, I am told, mistrusts me. If you think it will 
 please him better, I will come with few attendants 
 and those unarmed." 
 
 De Soto warmly assured the Inca that no man 
 could doubt his sincerity, and begged him to consult 
 his own taste entirely in reference to the manner in 
 which he would approach the Spaniards. 
 
 Upon the return of the cavalier to Pizarro, with 
 an account of the interview, that perfidious chieftain 
 proposed to his men, that they should seize the Inca 
 and hold him in captivity as a hostage. Mr. Pres- 
 cott, in his account of this infamous procedure, 
 speaks of it in the following apologetic terms : 
 
 " Pizarro then summoned a council of his officers, 
 to consider the plan of operations, or rather to pro- 
 pose to them the extraordinary plan on which he had 
 himself decided. This was to lay an ambuscade for 
 the Inca, and take him prisoner in the face of his 
 whole army. It was a project full of peril, bordering as 
 it might well seem on desperation. But the circum- 
 stances of the Spaniards were desperate. Whichever 
 way they turned they were menaced by the most ap- 
 palling dangers. And better was it to confront the 
 
g6 DE SOTO. 
 
 danger, than weakly to shrink from it when there 
 was no avenue for escape. To fly was now too late. 
 Whither could they fly ^ At the first signal of retreat 
 the whole army of the Inca would be upon them. 
 Their movements would be anticipated by a foe far 
 better acquainted with the intricacies of the Sierra 
 than themselves ; the passes would be occupied, and 
 they would be hemmed in on all sides ; while the 
 mere fact of this retrograde movement would dimin- 
 ish the confidence and with it the effective strength 
 of his own men, while it doubled that of the enemy." 
 
 The next morning was Saturday, the i6th of No- 
 vember, 1532. The sun rose in a cloudless sky, and 
 great preparations were made by the Inca to display 
 his grandeur and his power to his not very welcome 
 guests. A large retinue preceded and followed the 
 monarch, while a courier was sent forward to inform 
 Pizarro of his approach. The Inca, habited in a dress 
 which was glittering with gems and gold, was seated 
 in a gorgeous open palanquin, borne upon the shoul- 
 ders of many of his nobles. 
 
 It was five o'clock in the afternoon, Avhen the 
 Inca, accompanied by a small but unarmed retinue, 
 entered the public square of the city. The tents of 
 his troops left outside, spread far and wide over the 
 meadows, indicating the presence of an immense 
 host. The Inca was clothed in a flowing robe of 
 
THE ATROCITIES OF PIZARRO. 97 
 
 scarlet, woven of the finest wool, and almost entirely- 
 covered with golden stars and the most precious 
 gems. His head was covered with a turban of varie- 
 gated colors, to which there was suspended a scarlet 
 fringe, the badge of royalty. The palanquin, or 
 throne, on which he was seated, was apparently of 
 pure gold ; and the cushion upon which he sat was 
 covered with the most costly gems. His nobles were 
 also dressed in the highest possible style of Peruvian 
 wealth and art. It was estimated that the number 
 of the nobles and officers of the court who accompa- 
 nied the king into the square, was about two thou- 
 sand. A large company of priests was also in attend- 
 ance, who chanted the Peruvian National Hymn. 
 
 It is very difficult for an honest mind to form any 
 just conception of such a religious fanatic, and such 
 an irreligious wretch as this Francisco Pizarro. Just 
 before the Peruvians arrived he had attended a sol- 
 emn mass, in which the aid of the God of the Chris- 
 tians was fervently implored in behalf of their enter- 
 prise. The mass was closed with chanting one of 
 the psalms of David, in which God is called upon to 
 arise and come to judgment. Friar Vincent, who 
 was Pizarro's spiritual adviser, and grand chaplain of 
 the so-called Christian army, was then sent forward 
 with the Bible in one hand and a crucifix in the other, 
 to expound to the Inca the doctrines of the Christian 
 S 
 
98 'DE SOTO. 
 
 faith, stating that it was for that purpose, and for that 
 only, that the Spaniards had come into the country. 
 
 So far as we can judge from the uncertain records 
 which have reached us, the views he presented were 
 what are called evangelical, though highly imbued 
 with the claims of the Papal Church. He described 
 the creation of man, his fall, the atonement by the 
 crucifixion of the Son of God, his ascension, leaving 
 Peter and his successors, as his vicegerents upon 
 earth. Invested with this divine power, one of his 
 successors, the present Pope, had commissioned 
 Pizarro to visit Peru, to conquer and convert the 
 natives to the true faith. 
 
 The Inca listened attentively to the arguments of 
 the priest, but was apparently unmoved by them. 
 He calmly replied : 
 
 " I acknowledge that there is but one God, the 
 maker of all things. As for the Pope, I know him 
 not. He must be insane to give away that which 
 does not belong to him. The king of Spain is doubt- 
 less a great monarch, and I wish to make him my 
 friend, but I cannot become his vassal." 
 
 A few more words were interchanged, when the 
 priest returned into the stone fortress, where Pizarro 
 stood surrounded by his soldiers. The priest reported 
 the conversation which had taken place ; declared 
 that the Inca, in the pride of his heart, had rejected 
 
THE ATROCITIES OF PIZARRO. 99 
 
 Christianity. He therefore announced to Pizarro 
 that he was authorized by the divine law, to make 
 war upon the Inca and his people. 
 
 " Go set on them at once," said he ; " spare them 
 not ; kill these dogs which so stubbornly despise the 
 law of God. I absolve you." 
 
 The extraordinary scene which then ensued can- 
 not perhaps be better described than in the language 
 of Mr. Prescott : 
 
 " Pizarro saw that the hour had come. He waved 
 a white scarf in the air, the appointed signal. The 
 fatal gun was fired from the fortress. Then spring- 
 ing into the square, the Spanish captain and his fol- 
 lowers shouted the old war cry of ' St. Jago, and at 
 them !' It was answered by the battle cry of every 
 Spaniard in the city, as rushing from the avenues of 
 the great halls in which they were concealed, they 
 poured into the Plaza, horse and foot, and threw 
 themselves into the midst of the Indian crowd. 
 
 " The latter, taken by surprise, stunned by the 
 reports of artillery and musketry, the echoes of which 
 reverberated like thunder from the surrounding build- 
 ings, and blinded by the smoke which rolled in sul- 
 phurous volumes along the square, were seized with 
 a panic. They knew not whither to fly for refuge 
 from the coming ruin. Nobles and commoners all 
 were trampled down under the fierce charge of the 
 
lOO DE SOTO. 
 
 cavalry, who dealt their blows right and left, without 
 sparing ; while their swords, flashing through the 
 thick gloom, carried dismay into the hearts of the 
 wretched natives, who now, for the first time, saw the 
 horse and his rider in all their terrors. They made 
 no resistance, as indeed they had no weapons with 
 which to resist. 
 
 " Every avenue to escape was closed, for the 
 entrance to the square was choked up with the dead 
 bodies of men who had perished in vain efforts to fly. 
 And such was the agony of the survivors, under the 
 terrible pressure of their assailants, that a large body 
 of Indians, by their convulsive struggles, burst 
 through the wall of stone and dried clay, which 
 formed the boundary of the Plaza. It fell, leaving an 
 opening of more than a hundred paces, through 
 which multitudes now found their way into the coun- 
 try, still hotly pursued by the cavalry, who, leaping 
 the piles of rubbish, hung on the rear of the fugitives, 
 striking them down in all directions." 
 
 " There were two great objects in view in this mas- 
 sacre. One was to strike terror into the heart of 
 the Peruvians ; the other was to obtain possession 
 of the person of the Inca. It seems that the nobles 
 regarded their sovereign with almost idolatrous hom- 
 age. They rallied thickly around him, placed their 
 own bodies between him and the sabres of their 
 
THE ATROCITIES OF PIZARRO. lOI 
 
 assailants, and made frantic endeavors to tear the 
 cavaliers from their saddles. Unfortunately they 
 were unarmed, and had neither arrows, javelins nor 
 war clubs. The Inca sat helpless in his palan- 
 quin, quite bewildered by the awful storm of war 
 which had thus suddenly burst around him. In the 
 swaying of the mighty mass, the litter heaved to and 
 fro, like a ship in a storm." 
 
 At length several of the nobles who sup- 
 ported it being slain, the palanquin was over- 
 thrown, and the Inca, as he was falling to the 
 ground, was caught by the Spaniards. In the 
 confusion of the affray, Pizarro was slightly wounded 
 in the hand by one of his own men. This was the 
 only hurt received by any Spaniard during the bloody 
 affray. 
 
 The Inca being captured, the conflict in the 
 square ceased. But there was another object in 
 view, as has been stated, and that was to strike ter- 
 ror into the hearts of the Peruvians. Consequently 
 the steel-clad cavaliers pursued the fugitives in all 
 directions, cutting them down without mercy. Night, 
 which followed the short twilight of the tropics, put an 
 end to the carnage, and the trumpets of Pizarro 
 recalled the soldiers, wiping their dripping sabres, to 
 their fortress. The number slain is variously esti- 
 mated. The secretary of Pizarro says that two thou- 
 
102 DE SOTO. 
 
 sand fell. A Peruvian annalist swells the number of 
 victims to ten thousand. 
 
 Attahuallapa, the monarch of the great kingdom 
 of Peru, thus .<;uddenly found himself a prisoner in 
 one of his own fortresses ; surrounded by a band of 
 stern warriors, who had penetrated the heart of his 
 empire from a distance of more than two thousand 
 leagues. Pizarro treated the unhappy king with 
 respect, and testifies to the dignity with which he 
 met his awful reverses. What part De Soto took in 
 the outrages just described, cannot now be known. 
 He had unquestionably in good faith, and as an hon- 
 orable man, invited the Inca to visit Caxamarca, by 
 which invitation he had been enticed into the power 
 of the Spaniards. 
 
 There is evidence that De Soto had no idea of 
 the treachery which was intended, for it was not 
 until after he had left on his visit to the Peruvian 
 camp that the plot was formed for the seizure of the 
 Inca. Pizarro had two bodies of horsemen. One 
 was commanded by his brother Hernando, and the 
 other by De Soto. There were thirty dragoons in 
 each band. Unquestionably, Hernando was a very 
 eager participant in the horrors of this day. It may 
 be that De Soto, from the roof of the fortress, was an 
 inactive spectator of the scene. It does not seem 
 possible that with the character he had heretofore 
 
THE ATROCITIES OF PIZARRO. 103 
 
 developed, he could have lent his own strong arm and 
 those of his horsemen to the perpetration of a crime 
 so atrocious. Still military discipline is a terrible 
 power. It sears the conscience and hardens the 
 heart. The fact that De Soto was present and that 
 there are no evidences of remonstrances on his part, 
 has left a stigma upon his character which time can- 
 not efface. 
 
 The next morning these Spaniards, so zealous for 
 the propagation of the Christian faith, unmindful of 
 their professed Christian mission, betook themselves, 
 with all alacrity, to the work of pillage. The golden 
 throne, and the royal wardrobe, were of very great 
 value. The nobles were clad in their richest gar- 
 ments of state, and the ground was strewn with 
 bodies of the dead, glittering in robes of gold and 
 gems. Having stripped the dead, they then entered 
 the houses and temples of Caxamarca and loaded 
 themselves down with golden vases, and other booty 
 of great value. As one suggestive item, which 
 reveals the conduct of these brutal men, the good 
 Las Casas states, that a Spanish soldier seized a 
 young Peruvian girl. When the mother rushed to 
 rescue her child, he cut off her arm with his sword, 
 and then in his rage hewed the maiden to pieces. 
 
 Pizarro now assumed the proud title of " The Con- 
 queror of Peru." With the sovereign as his prisoner, 
 
I04 DE SOTO. 
 
 and elated by his great victory, he felt that there was 
 no resistance that he had to fear. It seems that 
 Attahuallapa had penetration enough to discern thai 
 De Soto was a very different man in character from 
 the Pizarros. He soon became quite cordial and 
 unreserved in his intercourse with him. And there 
 is no evidence that De Soto ever, in the slightest 
 degree, betrayed his confidence. One day the Inca 
 inquired of De Soto for what amount of ransom 
 Pizarro would be willing to release him. De Soto 
 was well aware of the timidity and avarice of the cap- 
 tain. The love of the Peruvians for their sovereign 
 was such, that Pizarro was confident that so long as 
 Attahuallapa was in his power, they would not make 
 war upon him. De Soto felt therefore that there was 
 no prospect that Pizarro would release his captive for 
 any ransom whatever, and sadly advised him to resign 
 all such hope. The Inca was greatly distressed. 
 After a few moments of silence, he said : 
 
 " My friend, do not deprive me of the only hope that 
 can make life supportable. I must be free, or I must 
 die. Your commander loves gold above all things. 
 Surely I can purchase my liberty from him at some 
 price, and however unreasonable it may be, I am 
 willing to satisfy his demand. Tell me, I entreat of 
 you, what sum you think will be sufficient .'' " 
 
 For a moment De Soto made no reply. They 
 
THE ATROCITIES OF FIZARRO. IO.5 
 
 were sitting in a room, according to the statement of 
 Pizarro's secretary, twenty-two feet long and seven- 
 teen feet broad. Tiien turning to tlie Inca, and wish- 
 ing to impress his mind with the conviction that 
 there was not any ransom which could effect his 
 release, he said : 
 
 " If you could fill this room with gold as high as I 
 can reach with my sword, Pizarro might perhaps 
 accept it as your ransom." 
 
 " It shall be done," the Inca eagerly replied. 
 " And I beg you to let Pizarro know, that within a 
 month from this day, my part of the contract shall be 
 fulfilled." 
 
 De Soto was troubled, for he had not intended 
 that as an offer, but rather as a statement of an 
 impossibility. He however felt bound to report the 
 proposition to Pizarro. Much to his surprise the ava- 
 ricious captain readily accepted it. The contract was 
 drawn up, and Pizarro gave his solemn pledge that upon 
 the delivery of the gold the prison doors of the captive 
 should be thrown open. But after the terms had all 
 been settled, the perfidious Spaniard craved a still 
 higher ransom, and declared that he would not release 
 his victim unless another room of equal size was 
 equally filled with silver. 
 
 Attahuallapa could fully appreciate such dishon- 
 orable conduct ; for in all moral qualities he seems 
 5* 
 
I06 DE SOTO. 
 
 to have been decidedly superior to his Spanish antag- 
 onist. But without any undignified murmurs, he 
 submitted to this extortion also. Matters being thus 
 arranged, De Soto, with his characteristic plain deal- 
 ing, said to Pizarro. 
 
 " I hope you will remember, Don Francisco, that 
 my honor is pledged for the strict fulfilment of the 
 contract on the part of the Spaniards. Observe, 
 therefore, that as soon as the gold and the silver are 
 produced, Attahuallapa must have his liberty." 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 The Execution of the Inca, and Embarrassments of 
 De Soto. 
 
 Pledges of Pizarro. — His Perfidy. — False Mission of De Soto. — Exe« 
 cution of the Inca. — His P'ortitude. — Indignation of De Soto. — • 
 Great Embarrassments. — Extenuating Considerations. — Arrival of 
 Almagro. — March Towards the Capital. 
 
 Pizarro gave his most solemn pledges, on his 
 Christian faith, that so soon as the money was paid 
 the Inca should be released. The idea does not seem 
 to have entered the mind of Attahuallapa that Pizarro 
 could be guilty of the perfidy of violating those 
 pledges. The unhappy condition of the Inca excited 
 the strong sympathies of De Soto. He visited him 
 often, and having a natural facility for the acquisition 
 of language, was soon able to converse with the cap- 
 tive in his own tongue. Quite a friendship, founded 
 on mutual esteem, sprang up between them. By his 
 strong intercession, Pizarro was constrained to con- 
 sent that the gold should not be melted into ingots, 
 thus to fill the designated space with its solid bulk, 
 but that it should be received and packed away in 
 the form of vases, and ornaments, and other manu- 
 factured articles, as brought in by the Peruvians. 
 
I08 DE SOTO. 
 
 Several of the principal officers of Attahuallapa's 
 court were sent to Cuzco, the capital of the empire, 
 where the main treasures of the kingdom were depos- 
 ited. Three Spaniards accompanied these officers. 
 The Inca issued his orders that they should be 
 treated with respect. The people obeyed ; for they 
 knew that any injury or insult befalling the Span- 
 iards would bring down terrible retribution upon 
 their beloved sovereign. Peruvian agents were also 
 dispatched to all the temples to strip them of their 
 ornaments, and to the homes of the nobility to 
 receive the plate and golden decorations which were 
 eagerly contributed as ransom for the king. The 
 cornices and entablatures of the temples were often 
 of solid gold, and massive plates of gold encrusted 
 the walls. For several weeks there seemed to be a 
 constant procession of Peruvians entering the for- 
 tress, laden with golden vases and innumerable other 
 utensils, often of exquisite workmanship. 
 
 Within the allotted time the ransom, enormous as 
 it was, was all brought in. It is estimated that its 
 value was equal to about twenty million dollars of our 
 money. The Inca now demanded his release. The 
 infamous Pizarro had perhaps originally intended to 
 set him at liberty. But he had now come to the con- 
 clusion that the Inca might immediately rally around 
 him, not only his whole army, but the whole popula- 
 
EXECUTION OF THE INCA. 109 
 
 tion of the kingdom, cut off the retreat of the Span- 
 iards, exterminate them, and win back all the plun- 
 der so unrighteously extorted. Pizarro was conse- 
 quently plotting for some plausible excuse for putting 
 the monarch to death. The Peruvians thus deprived 
 of their sovereign, and in a state of bewilderment, 
 would be thrown into anarchy, and the Spaniards 
 would have a much better chance of obtaining entire 
 possession of the kingdom. 
 
 Pizarro did not dare to reveal to De Soto his trea- 
 sonable designs. He feared not only his reproaches, 
 but his determined and very formidable resistance. 
 He therefore gave it as an excuse for postponing the 
 liberation of the Inca, that he must wait until he had 
 made a division of the spoils. ■ The distribution was 
 performed with imposing religious ceremonies. Mass 
 was celebrated, and earnest prayers were addressed 
 to Heaven that the work might be so performed as 
 to meet the approbation of God. A fifth part of the 
 plunder was set apart for the king of Spain, the 
 Emperor, Charles the Fifth. Pizarro, as commander 
 of the expedition, came next, and his share amounted 
 to millions. De Soto was defrauded, not receiving 
 half so much as Hernando Pizarro. Still, his share 
 in this distribution and in another which soon took 
 place, amounted to over five hundred thousand dol- 
 lars. This was an enormous sum in those days. It 
 
no DE SOTO. 
 
 elevated him at once, in point of opulence, to the 
 rank of the proudest grandees of Spain. 
 
 The great object of De Soto's ambition was ac- 
 complished. He had acquired fame and wealth be- 
 yond his most sanguine expectations. Thus he was 
 prepared to return to Spain and demand the hand of 
 Isabella. But his generous nature was troubled. 
 He became very anxious for the fate of the Inca. 
 His own honor was involved in his release, and day 
 after day he became more importunate in his expostu- 
 lations with Pizarro. 
 
 " Whatever the consequences may be," said De 
 Soto, " the Inca must now be immediately set at lib- 
 erty. He has your promise to that effect and he has 
 mine ; and my promise, come what will, shall not be 
 violated." 
 
 Pizarro urged, in view of their peril, the delay of a 
 few weeks. De Soto replied : 
 
 " Not a single week, not a day ; if you do not lib- 
 erate the prisoner, I will take that liberty on myself." 
 
 " To give him his freedom at this time," Pizarro 
 replied, " would be certain destruction to us all." 
 
 " That may be," responded De Soto, " but that 
 should have been considered before he was admitted 
 to ransom." 
 
 " But since that agreement was made," said Pi- 
 zarro, " I have received information which justifies me 
 
EXECUTION OF THE INCA. m 
 
 in changing my intentions, Attahuallapa's officers, 
 acting under his directions, are now engaged in excit- 
 ing an insurrection for the extermination of the 
 Spaniards." 
 
 De Soto had no faith whatever in this accusation. 
 There was a long and angry controversy. Pizarro 
 called in his interpreter Filipillo, who was undoubt- 
 edly bribed to testify according to the wishes of his 
 master. He declared that the Inca was organizing 
 this conspiracy. De Soto was unconvinced. He 
 still regarded the accusation as a groundless cal- 
 umny. 
 
 Finally they came to a compromise. The treach- 
 erous and wily Pizarro suggested that De Soto should 
 take a party of dragoons and proceed to that section 
 of the country, where it was said the conspirators 
 were assembling in vast numbers, in preparation for 
 their onset upon the Spaniards. If De Soto found 
 no indication of such a movement, Pizarro gave his 
 solemn pledge, that immediately upon his return, he 
 would release Attahuallapa. De Soto . agreed to the 
 arrangement, and at once set out on the journey. 
 
 Pizarro had thus accomplished his object, of be- 
 ing relieved of the embarrassment of De Soto's pres- 
 ence, while he should lead the Inca to his execution. 
 A sort of council of war was held, though Attahu- 
 allapa was not present, and nothing was heard in his 
 
112 DE SOTO. 
 
 defence. It was necessary to proceed with the ut- 
 most expedition, as De Soto would soon return. 
 The horrible verdict of the court was, that the captive 
 should be burned to death at the stake. Pizarro 
 himself, it is said, carried the terrible intelligence to 
 the prisoner. 
 
 The Inca, a young man in the very prime of life, 
 being but thirty years of age, was horror stricken, and 
 for some time sat in silence, not uttering a word. 
 And then turning to Pizarro, he said : 
 
 " Is it possible that you can believe in a God and 
 fear him, and yet dare to commit such an act of injus- 
 tice .'' What have I done to deserve death in any 
 form, and why have you condemned me to a death 
 so unusual and painful. Surely you cannot intend to 
 execute this cruel sentence." 
 
 Pizarro assured him that the decree of the court 
 was unalterable, and must immediately be carried 
 into effect. 
 
 " Think of the wrong you have already done me," 
 said the Inca, " and do not forget how much you are 
 indebted to my kindness and forbearance. I could 
 easily have intercepted you in the mountain passes, 
 and made you all prisoners, or sacrificed you all justly 
 to the offended laws of my country. I could have 
 overpowered you with my armed warriors at Caxa- 
 marca. But I failed in my duty to my people in 
 
EXECUTION OF THE INCA. 1 13 
 
 receiving you as friends. You have robbed me of 
 my kingdom and compelled me to insult my Deity, 
 by stripping his temples to satisfy your avarice. 
 
 " Of all my possessions, you have left me nothing 
 but my life, and that I supposed you would be willing 
 to spare me, since you can gain nothing by taking it 
 away. Consider how hard it is for me to die, so sud- 
 denly and without any warning of my danger. I have 
 lived but thirty years, and until very lately, I had 
 every reason to hope for a long and happy life. My 
 prospects for happiness are blighted forever. But I 
 will not complain of that, if you will permit me to 
 live out the term which God and nature have allot- 
 ted me." 
 
 The execution was to take place immediately. 
 Pizarro waited only for the sun to go down, that dark- 
 ness might shroud the fiend-like deed. As they were 
 talking Pizarro's chaplain, Friar Vincent, came in to 
 prepare the victim for the sacrifice. He was dressed 
 in his ecclesiastical robes, and bore in his hand a 
 large crucifix. Was he an unmitigated knave, or was 
 he a fanatic .-* Who but God can tell. 
 
 " It is time for you," said he, "to withdraw your 
 thoughts from earthly vanities and fix them upon the 
 realities of the eternal world. You are justly con- 
 demned to death, for your infidelity and other sins. 
 I call on you to accept the free gift of salvation which 
 
114 
 
 DE SOTO. 
 
 I -now offer you, so that you may escape the greater 
 punishment of eternal fire." 
 
 The Inca seemed to pay little heed to these 
 words, but with a gesture of impatience and anger, 
 exclaimed : 
 
 " Oh, where is De Soto ? He is a good man, and 
 he is my friend. Surely he will not allow me to be 
 thus mvu'dered." 
 
 " De Soto," the priest replied, " is far away. No 
 earthly help can avail you. Receive the consolations 
 of the Church ; kiss the feet of this image, and I will 
 absolve you from your sins, and prepare you to enter 
 the kingdom of Heaven." 
 
 " I worship the Maker of all things," the Inca 
 firmly replied. " As much as I desire to live, I will 
 not forsake the faith of my fathers to prolong my 
 life." 
 
 Two hours after sunset, the sound of the trumpet 
 assembled the Spanish soldiers by torchlight in the 
 great square of Caxaniarca. It was the evening of 
 the twenty-ninth of August, 1533. The clanking 
 of chains was heard as the victim, manacled hand and 
 foot, toiled painfully over the stone pavement of the 
 square. He was bound by chains to the stake ; 
 the combustible fagots were pi ed up around him. 
 Friar Vincent then, it is said, holding up the cross 
 before the victim, told him that if he would embrace 
 
EXECUTION OF THE INCA. 115 
 
 Christianity he should be spared the cruel death by 
 the flames, and experience in its stead only the pain- 
 less death of the garotte, and that the Inca did, while 
 thus chained to the stake, abjure his religion and 
 receive the rite of baptism. In reference to this rep- 
 resentation Mr. Lambert A. Wilmer, in his admira- 
 ble life of Ferdinand De Soto, says : 
 
 " As the traducers of the dead Inca were permit- 
 ted to tell their own story without fear of contradic- 
 tion, it is impossible to assign any limits to their 
 fabrications. And their testimony is probable, only 
 when it tends to criminate themselves. Perhaps the 
 greatest injustice which these slanderers have done 
 to Attahuallapa's memory, was by pretending that he 
 became an apostate to his own religion and a convert 
 to Catholicism just before his death. 
 
 "If this story were true, how could Pizarro justify 
 himself, or how could the Pope and the king of Spain 
 excuse him for putting a Christian to death on account 
 of sins committed by an infidel. Surely the royal 
 penitent, when he entered the pale of the Holy Cath- 
 olic Church, would be entitled to a free pardon for 
 those errors of conduct which were incidental to his 
 unregenerate condition. We are told that when the 
 Inca had consented to be baptized by Father Vin- 
 cent, Pizarro graciously commuted his sentence, and 
 allowed him to be strangled before his body was 
 
ri6 DE SOTO. 
 
 reduced to ashes." These fictions were doubtless 
 contrived to illustrate Pizarro's clemency, and Father 
 Vincent's apostolic success. 
 
 The probability is, as others state, that the Inca 
 remained firm to the end ; the torch was applied, and 
 while the consuming flames wreathed around him, he 
 uttered no cry. In this chariot of fire the spirit of 
 this deeply outraged man was borne to the judgment 
 of God. 
 
 De Soto soon returned. He was almost frantic 
 with indignation when he learned of the crime which 
 had been perjDetrated in his absence, and perceived 
 that his mission was merely an artifice to get him out 
 of the way. His rage blazed forth in the most vio- 
 lent reproaches. Hastening to the tent of Pizarro, 
 he rudely pushed aside a sentinel who guarded the 
 entrance, and found the culprit seated on a low stool, 
 affecting the attitude of a mourner. A large slouched 
 hat was bent over his eyes. 
 
 " Uncover yourself;" said De Soto, " unless you 
 are ashamed to look a human being in the face." 
 Then with the point of his sword he struck off his 
 hat, exclaiming : 
 
 " Is it not enough that. I have disgraced myself 
 in the eyes of the world by becoming your compan- 
 ion and confederate, making myself accessory to your 
 crimes, and protecting you from the punishment you 
 
EXECUTION OF THE INCA. I ! / 
 
 deserve. Have you not heaped infamy enough upon 
 me, without dishonoring me by the violation of my 
 pledges, and exposing me to the suspicion of being 
 connected with the most cruel and causeless murder 
 that ever set human laws and divine justice at defi- 
 ance ? I have ascertained, what you well knew before 
 I left Caxamarca, that the report of the insurrection 
 was ulterly false. I have met nothing on the road 
 but demonstrations of good will. The whole country 
 is quiet, and Attahuallapa has been basely slandered. 
 You, Francisco Pizarro, are his slanderer, and you 
 are his murderer. 
 
 " To prove that I have had no participation in the 
 deed, I will make you accountable for his death. 
 Craven and prevaricating villain as you are, you shall 
 not escape this responsibility. If you refuse to meet 
 me in honorable combat, I will denounce you to the 
 king of Spain as a criminal, and will proclaim you to 
 the whole world as a coward and an assassin." 
 
 Pizarro was both, an assassin and a coward. He 
 stood in awe of his intrepid lieutenant. He did not 
 dare to meet him in a personal rencontre, and he 
 well knew that De Soto was not a man to be taken 
 by force or guile, as he could immediately rally around 
 him the whole body of his well drilled-dragoons. He 
 therefore began to make excuses, admitted that he 
 had acted hastily, and endeavored to throw the blame 
 
Il8 DE SOTO. 
 
 upon others, declaring that by their false representa- 
 tions they had forced him to the act. 
 
 In the midst of the dispute, Pizarro's brothers — 
 for there were two in the camp — entered the tent 
 De Soto, addressing the three, said : 
 
 " I am the champion of Attahuallapa. I accuse 
 Francisco Pizarro of being his murderer." Then 
 throwing his glove upon the floor, he continued : 
 
 " I invite any man who is disposed to deny that 
 Francisco Pizarro is a coward and an assassin, to take 
 it up." 
 
 The gauge remained untouched. De Soto turned 
 upon his heel contemptuously, and left the tent, 
 resolved, it is said, no longer to have any connection 
 whatever with such perfidious wretches. He imme- 
 diately resigned his commission as lieutenant-general 
 and announced his determination to return to Spain. 
 But alas, for human frailty and inconsistency, he was 
 to take with him the five hundred thousand dollars of 
 treasure of which the Peruvians had been ruthlessly 
 despoiled. Perhaps he reasoned with himself, 
 
 " What can I do with it. The Inca is dead. It 
 would not be wise to throw it into the streets, and 
 I surely am not bound to contribute it to the already 
 enormous wealth of Pizarro." 
 
 Another source of embarrassment arose. Rein- 
 forcements to the number of two hundred men had just 
 
EXECUTION OF THE INCA. II9 
 
 arrived at Caxamarca, under Almagro. They had been 
 sent forward from Panama, commissioned by the king 
 of Spain to join the enterprise. The whole num- 
 ber of Spanish soldiers, assembled in the heart of. the 
 Peruvian empire, now amounted to about five hun- 
 dred. Mountain ridges rose between them and the 
 sea-coast, in whose almost impassable defiles a few 
 hundred resolute men might arrest the advance of an 
 army. The Peruvians had a standing force of fifty 
 thousand soldiers. The whole population of the 
 country was roused to the highest pitch of indigna- 
 tion. They were everywhere grasping their arms. 
 Nothing but the most consummate prudence could 
 rescue the Spaniards from their perilous position. 
 The danger was imminent, that they would be utterly 
 exterminated. 
 
 For De Soto, under these circumstances, to aban- 
 don his comrades, and retire from the field, would 
 seem an act of cowardice. He had no confidence in 
 the ability of the Pizarros to rescue the Spaniards. 
 He therefore judged that duty to his king and his coun- 
 trymen demanded of him that he should remain in 
 Peru, until he could leave the army in a safe condi- 
 tion. 
 
 Pizarro did not venture to resent the reproaches 
 and defiance of De Soto, but immediately prepared 
 to avail himself of his military abilities, in a march of 
 
120 DE SOTO. 
 
 several hundred miles south to Cuzco, the capital of 
 the empire. With characteristic treacher}^ Pizarro 
 seized one of the most distinguished nobles of the 
 Peruvian court, and held him as a hostage. This 
 nobleman, named Chalcukima, had occupied some of 
 the highest posts of honor in the kingdom, and was 
 greatly revered and beloved by the Peruvians. 
 Pizarro sent far and wide the announcement, that 
 upon the slightest movement of hostility on the part 
 of the natives, Chalcukima would be put to death. 
 
 The Spaniards now set out on their long march. 
 It was in the month of September, 1533, one of the 
 most lovely months in that attractive clime. But for 
 the rapine, carnage and violence of war, such a tour 
 through the enchanting valley of the Cordilleras, in- 
 the midst of fruits and flowers, and bird songs, and 
 traversing populous villages inhabited by a gentle 
 and amiable people, would have been an enterprise 
 full of enjoyment. But the path of these demoniac 
 men was marked by the ravages of fiends. And not- 
 withstanding the great embarrassments in which De 
 Soto found himself involved, it is very difficult to find 
 any excuse for him, in allowing himself to be one of 
 their number. 
 
 Francisco Pizarro led the band. His brother 
 Hernando, De Soto, and Almagro, were his leading 
 captains. But it was the genius of De Soto alone, 
 
EXECUTION OF THE INC A. 121 
 
 with his highly disciplined dragoons, which conducted 
 the enterprise to a successful issue. He led the 
 advance ; he was always sent to every point of dan- 
 ger ; his sword opened the path, through which 
 Pizarro followed with his vagabond and plundering 
 crew. 
 
 In trembling solicitude for his own safety, Pizarro 
 not only held Chalcukima as a hostage, but he also 
 seized upon Topaxpa, the young, feeble and grief- 
 stricken son of the murdered Attahuallapa, and 
 declared him to be, by legitimate right, the successor 
 to the throne. Thus he still had the Inca in his 
 power. The Peruvians were still accustomed to 
 regard the Inca with almost religious homage. 
 Topaxpa was compelled to issue such commands as 
 Pizarro gave to him. Thus an additional element of 
 embarrassment was thrown into the ranks of the 
 Peruvians. Communication between different parts 
 of the empire was extremely difficult and slow. 
 There were no mails and no horses. This gave the 
 mounted Spaniards a vast advantage over their bewil- 
 dered victims. 
 
 For several days the Spanish army moved delight- 
 fully along, through a series of luxuriant valleys, 
 where the secluded people had scarcely heard of their 
 arrival in the country. The movement of the glitter- 
 ing host was one of the most wonderful pageants 
 
122 DE SOTO. 
 
 which Peruvian eyes had ever beheld. A multitude 
 of men, women and children, thronged the highway, 
 gazing with, curiosity and admiration upon the scene, 
 and astonished by the clatter of the hoofs of the 
 horses upon the flag-stones, with which the national 
 road was so carefully paved. During these few days of 
 peaceful travel the natives presented no opposition to 
 the march, and the presence of De Soto seemed to 
 restrain the whole army from deeds of ruffianly vio- 
 lence. Whenever Pizarro wished to engage in any 
 of his acts of villany, he was always careful first to 
 send De Soto away on some important mission. 
 
 They were now approaching a deep and rapid 
 mountain stream, where the bridge had either been 
 carried away by the recent flood or had been destroy- 
 ed by the Peruvians. They were also informed that 
 quite a large army was gathered upon the opposite 
 bank to arrest, with the aid of the rushing torrent, 
 the farther advance of the Spaniards. Pizarro imme- 
 diately ordered a halt. De Soto, with a hundred 
 horsemen, was sent forward to reconnoitre, and, if 
 possible, to open the path. Almagro, with two hun- 
 dred footmen, followed closely behind to support the 
 cavalry. 
 
 De Soto, without paying much attention to his 
 infantry allies, pressed so rapidly forward as soon to 
 leave them far behind. He reached the river. It 
 
EXECUTION OF THE INCA. 1 23 
 
 was a swollen mountain torrent. Several thousand 
 natives, brandishing their javelins and their war clubs, 
 stood upon the opposite bank of the stream. De 
 Soto and his horsemen, without a moment's hesitation, 
 plunged into the stream, and some by swimming and 
 some by fording, soon crossed the foaming waters. 
 As the war horses, with their steel-clad riders, came 
 rushing upon the Peruvians, their keen swords flash- 
 ing in the sunlight, a large part of the army fled in 
 great terror. It seemed to them that supernatural 
 foes had descended for their destruction. 
 
 A few remained, and fought with the energies of 
 despair. But they were powerless before the tramp- 
 ling horses and the sharp weapons of their foes. 
 They were cut down mercilessly, and it was the 
 genius of De Soto which guided in the carnage, and 
 the strong arm of De Soto which led in the bloody 
 fray. And we must not forget that these Peruvians 
 were fighting for their lives, their liberty, their all ; 
 and that these Spaniards were ruthless invaders. 
 Neither can we greatly admire the heroism displayed 
 by the assailants. The man who is carefully gloved 
 and masked can with impunity rob the bees of their 
 honey. The wolf does not need much courage to 
 induce him to leap into the fold of the lambs. 
 
 In the vicinity of this routed army there was a 
 pagan temple ; that is, a temple dedicated to the Sun, 
 
124 ^E SOTO. 
 
 the emblem of the God of the Peruvians, It was in 
 those days thought that the heathen and all their pos- 
 sessions, rightly belonged to the Christians ; that it 
 was the just desert of the pagans to be plundered and 
 put to death. Even the mind of De Soto was so far 
 in accord with these infamous doctrines of a benighted 
 age, that he allowed his troopers to plunder the 
 temple of all its rich treasures of silver and of gold. 
 A very large amount of booty was thus obtained. 
 One of the principal ornaments of this temple was 
 an artificial sun, of large size, composed of pure and 
 solid gold. 
 
 Mr. Wilmer, speaking of this event, judiciously 
 remarks : 
 
 " De Soto, finding his path once more unob- 
 structed, pushed forward, evidently disposed to open 
 the way to Cuzco without the assistance of his tardy 
 and irresolute commander. It is a remarkable fact, 
 and one which admits of no denial, that every impor- 
 tant military movement of the Spaniards in Peru, 
 until the final subjugation of the empire by the cap- 
 ture of the metropolis, was conducted by De Soto. 
 Up to the time to which our narrative now refers, 
 Pizarro had never fought a single battle which de- 
 served the name. The bloody tragedy of Caxa- 
 marca, it will be remembered, was only massacre ; 
 the contrivance and execution of which required no 
 
EXECUTION OF THE INCA. 12$ 
 
 military skill and no soldier-like courage. Pizarro 
 acquired the mastery of Peru by the act of a malefac- 
 tor. And he was, in fact; a thief and not a con- 
 queror. The heroic element of this conquest is rep- 
 resented by the actions of De Soto." 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 De Soto Returns to Spain. 
 
 Dreadful Fate of Chalcukima. — His Fortitude. — Ignominy of Pi- 
 zarro. — De Soto's Advance upon Cuzco. — The Peruvian High- 
 way. — Battle in the Defile. — De Soto takes the Responsibility. — ■ 
 Capture of the Capital and its Conflagration. — De Soto's Return 
 to Spain. — His Reception there. — Preparations for the Conquest 
 of Florida. 
 
 Considering the relations which existed between 
 De Soto and Pizarro, it is not improbable that each 
 was glad to be released from the presence of the 
 other. It is very certain that so soon as De Soto 
 was gone, Pizarro, instead of hurrying forward to sup- 
 port him in the hazardous encounters to which he was 
 exposed, immediately engaged, with the main body 
 of his army, in plundering all the mansions of the 
 wealthy and the temples on their line of march. And 
 it is equally certain that De Soto, instead of waiting 
 for the troops of Pizarro to come up, put spurs to his 
 horse and pressed on, as if he were anxious to place 
 as great a distance as possible between himself and 
 his superior in command. 
 
 Though De Soto had allowed his troops to plunder 
 the temple of Xauxa, he would allow no robbery of 
 private dwellings, and rigidly prohibited the slightest 
 
DE SOTO RETURNS TO SPAIN. 12/ 
 
 act of violence or injustice towards the persons of the 
 natives. 
 
 It will be remembered that Pizarro had threatened 
 to hold Chalcukima responsible for any act of hostil- 
 ity on the part of the Peruvians. He now summoned 
 his captive before him, and charged him with treason ; 
 accusing him of having incited his countrymen to 
 measures of resistance. Chalcukima, with dignity 
 and firmness which indicate a noble character, re- 
 plied : 
 
 " If it had been possible for me to communicate 
 with the people, I should certainly have advised them 
 to do their duty to their country, without any regard 
 to my personal safety. But you well know that the 
 vigilance with which you have guarded me, has pre- 
 vented me from making any communication of the 
 kind. I am sorry that it has not been in my power 
 to be guilty of the fact with which you charge me." 
 
 The wretched Pizarro, utterly incapable of appre- 
 ciating the grandeur of such a character, ordered him 
 to be burned at the stake. The fanatic robber and 
 murderer, insulting the cross of Christ, by calling 
 himself a Christian, sent his private chaplain. Friar 
 Vincent, to convert Chalcukima to what he called the 
 Christian faith. The priest gave an awful descrip- 
 tion of the glooms of hell, to which the prisoner was 
 destined as a heathen. In glowing colors he depicted 
 
128 DE SOTO. 
 
 the splendors of the celestial Eden, to which he would 
 be admitted the moment after his execution if he 
 would accept the Christian faith. The captive coldly 
 replied : 
 
 " I do not understand your religion, and all that I 
 have seen of it does not impress me in its favor." 
 
 He was led to the stake. Not a cry escaped his 
 lips, as the fierce flames consumed his quivering 
 flesh. From that scene of short, sharp agony, we 
 trust that his spirit ascended to be folded in the 
 embrace of his Heavenly Father. It is a fundamen- 
 tal principle in the teachings of Jesus, that in every 
 nation he that feareth God, and doeth righteousness, 
 is accepted of him. But God's ways here on earth 
 are indeed past all finding out. Perhaps the future 
 will solve the dreadful mystery, but at present, as we 
 contemplate man's inhumanity to man, our eyes are 
 often blinded with tears, and our hearts sink despair- 
 ingly within us. 
 
 De Soto pressed rapidly onwards, league after 
 league, over sublime eminences and through luxuri- 
 ant vales. The road was admirable : smooth and 
 clean as a floor. It was constructed only for foot 
 passengers, as the Peruvians had no animals larger 
 than the lama or sheep. This advance-guard of the 
 Spanish army, all well mounted, and inspired by the 
 energies of their impetuous chief, soon reached a 
 
DE SOTO RETURNS TO SPAIN. 1 29 
 
 point where the road led over a mountain by steps 
 cut in the solid rock, steep as a flight of stairs. Pre- 
 cipitous cliffs rose hundreds of feet on either side. 
 Here it was necessary for the troopers to dismount, 
 and carefully to lead their horses by the bit up the 
 difficult ascent. 
 
 The road was winding and irregular, leading 
 through the most savage scenery. This pass, at its 
 summit, opened upon smooth table-land, luxuriant 
 and beautiful under the influence of a tropical sun 
 and mountain showers and dews. About half way 
 up this pass, upon almost inaccessible crags, several 
 thousand Peruvians had assembled to make another 
 attempt at resistance. Arrows and javelins were of 
 but little avail. Indeed they always rebounded from 
 the armor of the Spaniards as from the ledges of 
 eternal rock. 
 
 But the natives had abundantly provided them- 
 selves with enormous stones to roll down upon the 
 heads of men and horses. Quite a band of armed 
 men were also assembled upon the open plain at the 
 head of the pass. As the Spaniards were almost 
 dragging their horses up the gorge, suddenly the 
 storm of war burst upon them. Showers of stone 
 descended from the cliff from thousands of unseen 
 hands. Huge boulders were pried over and went 
 thundering down, crashing all opposition before then), 
 6* 
 
1 30 DE SUTO. 
 
 It seems now incomprehensible why the whole squad- 
 ron of horsemen was not destroyed. But in this aw- 
 ful hour the self-possession of De Soto did not for 
 one moment forsake him. He shouted to his men : 
 
 " If we halt here, or attempt to go back, we must 
 certainly perish. Our only safety is in pressing for- 
 ward. As soon as we reach the top of the pass, w'e 
 can easily put these men to flight." 
 
 Suiting his action to his words, and being at the 
 head of his men, he pushed forward with almost frantic 
 energy, carefully watching and avoiding the descend- 
 ing missiles. Though several horses and many men 
 were killed, and others sorely wounded, the majority 
 soon reached the head of the pass. They then had 
 an unobstructed plain before them, over which their 
 horses could gallop in any direction at their utmost 
 speed. 
 
 Impetuously they fell upon the band collected 
 there, who wielded only the impotent weapons of ar- 
 rows, javelins and war clubs. The Spaniards, exas- 
 perated by the death of their comrades, and by their 
 own wounds, took desperate vengeance. No quarter 
 was shown. Their sabres dripped with blood. Few 
 could escape the swift-footed steeds. The dead were 
 trampled beneath iron hoofs. Night alone ended the 
 carnage. 
 
 During the night the Peruvians bravely rallied 
 
DE SOTO RETURNS TO SPAIN. 131 
 
 from their wide dispersion over the mountains, re- 
 solved in their combined force to make another at- 
 tempt to resist their foes. They were conscious that 
 should they fail here, their case was hopeless. 
 
 At the commencement of the conflict a courier 
 had been sent back, by De Soto, to urge Almagro to 
 push forward his infantry as rapidly as possible. By 
 a forced march they pressed on through the hours of 
 the night, almost upon the run. The early dawn 
 brought them to the pass. Soon the heart of De 
 Soto was cheered as he heard their bugle blasts re- 
 verberating among the cliffs of the mountains. Their 
 banners appeared emerging from the defile, and two 
 hundred well-armed men joined his ranks. 
 
 Though the Peruvians were astonished at this ac- 
 cession to the number of their foes, they still came 
 bravely forward to the battle. It was another scene 
 of slaughter for the poor Peruvians. They inflicted 
 but little harm upon the Spaniards, while hundreds 
 of their slain soon strewed the ground. 
 
 The Spanish infantry, keeping safely beyond the 
 reach of arrow or javelin, could, with the deadly bul- 
 let, bring down a Peruvian as fast as they could load 
 and fire, while the horsemen could almost with im- 
 punity plunge into the densest ranks of the foe. The 
 Peruvians were vanquished, dispersed, and cut down, 
 until the Spaniards even were weary with carnage. 
 
132 DE SOTO, 
 
 This was the most important battle which was fought 
 in the conquest of Peru. 
 
 The field was but twenty-five miles from the cap- 
 ital, to which the army could now advance by an al- 
 most unobstructed road. De Soto was anxious to 
 press on immediately and take possession of the city. 
 He however yielded to the earnest entreaties of Al- 
 magro, and consented to remain where he was with 
 his band of marauders. This delay, in a military 
 point of view, proved to be very unfortunate. Had 
 they gone immediately forward, the vanquished and 
 panic-stricken Peruvians would not have ventured 
 upon another encounter. But Almagro was the 
 friend of Pizarro, dependent upon him, and had been 
 his accomplice in many a deed of violence. He was 
 anxious that Pizarro should have the renown of a 
 conqueror, and should enjoy the triumph of riding at 
 the head of his troops into the streets of the van- 
 quished capital. 
 
 This delay of several days gave the Peruvians 
 time to recover from their consternation, and they or- 
 ganized another formidable line of defense in a valley 
 which the Spaniards would be compelled to traverse, 
 a few miles from the city. Pizarro was still several 
 miles in the rear. De Soto dispatched a courier to 
 him, informing him of the new encounter to which 
 the army was exposed, and stating that the Peruvians 
 
DE SOTO RETURNS TO SPAIN. I 33 
 
 were well posted, and that every hour of delay added 
 to their strength. Still Pizarro loitered behind ; still 
 Almagro expressed his decided reluctance to advance 
 before Pizarro's arrival. To add to De Soto's embar- 
 rassments, he declared that De Soto was acting with- 
 out authority and in direct opposition to the orders of 
 his superior. After a little hesitancy De Soto re- 
 solved to take the responsibility and to advance. He 
 said to Almagro : 
 
 " A soldier who is entrusted with an important 
 command, is not bound in all cases to await the orders 
 of his superior. Where there is manifestly an im- 
 portant advantage to be gained, he must be allowed 
 to act according to his own discretion." 
 
 He then appealed to his own dragoons, saying to 
 them : 
 
 " The whole success of our expedition now de- 
 pends upon the celerity of our movements. While 
 we are waiting for Pizarro, our best chance for vic- 
 tory will be lost." 
 
 With one united voice the dragoons of De Soto 
 demanded to be led forward. Availing himself of 
 this enthusiasm, De Soto put his troops in motion. 
 The Peruvians were a few miles in advance, strongly 
 posted in a deep and rugged ravine, where they 
 hoped that the movements of the horses would be so 
 impeded that they could accomplish but little. They 
 
134 I^E SOTO. 
 
 pressed forward, and the battle was immediately com- 
 menced. Both parties fought with great fury. In 
 the midst of the conflict a large re-enforcement of 
 the natives came rushing upon the field, under the 
 leadership of a young Peruvian noble, who displayed 
 truly chivalric courage and energy. De Soto was 
 ever where the blows fell thickest and where danger 
 was most imminent. 
 
 Quite a number of the Peruvians were slain, and 
 many dead horses were strewed over the field. At 
 one time De Soto, separated from his comrades by the 
 surging tides of the battle, found himself surrounded 
 by twenty Peruvians, who, with arrows, javelins and 
 battle clubs,assailed him with the utmost impetuosity. 
 Javelins and arrows glanced harmless from the Span- 
 ish armor. But war clubs, armed with copper and 
 wielded by sinewy arms, were formidable weapons 
 even for the belted knight to encounter. De Soto, 
 with his keen and ponderous sword, cut his way 
 through his assailants, strewing the ground with the 
 dead. The young Peruvian, who, it is said, was heir 
 to the throne of the Inca, had assumed the general 
 command. 
 
 He gazed with astonishment upon the exploits of 
 De Soto, and said in despairing tones to his attend- 
 ants : " It is useless to contend with such enemies ! 
 These men are destined to be our masters." 
 
DE SOTO RETURNS TO SPAIN. I 35 
 
 Immediately he approached De Soto, throwing 
 down his arms, advancing alone, and indicating by 
 gestures that he was ready to surrender. The battle 
 at once ceased, and most of the Peruvian army rushed 
 precipitately back towards the city. In a state of 
 frenzy they applied the torch in all directions, re- 
 solved to thwart the avarice of the conqueror by lay- 
 ing the whole city and all its treasures in ashes. The 
 inhabitants of Cuzco, almost without exception, fled. 
 Each one seized upon whatever of value could be 
 carried away. Volumes of smoke and the bursting 
 flames soon announced to the Spaniards the doom of 
 the city. 
 
 De Soto and his dragoons put spurs to their 
 horses and hastened forward, hoping to extinguish 
 the conflagration. Now that the battle was fought 
 and the victory won, Francisco Pizarro, with his band 
 of miscreants, came rushing on to seize the plunder. 
 
 " They came like wolves or jackals to fatten on 
 the prey which never could have been attained by 
 their own courage or prowess. The disappointment 
 of Pizarro and his congenial associates, when they 
 found that the principal wealth of the city had been 
 carried off by the Peruvians, vented itself in acts of 
 diabolical cruelty. They seized on the aged and sick 
 persons who had been unable to escape, and put many 
 of them to the torture to make them confess where 
 
136 DE SOTO. 
 
 the treasures of Cuzco were concealed. Either these 
 unfortunate people could not give the information re- 
 quired, or they had sufficient firmness to endure 
 agony and death rather than betray the consecrated 
 treasures of their national monuments and altars into 
 the hands of their enemies." '*■' 
 
 It was late in the afternoon of a November day, 
 1533, when the dragoons of De Soto, closely followed 
 by the whole Spanish army, entered the burning 
 streets of Cuzco. They ran about eagerly in all di- 
 rections searching for gold in the blazing palaces and 
 temples. Thus an immense amount of spoil was 
 found, which the Peruvians had been unable to re- 
 move. It is said that after one-fifth had been sub- 
 stracted for the Spanish crown, and the officers had 
 received their abundant shares, the common soldiers, 
 four hundred and eighty in number, received each 
 one a sum amounting to four thousand dollars. 
 
 Peru was conquered, but the victors had indeed 
 gained a loss. Nearly all who were engaged in the 
 enterprise perished miserably. Almagro was event- 
 ually taken captive by the Peruvians and strangled. 
 Hernando Pizarro, returning to Spain, languished for 
 weary years in a prison. The younger brother was 
 beheaded. Friar Vincent, who had given the sup- 
 port of religion to many of the most atrocious of 
 * Life of P'erdinand De Soto, by Lambert A. Wilmer, p. 272. 
 
DE SOTO RETURNS TO SPAIN. 137 
 
 these crimes, fell into an ambush with a small party, 
 and they all were massacred. Francisco Pizarro him- 
 self fell a victim to a conspiracy among his own sol- 
 diers, and at mid-day was put to death in his own 
 palace. But we must leave these wild men to their 
 career of cruelty and crime, while we follow the foot- 
 steps of De Soto. 
 
 Early in the year 1534, De Soto took leave of his 
 comrades in Peru, and embarked for Spain. He had 
 left his native land in poverty. He now returned af- 
 ter an absence of about fifteen years, greatly enriched, 
 prepared in opulence as well as in illustrious birth to 
 take his stand with the proudest grandees of that 
 then opulent realm. His last labors in Peru were 
 spent in unavailing endeavors to humanize the spirit 
 of his countrymen there, and to allay the bitter feuds 
 which were springing up among them. But his de- 
 parture seemed to remove from them all restraints, 
 and Spaniards and Peruvians alike were whelmed in 
 a common ruin. 
 
 No account has been transmitted to us of De 
 Soto's return voyage. While he was in Peru, Don 
 Pedro had died. His sick-bed was a scene of linger- 
 ing agony, both of body and of mind. The proud 
 spirit is sometimes vanquished and crushed by re- 
 morse ; but it is never, by those scorpion lashes, sub- 
 dued, and rendered humble and gentle and lovable. 
 
138 DE SOTO. 
 
 The dying sinner, whose soul was crimsoned with 
 guilt, was overwhelmed with " a certain fearful look- 
 ing for of judgment and fiery indignation." The ec- 
 clesiastics, who surrounded his death-bed, assured him 
 that such sins as he had been guilty of could only be 
 expiated by the most liberal benefactions to the 
 church. He had never forgiven Isabella for her per- 
 tinacious adherence to De Soto. In the grave he 
 could not prohibit their nuptials. By bequeathing 
 his wealth to the church, he could accomplish a double 
 object. He could gratify his revenge by leaving his 
 daughter penniless, and thus De Soto, if he contin- 
 ued faithful, would be compelled to receive to his 
 arms a dowerless bride ; and a miserable superstition 
 taught him that he could thus bribe God to throw 
 open to him the gates of paradise. 
 
 Don Pedro's eldest daughter, Maria, was engaged 
 to be married to Vasco Nufiez, the very worthy gov- 
 ernor who had preceded Don Pedro at Darien, and 
 whom he had so infamously beheaded. She had spent 
 fifteen years in her father's castle in the gloom and 
 tears of this cruel widowhood. Don Pedro bequeathed 
 nearly all his fortune to the endowment of a monas- 
 tery, over which Maria was appointed abbess. Isa- 
 bella was left unprovided for. Thus suddenly the rel- 
 ative position of the two lovers was entirely changed. 
 De Soto found himself in possession of large wealth. 
 
DE SOTO RETURNS TO SPAIN. 1 39 
 
 Isabella was reduced to poverty. We know not 
 where to find, in the annals of history, the record of 
 a more beautiful attachment than that which, during 
 fifteen years of separation, trial, and sorest tempta- 
 tions, had united the hearts of De Soto and Isabella. 
 Their love commenced when they were children, 
 walking hand in hand, and playing in the bowers of 
 Don Pedro's ancestral castle. 
 
 De Soto had now attained the age of thirty-five 
 years. Isabella was only a few years younger. When 
 we contemplate her youth, her beauty, the long years 
 of absence, without even a verbal message passing 
 between them, the deadly hostility of her father to 
 the union, and the fact that her hand had been re- 
 peatedly solicited by the most wealthy of the Span- 
 ish nobility, this fidelity of Isabella to her youthful 
 love is one of the most remarkable in the records of 
 time. 
 
 "During the long separation," says Mr. Wilmer, 
 " of these exemplary lovers, many important changes 
 had taken place. Time and sorrow had somewhat 
 dimmed the lustre of Isabella's beauty. But she was 
 still the fairest among ten thousand, and De Soto 
 was too deeply enamored and too justly appreciative 
 to value her the less, because the rose had partially 
 faded from her cheek." 
 
 Immediately upon De Soto's return to Spain, as 
 
140 DE SOTO. 
 
 all obstacles to their union were removed, the nuptial 
 ceremony was performed. The voice of fame had 
 already proclaimed De Soto as the real conqueror of 
 Peru. As such, he had not only enriched himself, 
 but had also greatly enriched the Spanish crown. All 
 eyes were fixed upon him. It is said that at once he 
 became the most noted and most popular man in the 
 kingdom. He and his bride were received at the 
 Spanish court with the most flattering marks of dis- 
 tinction. In his style of living he assumed almost 
 regal splendor. He had acquired his money very 
 suddenly, and he lavished it with an unsparing hand. 
 A contemporary annalist writes : 
 
 " He kept a steward, a gentleman usher, several 
 pages, a gentleman of the horse, a chamberlain, a 
 footman, and all other officers that the house of a 
 nobleman requires." 
 
 One of the most splendid mansions in Seville he 
 selected for his residence, and in less than two years 
 he found that one-half of his princely fortune had 
 melted away. They were two years of adulation, of 
 self-indulgence, of mental intoxication. It was a de- 
 lirious dream from which he suddenly awoke. Re- 
 flection taught him that he must immediately curtail 
 his expenses, and very seriously, or engage in some 
 new enterprise to replenish his wasting purse. 
 
 The region of North America called Florida, a 
 
DE SOTO RETURNS TO SPAIN. 141 
 
 territory of undefined and boundless ej^tent, was then 
 attracting much attention as a fresh field for the ac- 
 quisition of gold and glory. Several expeditions had 
 touched upon the unknown coast, but from various 
 causes had proved entire failures. Eight years be- 
 fore this De Narvaez had visited the country with 
 three hundred adventurers. He found the natives 
 far more warlike than the Peruvians, and the country 
 more difficult of access. De Narvaez himself, and 
 nearly all his band, fell before the fury of the Floridians. 
 Five only escaped. One of these, Cabaca de Vaca, a 
 man of glowing imagination, and who held the pen of 
 a ready writer, wrote a Baron Munchausen account of 
 the expedition. He descanted upon the delicious 
 clime, the luxuriant soil, the populous cities, the 
 architectural splendor of the edifices, and the inex- 
 haustible mines of silver and of gold. There was no 
 one to call his account in question. His extravagant 
 stories were generally believed. 
 
 De Soto, who was in the prime of his vigorous 
 manhood, having as yet only attained his thirty-seventh 
 year, read this narrative and pondered these statements 
 with enthusiasm. A couple of years of inaction in his 
 luxurious saloons had inspired him with new zeal for 
 romantic adventure ; and to this there was added the 
 powerful motive of the necessity of retrieving his for- 
 tunes. He believed that gold could be gathered in 
 
142 DE SOTO. 
 
 Florida, even more abundantly than in Peru ; that by 
 the aid of the crown a numerous colony might be 
 established where, under genial skies, every man 
 could be put into possessron of broad acres of the 
 most luxuriant soil. And he felt fully confident that 
 his long experience on the isthmus and in Peru, qual- 
 ified him in the highest degree to be the leader of 
 such an enterprise. 
 
 In these views he was sustained by the common 
 sentiment of the whole community. De Soto applied 
 to the king of Spain, the Emperor Charles Plfth, for 
 permission to organize an expedition, at his own 
 expense, for the conquest of P'lorida. He offered to 
 the crown, as usual for its share, one-fifth of the 
 plunder. 
 
 Eagerly the Emperor, who was always in need of 
 money, accepted the proposition, " asking no questions, 
 for conscience' sake." The Emperor was very profuse 
 in conferring honors and titles upon his heroic sub- 
 ject. He appointed him governor of the island of 
 Cuba, which he was to make the base of his opera- 
 tions, investing him with almost dictatorial powers as 
 both military and civil governor. He also granted 
 him a private estate in Florida, with the title of mar- 
 quis, in whatever part of the country he might choose. 
 This magnificent estate was to consist of a region, 
 ninety miles long and forty-five miles wide. 
 
DE SOTO RETURNS TO SPAIN. 1 43 
 
 As soon as it was known throughout Spain that 
 De Soto was about to embark on such an enterprise, 
 volunteers began to flock to his standard. He would 
 accept of none but the most vigorous young men, 
 whom he deemed capable of enduring the extremes 
 of toil and hardship. In a few months nine hundred 
 and fifty men were assembled at San Lucar, eager to 
 embark. Many of these were sons of the wealthy 
 nobles, who were thoroughly equipped in splendid 
 style, with costly armor, and accompanied by a train 
 of servants. 
 
 Twenty-four ecclesiastics, of various grades, joined 
 the expedition, whose arduous task it was to convert the 
 natives to that religion of the Spaniards which allowed 
 them to rob their houses and their temples, to mal- 
 treat their wives and daughters, to set fire to their 
 villages, to hunt them down with bloodhounds, and to 
 trample them under the iron hoofs of their fiery steeds. 
 
 Never before had an expedition set out so abun- 
 dantly supplied. Not only was every necessity pro- 
 vided for, but luxury and even wasteful extravagance 
 reigned through the armament. De Soto himself 
 was a man of magnificent tastes. Many who were 
 with him in Peru, and had become there enriched, 
 had joined the enterprise. And the young nobles of 
 Spain surrounded themselves with the conveniences 
 and splendor which large wealth could furnish. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 The Landing in Florida. 
 
 The Departure from Spain. — Arrival in Cuba. — Leonora and To- 
 bar. — Isabella Invested with the Regency. — Sad Life of Isabella. — 
 Sailing of the Expedition. — The Landing at Tampa Bay. — Out- 
 rages of Narvaez. — Noble Spirit of Ucita. — Unsuccessful Enter- 
 prises. — Disgrace and Return of Porcallo. 
 
 The brilliant armament sprea.d its sails to a favor- 
 able breeze at the port of San Lucar, on the morning 
 of the sixth of April, 1538. The squadron consisted 
 of seven large ships, and three smaller vessels. It 
 must have been an imposing and busy scene in that 
 little bay, upon which the sun looked serenely down 
 three hundred years ago. In addition to the Flo- 
 ridian fleet, there was another squadron of twenty-six 
 sail, at the same time weighing anchor, bound for 
 Mexico. Bugle peals resounded from ship and shore, 
 while salvoes of artillery swept over the waves and 
 reverberated among the cliffs. 
 
 Isabella accompanied her husband, and quite an 
 imposing train of attendants was attached to the gov- 
 ernor's family. The sail of a fortnight brought them 
 to the Canary Islands. The Count Gomera, a Span- 
 ish nobleman, was in command. No religious scru- 
 
THE LANDING IN FLORIDA. 145 
 
 pies lent their restraints to his luxurious court. He 
 had a very beautiful daughter, seventeen years of age, 
 named Leonora. The father loved her tenderly. He 
 was perhaps anxious to shield her from the deleteri- 
 ous influences with which she was surrounded. The 
 high moral worth of Isabella impressed him ; and 
 arrangements were made for Leonora to accompany 
 Isabella to Cuba, as a companion, to be .treated in all 
 respects as her own daughter. 
 
 On the twenty-fourth of April the fleet again set 
 sail, and reached St. Jago de Cuba the latter part of 
 May. This city was then the capital of the island. 
 It was situated on the southern shore, at the head of 
 a bay running inland about six miles. It was then 
 quite populous, and was opulent with the wealth of 
 which previous Spanish adventurers had robbed the 
 unhappy Cubans. The whole city turned out with 
 music, and banners and gorgeous processions, to give 
 a suitable reception to their new governor. 
 
 A grand tournament was held on the occasion. 
 Among the cavaliers who were contending for the 
 prizes there was a young nobleman, Nuno de Tobar, 
 who was De Soto's lieutenant-general. He was one 
 of the most accomplished of the Spanish grandees, 
 and bore off many of the prizes. The beauty of Leo- 
 nora won his admiration. They were thrown much 
 together, and he betrayed her. At the confessional 
 7 
 
146 DE SOTO. 
 
 Leonora opened her heart to the priest. It is proba- 
 ble that he communicated with the governor. De 
 Soto's indignation was thoroughly roused. He sum- 
 moned the culprit before him. Tobar, deeming his 
 offense a very trivial one, without hesitation acknowl- 
 edged it, thinking, perhaps, that he might receive 
 some slight reprimand. He was not a little surprised 
 when the governor said in indignant tones : 
 
 " Leonora was placed under my care by her 
 father. I pledged myself to protect her at the hazard 
 of my own life. To-morrow morning you must meet 
 me in single combat, where you will have a chance to 
 protect the life you have justly forfeited." 
 
 There was no man probably, in the whole Spanish 
 army, who could safely cross swords with De Soto in 
 mortal strife. Tobar was appalled. He well knew 
 that in such a rencontre death was his inevitable 
 doom. Overwhelmed with confusion, he said : 
 
 " I have not committed a capital crime. If I had, 
 I should not expect your Excellency to be my execu- 
 tioner. It is impossible for me to contend with you 
 in single combat. By accepting your challenge, I 
 doom myself to certain destruction." 
 
 De Soto replied : " Your crime is not a trivial 
 one. You cannot evade the consequences by refus- 
 ing to meet them. To say nothing of the wrong you 
 have done this unhappy girl, your treachery to me 
 
THE LANDING IN FLORIDA. 1 47 
 
 deserves the punishment of a traitor. You may 
 choose whether you will die like a soldier, sword in 
 hand, or like a criminal, under the axe of the execu- 
 tioner." 
 
 Tobar withdrew. He hastened to the room of the 
 confessor. With him he called upon Leonora, and, 
 taking a few witnesses, repaired to the church, where 
 the marriage ceremony was immediately performed. 
 Within an hour he returned to the governor and 
 informed him that he had made all the reparation in 
 his power. De Soto, his brow still clouded with 
 severe displeasure, replied : 
 
 " You have saved your life, but you can never 
 regain my confidence. You are no longer my lieu- 
 tenant. That ofQce can be held only by one whose 
 honor is unsullied." 
 
 De Soto remained about three months in Cuba, 
 making a tour of the island, establishing his govern- 
 ment, purchasing horses, and making other prepara- 
 tions for the expedition to Florida. While thus 
 engaged, he sent a vessel, with a picked crew, to 
 coast along the shores of the land he was about to 
 invade, in search of a commodious harbor, where his 
 troops might disembark. After many perilous adven- 
 tures, the vessel returned with a satisfactory report. 
 
 The fleet, and all the armament it was to bear, 
 were rendezvoused at Havana, on the northern coast 
 
148 DE SOTO. 
 
 of Cuba, where a fair wind in a few hours would con- 
 vey them to the shores of Florida. On the twelfth 
 of May, some authorities say the eighteenth, of the 
 year 1539, the expedition set sail upon one of the 
 most disastrous adventures in which heroic men ever 
 engaged. Terrible as were the woes they inflicted 
 upon the natives, no less dreadful were the calamities 
 which they drew down upon themselves. 
 
 Isabella had been anxious to accompany her hus- 
 band to Florida. But he, aware of the hardships and 
 perils to which they would be exposed, would not 
 give his consent. She consequently remained at 
 Cuba, entrusted with the regency of the island. She 
 never saw her husband again. Poor Isabella ! In 
 sadness she had waited fifteen years for her nuptials. 
 Two short years had glided away like a dream in the 
 night. And then, after three years of intense anx- 
 iety, during which she heard almost nothing of her 
 husband, the tidings reached her of his death. It was 
 a fatal blow to her faithful and loving heart. World- 
 weary and sorrow-crushed, she soon followed him to 
 the spirit-land. Such is life ; not as God has appoint- 
 ed it, but as sin has made it. 
 
 The expedition consisted of eight large ships, a 
 caraval, and two brigantines. They were freighted 
 with everything which could be deemed needful to 
 conquer the country, and then to colonize it. The 
 
THE LANDING IN FLORIDA. 149 
 
 force embarked, in addition to the sailors who worked 
 the ships, consisted of a thousand thoroughly armed 
 men, and three hundred and fifty horses. Contrary 
 winds gave them a slow passage across the gulf On 
 the twenty-fifth of May they entered the harbor of 
 which they were in search. It was on the western 
 coast of the magnificent peninsula. De Soto then 
 gave it the name of Espiritu Santo. It is now how- 
 ever known as Tampa Bay. 
 
 As they entered the harbor beacon fires were seen 
 blazing along the eminences, indicating that the 
 natives had taken the alarm, and were preparing for 
 resistance. Several days were employed in cautious 
 sounding of the harbor and searching for a suitable 
 landing-place, as it seemed probable that opposition 
 was to be encountered. On the last day of May, a 
 detachment of three hundred soldiers landed on the 
 beach and took possession of the land in the name of 
 Charles the Fifth. The serene day was succeeded 
 by a balmy night. Not an Indian was to be seen ; 
 and the bloom, luxuriance and fruitage of the tropics, 
 spread enchantingly around them. 
 
 The hours of the night passed away undisturbed. 
 But just before dawn a terrific war-whoop resounded 
 through the forest, as from a thousand throats, and a 
 band of Indian warriors came rushing down, hurling 
 upon the invaders a shower of arrows and javelins. 
 
ISO DE SOTO. 
 
 The attack was so sudden and impetuous that the 
 Spaniards were thrown into a panic. They rushed 
 for their boats, and with loudest bugle peals, called 
 for aid from their companions in the ships. The 
 summons met with a prompt response. Boats were 
 immediately lowered, and a large party of steel-clad 
 men and horses were sent to their aid. 
 
 When Nufio Tobar was degraded, and dismissed 
 from his office as lieutenant-general, a rich, hair- 
 brained Spanish nobleman, by the name of Vasco 
 Porcallo, took his place. He was a gay cavalier, 
 brave even to recklessness, of shallow intellect, but a 
 man who had seen much hard service in the battle- 
 fields of those days. He was very rich, residing at 
 Trinidad in Cuba. He joined the enterprise for the 
 conquest of Florida, influenced by an instinctive love 
 of adventure, and by the desire to kidnap Indians to 
 work as slaves on his plantations. The valiant Por- 
 callo headed the party sent to the rescue of those on 
 shore. 
 
 In such an adventure he was entirely in his ele- 
 ment. Immediately upon landing he put spurs to his 
 horse and, accompanied by only seven dragoons, with 
 his sabre flashing in the air, plunged into the very 
 thickest of the Indians. Soqji they were put to 
 flight. An Indian arrow, however, pierced his saddle 
 and its housings, and reached the vitals of his horse. 
 
THE LANDING IN FLORIDA. I5I 
 
 The noble steed dropped dead beneath him. Por- 
 callo was quite proud of his achievement, and boasted 
 not a Httlc that his arm had put the infidels, as he 
 called the Indians, to flight, and that his horse was 
 the first to fall in the encounter. 
 
 During the day all the troops were disembarked 
 and encamped upon the shore. It was reported that 
 there was quite a populous Indian town at the dis- 
 tance of about six miles from the place of landing. 
 While the ammunition and commissary stores were 
 being brought on shore, the little army marched for 
 this village. It was the residence of the chief of the 
 powerful tribe who occupied that region. His name 
 was Ucita, and from him the village received the 
 same appellation. 
 
 The Spaniards met with no opposition on their 
 march. But when they reached the village they 
 found it entirely deserted. It was quite a large 
 town, the houses being built substantially of timber, 
 thatched with palm leaves. Many of these edifices 
 were large and commodious, containing several 
 rooms. Their articles of household furniture were 
 convenient, and some of them quite elegant. The 
 dresses, especially those of the females, were artistic 
 and often highly ornamental. Very beautiful shawls 
 and mantillas were manufactured by them. Their 
 finest fabrics were woven by the hand from the 
 
152 DE SOTO. 
 
 fibrous bark of the mulberry-tree and hemp, which 
 grew wild and in abundance. The natives had 
 acquired the art of rich coloring, and the garments 
 thus manufactured by them were often really beauti- 
 ful. The walls of the houses of the wealthier citizens 
 were hung with tapestry of very softly tanned and 
 richly prepared buckskin ; and carpets of the same 
 material were spread upon the floors. 
 
 The Floridians were not acquainted with iron, 
 that most indispensable article with nations of high 
 enlightenment. But they had succeeded in impart- 
 ing a temper to copper, so as to give many of their 
 tools quite a keen edge. Though the inhabitants of 
 Florida had not attained that degree of civilization 
 which had been reached by the Peruvians, it will be 
 seen that they were immeasurably in advance of the 
 savages in the northern portion of the continent, and 
 that their homes far surpassed those of the peasantry 
 of Ireland, and were more tasteful and commodious 
 than the log huts which European emigrants erect as 
 their first home in the wilderness of the West. They 
 cultivated the ground mainly for their subsistence, 
 though hunting and fishing were resorted to, then as 
 now, for recreation as well as for food. 
 
 De Soto took possession of the deserted village, 
 and occupied the houses of the inhabitants as bar- 
 racks for his soldiers. A few straggling Indians 
 
THE LANDING IN FLORIDA. 1 53 
 
 were taken captive. From them he learned that he 
 was doomed to suffer for the infamous conduct of the 
 Spanish adventurer, Narvaez, who had preceded him 
 in a visit to this region. This vile man had been 
 guilty of the most inhuman atrocities. He had caused 
 the mother of the chief Ucita to be torn to pieces by 
 bloodhounds, and in a transport of passion had aw- 
 fully mutilated Ucita himself, by cutting off his nose. 
 Consequently, the chief and all his people were exas- 
 perated to the highest degree. The injuries they had 
 received were such as could never be forgiven or for- 
 gotten. 
 
 De Soto was very anxious to cultivate friendly 
 relations with the Indians. Whatever may have been 
 his faults, his whole career thus far had shown him to 
 be by nature a kind-hearted and upright man, hating 
 oppression and loving justice. The faults of his 
 character rather belonged to the age in which he 
 lived, than to the individual man. No military leader 
 has ever yet been able to restrain the passions of his 
 soldiers. Wherever an army moves, there will always 
 be, to a greater or less degree, plunder and violence. 
 De Soto earnestly endeavored to introduce strict dis- 
 cipline among his troops. He forbade the slightest 
 act of injustice or disrespect towards the Indians. 
 Whenever a captive was taken, he treated him as a 
 father would treat a child, and returned him to his 
 7* 
 
154 
 
 DE SOTO. 
 
 home laden with presents. He availed himself of 
 every opportunity to send friendly messages to Ucita. 
 But the mutilated chief was in no mood to be pla- 
 ^cated. His only reply to these kind words was, 
 
 " I want none of the speeches or promises of the 
 Spaniards. Bring me their heads and I will receive 
 them joyfully." 
 
 The energies of De Soto inspired his whole camp. 
 The provisions and munitions of war were promptly 
 landed and conveyed to Ucita. The place was 
 strongly fortified, and a hardy veteran, named Pedro 
 Calderon, was placed in command of the garrison 
 entrusted with its defence. All the large ships were 
 sent back to Cuba, probably to obtain fresh supplies 
 of military stores ; some say that it was to teach the 
 army that, there being no possibility of escape, it now 
 must depend upon its own valor for existence. 
 
 De Soto was very unwilling to set out for a march 
 into the interior for discovery and in search of gold, 
 while leaving so powerful a tribe as that over which 
 Ucita reigned, in hostility behind him. He therefore 
 sent repeated messages to Ucita expressing his utter 
 detestation of the conduct of Narvaez ; his desire to 
 do everything in his power to repair the wrong which 
 had been inflicted upon him, and his earnest wish to 
 establish friendly relations with the deeply-injured 
 chief. 
 
THE LANDING IN FLORIDA. 1 55 
 
 These reiterated friendly advances, ever accom- 
 panied by correspondent action, at length in some 
 slight degree mitigated the deadly rancor of Ucita, 
 so that instead of returning a message of defiance 
 and hate, he sent back the truly noble response : 
 
 " The memory of my injuries prevents me from 
 returning a kind reply to your messages, and your 
 courtesy is such that it will not allow me to return a 
 harsh answer." 
 
 The man who, under these circumstances, could 
 frame such a reply, must have been one of nature's 
 noblemen. De Soto could appreciate the grandeur 
 of such a spirit. While these scenes were transpir- 
 ing, a man was brought into the camp, in Indian cos- 
 tume, who announced himself as a Spaniard by the 
 name of Juan Ortiz. He had been one of the ad- 
 venturers under Narvaez. In the extermination of 
 that infamous band he had been taken captive and 
 bound to the stake, to be consumed. He was then 
 but eighteen years of age, tall and very handsome. 
 As the tongues of torturing flame began to eat into 
 his quivering flesh, cries of agony were extorted 
 from him. 
 
 He was in the hands of a powerful chief, whose 
 daughter is represented as a very beautiful princess, by 
 the name of Uleleh. She was about sixteen years of age, 
 and could not endure the scene. She threw her arms 
 
156 DE SOTO. 
 
 around her father's neck, and with tears of anguish 
 pleaded that his life might be saved. He was res- 
 cued ; and though for a time he suffered extreme 
 cruelty, he eventually became adopted, as it were, 
 into the tribe, and for ten years had resided among the 
 Indians, sometimes regarded as a captive, upon whom 
 heavy burdens could be imposed, and again treated 
 with great kindness. Juan Ortiz being thus familiar 
 with the habits of the natives and their language, 
 became an invaluable acquisition to the adventurers. 
 
 De Soto inquired very earnestly of him respecting 
 the country and the prospect of finding any region 
 abounding with silver and gold. Ortiz had but little 
 information to give, save that, at the distance of about 
 a hundred miles from where they then were, there 
 was a great chief named Uribaracaxi, to whom all the 
 adjacent chiefs were tributary. His realms were rep- 
 resented as far more extensive, populous, and rich 
 than those of the surrounding chieftains. De Soto 
 dispatched a band of sixty horsemen and sixty foot sol- 
 diers with presents and messages of friendship to Uri- 
 baracaxi. The object of the expedition was to explore 
 the country and to make inquiries respecting gold. 
 
 A weary march of about forty miles brought the 
 party to the village of Mucozo, where Ortiz had 
 resided for some years. The chief of this tribe, 
 whose name was also Mucozo, was brother-in-law to 
 
THE I.ANDING IN FLORIDA. 1 57 
 
 Uribaracaxi. Mucozo received the Spaniards with 
 great hospitaUty, and learning that they were on a 
 friendly visit to Uribaracaxi, furnished them with a 
 guide. Four days were occupied in a tedious march 
 through a country where pathless morasses continu- 
 ally embarrassed their progress. 
 
 This expedition was under the command of Bal- 
 thazar de Gallegos. He reached his point of destina- 
 tion in safety. But the chief, deeming it not pru- 
 dent to trust himself in the hands of the Spaniards, 
 whose renown for fiendish deeds had filled the land, 
 had retired from his capital, and nearly all the inhab- 
 itants had fled with him. He left for his uninvited 
 guests no message either of welcome or defiance. 
 Gallegos found all his attempts to open any communi- 
 cations with him unavailing. There was no plunder 
 in the city worth seizing, and De Soto's commands to 
 the expedition were very strict, to treat the Indians 
 with the utmost kindness and humanity. 
 
 • Gallegos made earnest inquiries of the Indians 
 whom he met, as to the provinces where gold and sil- 
 ver could be found. They told him that there was a 
 country many leagues west of them, of marvellous 
 luxuriance and beauty, where gold was found in such 
 abundance that the warriors had massive shields and 
 helmets made of that precious metal. The more 
 shrewd of the Spaniards placed very little reliance 
 
158 DE SOTO. 
 
 upon this testimony. They thought they saw evi- 
 dence that the Indians were ready to fabricate any 
 story by which they could rid themselves of their 
 visitors. 
 
 Soon after the departure of Gallegos, De Soto 
 received Ihe intelligence that the chief Ucita had 
 taken refuge in a forest, surrounded with swamps, 
 not far from the Spanish camp. The vainglorious 
 Porcallo was exceedingly indignant that the Indian 
 chief should presume to hold himself aloof from all 
 friendly advances. He entreated De Soto to grant 
 him the privilege of capturing the fugitive. De Soto 
 complied with his request. The impetuous old man, 
 fond of parade, and lavish of his wealth, selected a 
 band of horsemen and footmen, all of whom were gor- 
 geously apparelled for the occasion. He, himself, was 
 mounted on a magnificent steed and cased in glitter- 
 ing armor. 
 
 It seems that the noble Ucita kept himself well 
 informed of every movement of the invaders. With 
 a spirit of magnanimity which would have done honor 
 to the best Christian in the Spanish ranks, he sent a 
 courier to meet Porcallo, and to say to him, 
 
 " You will only expose yourself to infinite peril 
 from the rivers, morasses, and forests through which 
 you will have to pass in your attempt to reach my 
 retreat. My position is so secure that all your 
 
THE LANDING IN FLORIDA. 1 59 
 
 attempts to take me will result only in your own loss. 
 I do not send you this message from any fears on my 
 own account, but because your leader, De Soto, has 
 manifested so much forbearance in not injuring my 
 territory or my subjects." 
 
 It is really refreshing to find here and there, 
 among all these demoniac deeds of demoniac men, 
 some remaining traces of that nobility of character 
 which man had before the fall, when created in God's 
 image he was but little lower than the angels. Man, 
 as we see him developed in history, is indeed a ruin, 
 but the ruin of a once noble fabric. When we think 
 of what man might be, in all generous afiections, and 
 then think of what man is, it is enough to cause one 
 to weep tears of blood. 
 
 Porcallo could not appreciate the magnanimity of 
 Ucita. He regarded the message as one of the strat- 
 agems of war, dictated either by fear or cowardice. 
 He therefore ordered the trumpets to sound the 
 advance, his only fear being, that the chief might 
 escape. Porcallo, a Quixotic knight, had no element 
 of timidity in his character. He led his troops. He 
 never said " Go," but " Follow." Pressing rapidly 
 forward, the little band soon arrived upon the border 
 of a vast and dismal morass, utterly pathless, stretch- 
 ing out many leagues in extent. 
 
 The hot-headed cavalier, thinking that the swamp 
 
l66 DE SOTO. 
 
 might be waded, put spurs to his horse and dashed 
 forward. He had advanced but a few rods when the 
 horse, struggling knee-deep through the mire, stum- 
 bled and fell. One of the legs of the rider was so 
 caught beneath the animal as to pin him inextricably 
 in the morass, covering him with water and with mud. 
 The weight of his armor sank him deeper in the 
 mire, and in the desperate struggles of the steed for 
 extrication, he was in great danger of being suffocated. 
 None could come to his aid without danger of being 
 swallowed up in the bog. 
 
 The unfeeling and brutal soldiers stood upon the 
 borders of the morass with shouts of merriment, as 
 they witnessed the sudden discomfiture of their 
 leader ; a discomfiture the more ludicrous, in con- 
 trast with his gorgeous attire, and his invariably 
 proud and lofty bearing. At length Porcallo extri- 
 cated himself, and, drenched with water, and covered 
 with mud, led his equally bemired steed to the land. 
 He was humiliated and enraged. The derision of the 
 soldiers stung him to the quick. He had embarked 
 in the expedition to gain glory and slaves. He had 
 encountered disgrace ; and the prospect of kidnap- 
 ping the natives, under such a leader as De Soto had 
 proved himself to be, was very small. 
 
 It is probable that before this disaster he had seri- 
 ously contemplated abandoning the expedition and 
 
THE LANDING IN FLORIDA. l6l 
 
 returning to his princely mansion in Trinidad. Or- 
 dering his men to" face about, he sullenly and silently 
 returned to the Spanish camp. Throwing up his 
 commission with disgust, he embarked for Cuba, and 
 we hear of him no more. 
 
 " His train of servants," writes Mr. Theodore 
 Irving, " Spanish, Indian and negro, were embarked 
 with all speed. But when the gallant old cavalier 
 came to take leave of his young companions in arms, 
 and the soldiers he had lately aspired to lead so vain- 
 gloriously, his magnificent spirit broke forth. He 
 made gifts to the right and left, dividing among the 
 officers and knights all the arms, accoutrements, 
 horses and camp equipage, with which he had come 
 so lavishly and so ostentatiously provided, and gave, 
 for the use of the army, all the ample store of provi- 
 sions and munitions brought for the use of himself 
 and his retinue. This done, he bade farewell to cam- 
 paigning and set sail for Cuba, much to the regret of 
 the army, who lamented that so gallant a spirit 
 should have burned out so soon." * 
 
 Indeed, it is stated in what is called " The Portu- 
 guese Narrative " of these events, that Porcallo and 
 De Soto had already quarrelled so decisively that 
 they were no longer on speaking terms. Porcallo, 
 thoroughly destitute of moral principle, was a slave 
 
 * Conquest of Florida, by Theodore Irving, p. 8i. 
 
1 62 DE SOTO. 
 
 hunter ; a character whom De Soto thoroughly de- 
 spised, and whose operations he 'would not on any 
 account allow to be carried on in his army. Porcallo 
 therefore found no difficulty in obtaining permission 
 to retire from the service. Probably both the gov- 
 ernor and his lieutenant were equally happy to be rid 
 of each other. 
 
M 
 
 '\^ 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 The March to Ochile. 
 
 The March Commenced. — The Swamps of Florida. — Passage of the 
 Morass. — Heroism of Silvestre. — Message to Acuera. — His He- 
 roic Reply.— Fierce Hostility of the Indians. — Enter the Town of 
 Ocali. — Strange Incident. — Death of the Bloodhound. — Historical 
 Discrepancies. — Romantic Entrance to Ochile. 
 
 The day after the departure of Porcallo, a courier 
 from Captain Gallegos, accompanied by a small 
 guard, came to the Spanish camp at Ucita. He 
 informed De Soto that there was an ample supply of 
 provisions at Uribaracaxi to sustain the army for sev- 
 eral days ; and that he had received information that 
 at not a great distance from that place large quanti- 
 ties of gold could be obtained. De Soto and his 
 companions were greatly elated by these tidings, 
 trusting that they were about to enter upon another 
 Peru. A garrison of forty horsemen and eighty foot 
 soldiers, was left at Ucita, to protect the military and 
 commissariat stores collected there, and to guard the 
 three vessels still remaining in the bay. Captain 
 Calderon, who was left in command, was strictly 
 enjoined to treat the Indians with the utmost kind- 
 
l64 DE SOTO. 
 
 ness, and not to make war upon them, even if pro- 
 voked by taunts and insults. 
 
 De Soto, then, with the main body of his army, 
 set out on the march for Uribaracaxi, It was soon 
 very evident to him that he was not in Peru. There 
 was no smoothly-paved highway for his soldiers to 
 traverse. The country was pathless, rough, appar- 
 ently uninhabited, encumbered with tangled forests, 
 and vast dismal swamps. It was a very arduous 
 enterprise for soldiers burdened with heavy armor to 
 force their way through such a wilderness, with the 
 baggage essential to such a body of men. 
 
 One of the great objects of the governor, and a 
 humane one, was to establish a colony in Florida. 
 A herd of three hundred swine was kept in the line 
 of march, as these animals were deemed the most 
 advantageous stock for new settlers. After a toil- 
 some march of two days they reached the native vil- 
 lage of Mucozo, where the friendly chief of the same 
 name resided. It is said that this place is now called 
 Hichipuchsassa. The chief received them with great 
 hospitality. 
 
 Pressing on without delay, they soon reached 
 Uribaracaxi, which town it is supposed was situated 
 near the head of the Hillsborough river, which stream 
 empties into Tampa Bay. The chief was still absent, 
 in his place of refuge, amidst the fastnesses of the for- 
 
THE MARCH TO OCHILE. 165 
 
 est. All of De Soto's friendly endeavors to draw 
 him from his retreat proved unavailing. The Span- 
 iards were yet to traverse many leagues of this 
 unknown country before they could enter the region 
 where it was supposed the gold could be found. 
 
 Florida is emphatically a region of swamps. 
 There is probably no section of our country which, 
 in a state of nature, would be more difficult for the 
 passage of an army. About nine miles from the village, 
 directly on their line of march, extending far away to 
 the east and the west, there was a vast bog three 
 miles wide. It was a chaotic region of mud and 
 water, with gigantic trees and entangling roots. 
 After long search a passage was found through 
 which, by the toilsome efforts of a whole day, the 
 army forced its way. Beyond the swamp there 
 opened before them a smooth, luxuriant flower-enam- 
 elled prairie. Rejoicingly the army pressed forward 
 over this beautiful expanse, when suddenly they found 
 their steps again arrested by a series of sluggish 
 streams, stagnant bayous, and impenetrable bogs. 
 
 De Soto now took a hundred horse and a hundred 
 foot soldiers, and leaving the remainder of the army 
 safely encamped, set out to explore the country in 
 search of a practicable route of travel. For three days 
 he skirted the region of bogs, lakes and thickets, send- 
 ing out his runners in different directions to find some 
 
l66 DE SOTO. 
 
 outlet. But there was no outlet for the journeyings 
 of civilized men. They captured some Indians, who 
 offered to guide them, but who treacherously led 
 them to more difficult passes and into ambushes 
 where many of their horses were slain. The dread- 
 ful punishment of these false guides was to be torn to 
 pieces by bloodhounds. They bore their sufferings 
 with amazing fortitude. 
 
 At length they found a very rude, difficult and 
 dangerous path by which the Indians crossed these 
 swamps. At one point, where the water could not be 
 forded for a distance of nearly three hundred feet, the 
 Indians had constructed a bridge by cutting down 
 two large trees and uniting the space that still re- 
 mained between them in this Stygian lake, by tying 
 logs together, with cross-poles for flooring. To add 
 lo the embarrassments of the Spaniards, apparently 
 innumerable small bands of Indians were hovering on 
 their track, assailing them with their sharp-pointed 
 arrows, wherever they could get a shot, and then es- 
 caping into the impenetrable region around. They 
 were very careful never to come to an open conflict. 
 Canoes, propelled by the paddle, would often dart out 
 from the thickets, a shower of arrows be discharged, 
 and the canoes disappear where no foot could follow 
 them. 
 
 A very bold courier, on one of the fleetest horses, 
 
THE MARCH TO OCHILE. 167 
 
 was sent back to summon the main body of the army 
 to march, under the command of Moscoso, and join 
 the party of explorers which De Soto had led. This 
 young man, by the name of Silvestre, accomplished 
 his feat through a thousand perils and hair-breadth 
 escapes. 
 
 Three days De Soto's band had passed struggling 
 through bog and brake, bramble and forest. Sylves- 
 tre was to find his path back travelling with all possi- 
 ble speed by night as well as by day. One attendant 
 only was with him, Juan Lopez. They never could 
 have found their path but through the sagacity of their 
 horses. These noble animals seemed to be endowed 
 for the time with the instinct of setter dogs. For in 
 the darkness of the night they would puff and snort, 
 with their noses close to the ground, ever, under the 
 most difficult circumstances, finding the track. The 
 distance over which they urged their horses exceeded 
 thirty miles. For three days the poor creatures had 
 not been unsaddled, and the bits had but occasionally 
 been removed from their mouths that they might 
 enjoy the brief refreshment of grazing. 
 
 " At times," writes Mr. Irving, " they passed with- 
 in sight of huge fires, around which the savages were 
 stretched in wild fantastic groups, or capering and 
 singing, and making the forests ring with yells and 
 bowlings. These were probably celebrating their 
 
1 68 DE SOTO. 
 
 feasts with war-dances. The deafening din they raised 
 was the safeguard of the two Spaniards, as it pre- 
 vented the savages noticing the clamorous barking of 
 their dogs, and hearing the tramping of the horses as 
 they passed." "'■' 
 
 Immediately on the arrival of these two bold 
 troopers, Moscoso dispatched supplies for the gov- 
 ernor with an escort of thirty horsemen. In the mean 
 time the troops under De Soto were nearly perishing 
 with hunger. They were compelled to leave their 
 encampment in search of food. Fortunately, at no 
 great distance, they found a beautiful valley, waving 
 luxuriantly with fields of corn or maize. Here they 
 encamped and here were soon joined by the escort 
 and their welcome supplies. In a few days Moscoso 
 came also with the residue of the army. They were 
 about sixty miles north of Uribaracaxi. It is sup- 
 posed the place is now known by the old Indian name 
 of Palaklikaha. 
 
 The chief, whose name was Acuera, and all his 
 people had fled to the woods. De Soto sent Indian 
 interpreters to him with friendly messages and the 
 declaration that the Spaniards had no desire to do 
 him any injury ; but that it was their power, if the In- 
 dians resisted, to punish them with great severity. 
 He also commissioned them to make the declaration, 
 
 * Conquest of P'lorida, p. 89. 
 
THE MARCH TO OCHILE. 169 
 
 which to him undoubtedly seemed perfectly just and 
 reasonable, but which, to our more enlightened minds, 
 seems atrocious in the extreme, that it was their only 
 object to bring him and his people into obedience to 
 their lawful sovereign, the king of Spain. With this 
 end in view, he invited the chief to a friendly inter- 
 view. It can hardly be doubted that in that benighted 
 age De Soto felt that he was acting the part of a just 
 and humane man, and of a Christian, in extending the 
 Christian reign of Spain over the heathen realms of 
 Florida. Acuera returned the heroic reply : 
 
 " Others of your accursed race have, in years past, 
 poisoned our peaceful shores. They have taught me 
 what you are. What is your employment .'* To wan- 
 der about like vagabonds from land to land; to rob 
 the poor ; to betray the confiding ; to murder in cold 
 blood the defenceless. With such a people I want no 
 peace — no friendship. War, never-ending, extermi- 
 nating war, is all the boon I ask. You boast yourself 
 valiant ; and so you may be, but my faithful warriors 
 are not less brave ; and this, too, you shall one day 
 prove, for I have sworn to maintain an unsparing 
 conflict while one white man remains in my borders ; 
 not openly, in battle, though even thus we fear not to 
 meet you, but by stratagem, and ambush, and mid- 
 night surprisals. I am king in my own land, and will 
 never become the vassal of a mortal like myself. As 
 
170 DE SOTO. 
 
 for me and my people, we choose death, yes a hun- 
 dred deaths, before the loss of our liberty and the 
 subjugation of our country." 
 
 This answer certainly indicates a degree of intelli- 
 gence and mental culture far above what we should 
 expect to find in the chief of a tribe of Florida In- 
 dians. The chivalric spirit of De Soto compelled him 
 to admire the heroism it displayed. He consequently 
 redoubled his efforts to gain the friendship of the 
 chief, but all in vain. For twenty days De Soto re- 
 mained in this encampment, recruiting his troops and 
 making arrangements for a farther advance. The 
 Indians made constant warfare upon him, lurking in 
 the thickets which densely surrounded his camp. No 
 Spaniard could wander one hundred steps without 
 danger of being shot down by an invisible foe, whose 
 deadly arrow was more noiseless in its flight than the 
 sighing of the breeze through the tree tops. In this 
 way, during these twenty days, fourteen Spaniards 
 were killed and many more wounded. Fifty Indians 
 also fell struck by the bullets of the invaders. De Soto 
 allowed himself only in a war of self-defence. He 
 strictly prohibited his followers from doing any injury 
 to the villages or the property of the natives, or of 
 engaging in the slightest act of violence towards any 
 who were not in active hostility against them. 
 
 After twenty days of such repose as could be 
 
THE MARCH TO OCHILE. 171 
 
 found in this war harassed camp, De Soto resumed 
 his march. He directed the steps of his army in a 
 northeasterly direction towards a town called Ocali, 
 about sixty miles from their encampment. It seems 
 that in most, if not all of this region, the chief and 
 his principal town bore the same name. 
 
 The path of the army led just over a dreary ex- 
 panse of desert sands, about thirty miles broad. There 
 was no underbrush, and over the smooth surface both 
 men and horses could travel with the greatest ease. 
 They then entered upon a beautiful region of fertility 
 and luxuriance. Fields of corn waved their graceful 
 leaves and bannered heads in the breeze. ^ Farm 
 houses and pleasant villages were scattered around, 
 indicating that peace, with its nameless blessings, 
 reigned there. They reached the central town, 
 Ocali, and found it to consist of six hundred sub- 
 stantially built houses. This would give the place a 
 population of probably not less than three thousand. 
 
 But the chief, Ocali, and his principal inhabitants, 
 with their effects, had fled to the forests. The Span- 
 ish army immediately took up its quarters in the 
 dwellings of Ocali. They found here an ample sup- 
 ply of provisions, which they seem without any ques- 
 tionings to have appropriated to their own use. The 
 clime was balmy, the region beautiful, the houses 
 commodious, the food abundant, and the few Indians 
 
172 DE SOTO. 
 
 who remained behind manifested no hostility. The 
 common soldiers, following the example of their leader, 
 treated all with great kindness. 
 
 De Soto sent several Indian messengers daily to 
 the retreat of the chief with proffers of peace and 
 friendship. Though Ocali rejected all these over- 
 tures, it seems that they must have made an impres- 
 sion on the minds of some of his followers. 
 
 One day, four young Floridian warriors, gorge- 
 ously dressed and with nodding plumes, came to the 
 Spanish camp. De Soto received them with great 
 cordiality and invited them to a handsome collation 
 with his principal officers. Mr. Irving, in his well au- 
 thenticated narrative, gives the following account of 
 the scene which there ensued : 
 
 " They sat down and appeared to be eating quiet- 
 ly, when perceiving the Spaniards to be off their 
 guard, they rose suddenly and rushed full speed to 
 the woods. It was in vain for the Spaniards to pur- 
 sue them on foot, and there was no horse at hand. A 
 hound of uncommon sagacity, however, hearing the 
 cry of the Indians, and seeing them run, pursued 
 them. Overtaking and passing by the first and sec- 
 ond and third, he sprang upon the shoulders of the 
 foremost and pulled him to the ground ; as the next 
 Indian passed on, the dog, leaving the one already 
 down, sprang upon his successor and secured him in 
 
THE MARCH TO OCHILE. 1 73 
 
 the same way. In like manner he served the third 
 and fourth, and then kept running from one to the 
 other, pulHng them down as fast as they rose, and 
 barking so furiously that the Indians were terrified 
 and confounded and the Spaniards were enabled to 
 overtake and capture them. They were taken back 
 to the camp and examined separately. For as they 
 were armed, the Spaniards apprehended some treach- 
 ery ; but it appeared that their sudden flight was only 
 by way of exploit, to show their address and fleet- 
 ness." "'•'■" 
 
 Ocali, after resisting for six days all friendly ad- 
 vances, was at length induced to visit the Spanish 
 camp. He was received by De Soto with the great- 
 est kindness, and every effort was made to win his 
 confidence. There was a deep and wide river near 
 the village which it was necessary for the Spaniards 
 to cross in their advance. De Soto, accompanied by 
 Ocali and several of his subjects, was walking on the 
 banks of this stream to select a spot for crossing, by 
 means of a bridge or raft, when a large number of 
 Indians sprang up from the bushes on the opposite 
 side, and assailing them with insulting and reproach- 
 ful language, discharged a volley of arrows upon 
 them, by which one of the Spaniards was wounded. 
 
 Upon De Soto's demanding of the chief the mean- 
 
 * Irving's Conquest of Florida, p. 100. 
 
174 I^E SOTO. 
 
 ing of this hostile movement, OcaU repUed, that they 
 were a collection of his mutinous subjects, who had 
 renounced their allegiance to him, in consequence of 
 his friendship for the Spaniards. The bloodhound, 
 to which we have alluded, that had so sagaciously 
 captured the four Floridians, was in the company 
 held in a leash by one of the servants of the governor. 
 The moment the ferocious animal heard the yells of 
 the Indians, and witnessed their hostile actions, by a 
 desperate struggle he broke from his keeper and 
 plunged into the river. In vain the Spaniards en- 
 deavored to call him back. The Indians eagerly 
 watched his approach, and as he drew near they 
 showered upon him such a volley of arrows, that more 
 than fifty pierced his head and shoulders. He barely 
 reached the land, when he fell dead. The array 
 mourned the loss of the sagacious, fearless and 
 merciless brute as if he had been one of the most 
 valiant of their warriors. 
 
 It soon became evident that Ocali had but slight 
 influence over his tribe. De Soto, apprehensive that 
 it might be thought that he detained him against his 
 will, advised him to return to his people, assuring 
 him that he would always be a welcome guest in the 
 Spanish camp. He left, and they saw him no more. 
 
 Crossing the river by a rude bridge constructed 
 by the Spanish engineers, De Soto took the lead with 
 
THE MARCH TO OCHILE. 175 
 
 a hundred horse and a hundred foot. After a mon- 
 otonous march of three days over a flat country, they 
 came to a very extensive province called Vitachuco, 
 which was governed in common by three brothers. 
 The principal village, Ochile, was rather a fortress 
 than a village, consisting of fifty large buildings 
 strongly constructed of timber. It was a frontier mil- 
 itary post ; for it seems that this powerful tribe was 
 continually embroiled in war with the adjacent prov- 
 inces, Mr. Williams, in his History of Florida, lo- 
 cates Ochile just south of what is called the Allachua 
 prairie. 
 
 There are two sources of information upon which 
 we are dependent for most of the facts here recorded. 
 One is, the " History of Hernando De Soto," written 
 by the Inca Garcilaso de la Vega. He was the son of 
 a Spanish nobleman and of a Peruvian lady of illus- 
 trious rank. His narrative was written as related to 
 him, by a friend who was one of the expedition. 
 With some probable exaggerations it is generally 
 deemed authentic. Mr. Southey describes the work 
 as one of the most delightful in the Spanish lan- 
 guage. 
 
 The other is what is called " The Portuguese Nar- 
 rative." It is from the pen of an anonymous writer, 
 who declares himself to have been a Spanish cavalier, 
 and that he describes the scenes of which he was af» 
 
176 DE SOTO. 
 
 eye-witness. Though these two accounts generally 
 harmonize, there is at times very considerable dis- 
 crepancy between their statements. In the extraor- 
 dinary events now to be chronicled, the writer has 
 generally endeavored to give the narrative, as has 
 seemed to him most probable, in comparing the two 
 accounts, with the well-established character of De 
 Soto. 
 
 The advance guard of the Spanish army marched 
 all night, and just before the dawn of the morning, 
 entered the silent streets of Ochile. Wishing to pro- 
 duce as deep an impression as possible upon the 
 minds of the Indians, their drums were beat, and 
 their trumpets emitted their loudest blasts, as one 
 hundred horsemen with clattering hoofs, and one 
 hundred footmen with resounding arms, startled the 
 citizens from their repose. To these simple natives, 
 it must have been a scene almost as astounding as if 
 a legion of adventurers, from the star Sirius, were at 
 midnight to make their appearance in the streets of 
 a European city. 
 
 The house of the chief was centrally situated. It 
 was a large mansion, nearly three hundred feet in 
 length by one hundred and twenty in width. There 
 were also connected with it quite a number of out- 
 buildings of very considerable dimensions. 
 
 As a matter of course, immediately the whole 
 
THE MARCH TO OCHILE. 1 77 
 
 population was in the streets in a state of utter 
 amazement. It was the object of De Soto to appear 
 in such strength, and to take such commanding posi- 
 tions, as would prevent any assault on the part of the 
 Indians, which would lead to bloodshed. He was 
 well informed of the warlike reputation of the chief 
 who resided there ; and knew that in that fortress he 
 was surrounded by a numerous band of warriors, ever 
 armed and always ready for battle. The region 
 around was densely populated. Should the chief es- 
 cape, determined upon hostility, and rally his troops 
 around him, it might lead to sanguinary scenes, 
 greatly to be deplored. 
 
 De Soto immediately held an interview with the 
 chief; treated him with the utmost kindness and as- 
 sured him that he had no intention of inflicting any 
 injury upon him or any of his subjects ; that he 
 sought only for permission to pass peaceably and un- 
 molested through his realms. The soldiers were 
 strictly enjoined to treat the natives in the most 
 friendly manner, and not to allow themselves, by any 
 provocation whatever, to be drawn into a conflict. 
 
 The chief was very narrowly watched, that he 
 might not escape. Still he was unconscious of his 
 captivity, for he was held by invisible chains. 
 
 During the following day the main body of the 
 army entered Ochile with all the pomp which prancing 
 
178 DE SOTO. 
 
 horses richly accoutred, gorgeous uniforms, bugle- 
 blasts, waving banners, and glittering armor could 
 present. Ocile, its chief, and his warriors were at the 
 mercy of the Spaniards. But they had come not as 
 conquerors, but as peaceful travellers, with smiles and 
 presents, and kindly words. Still the power of these 
 uninvited guests was very manifest, and it was very 
 evident that any hostility on the part of the natives 
 would bring down upon them swift destruction. 
 
 It so happened, that the youngest of the three 
 brother chiefs resided at Ochile. At the suggestion 
 of De Soto, he sent couriers to his two brothers, in- 
 forming them of the arrival of the Spaniards, of their 
 friendly disposition, and of their desire simply to pass 
 through the country unmolested. At the same time 
 he stated, by request of De Soto, that the strength of 
 the Spaniards was such that they were abundantly 
 able to defend themselves ; and that should any at- 
 tack be made upon them, it would lead to results 
 which all would have occasion to deplore. 
 
 The capital of the second brother was not far dis- 
 tant. In three days he came to Ochile, decorated 
 in gorgeous robes of state and accompanied by a ret- 
 inue of his warriors, in their most showy costume. 
 It is recorded that he had the bearing of an accom- 
 plished gentleman, and seemed as much at ease 
 amidst the wondrous surroundings of the Spanish 
 
THE MARCH TO OCHILE. 179 
 
 camp, as if he had been accustomed to them all his 
 days. He entered into the most friendly relations 
 with De Soto and his distinguished officers, and 
 seemed very cordially to reciprocate all their cour- 
 teous attentions. 
 
CHAPTER XL 
 
 The Conspiracy and its Conseqicences. 
 
 The Three Brother Chieftains. — Reply of Vitachuco to his Brothers.— 
 P'eigned Friendship for the Spaniards. — The Conspiracy. — Its 
 Consummation and Results. — Clemency of De Soto. — The Second 
 Conspiracy. — Slaughter of the Indians. — March of the Spaniards 
 for Osachile. — Battle in the Morass. 
 
 Of the three brothers who reigned over this ex- 
 tended territory the elder bore the same name with 
 the province which he governed, which was Vitachuco, 
 He was far the most powerful of the three, in both 
 the extent and populousness of his domain. His two 
 brothers had united in sending an embassy to him, 
 earnestly enjoining the expediency of cultivating 
 friendly relations with the Spaniards. The following 
 very extraordinary reply, which he returned, is given 
 by Garcilaso de la Vega. And though he says he 
 quotes from memory, still he pledges his word of hon- 
 or, that it is a truthful record of the message Vita- 
 chuco sent back. We read it with wonder, as it indi- 
 cates a degree of mental enlightenment, which we had 
 not supposed could have been found among those 
 semi-civilized people. 
 
 " It is evident," said the chief to his brothers, 
 
THE CONSPIRACY. l8l 
 
 " that you are young and have neither judgment 
 nor experience, or you would never speak as you 
 have done of these hated white men. You extol 
 them as virtuous men, who injure no one. You say 
 that they are valiant ; are children of the Sun, and 
 merit all our reverence and service. The vile chains 
 which they have hung upon you, and the mean and 
 dastardly spirit which you have acquired during the 
 short period you have been their slaves, have caused 
 you to speak like women, lauding what you should 
 censure and abhor. 
 
 " You remember not that these strangers can be 
 no better than those who formerly committed so 
 many cruelties in our country. Are they not of the 
 same nation and subject to the same laws ? Do not 
 their manner of life and actions prove them to be the 
 children of the spirit of evil, and not of the Sun and 
 Moon — our Gods .'' Go they not from land to land 
 plundering and destroying; taking the wives and 
 daughters of others instead of bringing their own 
 with them ; and like mere vagabonds maintaining 
 themselves by the laborious toil and sweating brow 
 of others ! 
 
 " Were they virtuous, as you represent, they never 
 would have left their own country ; since there they 
 might have practised their virtues ; planting and cul- 
 tivating the earth, maintaining themselves, without 
 
1 82 DE SOTO. 
 
 prejudice to others or injury to themselves, instead of 
 roving about the world, committing robberies and 
 murders, having neither the shame of men nor the 
 fear of God before them. Warn them not to enter 
 into my dominions. Valiant as they may be, if they 
 dare to put foot upon my soil, they shall never go out 
 of my land alive." 
 
 De Soto and his army remained eight days at 
 Ochile. By unwearied kindness, he so won the confi- 
 dence of the two brother chiefs, that they went in per- 
 son to Vitachuco to endeavor by their united repre- 
 sentations to win him to friendly relations with the 
 Spaniards. Apparently they succeeded. Vitachuco 
 either became really convinced that he had misjudged 
 the strangers, or feigned reconciliation. He invited 
 De Soto and his army to visit his territory, assigning 
 to them an encampment in a rich and blooming val- 
 ley. On an appointed day the chief advanced to 
 meet them, accompanied by his two brothers and 
 five hundred warriors, in the richest decorations and 
 best armament of military art as then understood by 
 the Floridians. 
 
 De Soto and Vitachuco were about of the same 
 age and alike magnificent specimens of physical man- 
 hood. The meeting between them was as cordial as 
 if they had always been friends. The Indian warriors 
 escorted their guests from their encampment to the 
 
THE CONSPIRACY. 183 
 
 capital. It consisted of two hundred spacious edi- 
 fices, strongly built of hewn timber. Several days 
 were passed in feasting and rejoicing, when Juan Or- 
 tiz informed the governor that some friendly Indians 
 had revealed to him that a plot had been formed, by 
 Vitachuco,for the entire destruction of the Spanish 
 army. 
 
 The chief was to assemble his warriors, to the. 
 number of about ten thousand, upon an extensive 
 plain, just outside the city, ostensibly to gratify De 
 Soto with the splendors of a peaceable parade. To 
 disarm all suspicion, they were to appear without any 
 weapons of war, which weapons were however pre- 
 viously to be concealed in the long grass of the 
 prairie. De Soto was to be invited to walk out with 
 the chief to witness the spectacle. Twelve very pow- 
 erful Indians, with concealed arms, were to accompa- 
 ny the chief or to be near at hand. It was supposed 
 that the pageant would call out nearly all the Span- 
 iards, and that they would be carelessly sauntering 
 over the plain. At a given signal, the twelve Indians 
 were to rush upon De Soto, and take him captive if 
 possible, or if it were inevitable, put him to death. 
 
 At the same moment the whole band of native 
 warriors, grasping their arms, was to rush upon the 
 Spaniards in overpowering numbers often to one. In 
 this way it was supposed that every man could speed- 
 
1 84 CE SOTO. 
 
 ily be put to death or captured. Those who were 
 taken prisoners were to be exposed to the utmost in- 
 genuity of Indian torture. 
 
 This seemed a very plausible story. De Soto, 
 upon careful inquiry, became satisfied, of its truth. 
 He consulted his captains, and decided to be so pre- 
 pared for the emergence, that should he be thus at- 
 tacked, the Indian chief would fall into the trap which 
 he had prepared for his victims. 
 
 The designated day arrived. The sun rose in a 
 cloudless sky and a gentle breeze swept the prairie. 
 Early in the morning, Vitachuco called upon De Soto, 
 and very obsequiously solicited him to confer upon 
 him the honor of witnessing a grand muster of his 
 subjects. He said they would appear entirely un- 
 armed, but he wished De Soto to witness their evolu- 
 tions, that he might compare them with the military 
 drill of European armies. De Soto, assuming a very 
 friendly and unsuspicious air, assured the chief, that 
 he should be very happy to witness the pageant. And 
 to add to its imposing display, and in his turn to do 
 something to interest the natives, he said he would 
 call out his whole force of infantry and cavalry, and 
 arrange them in full battle array on the opposite side 
 of the plain. 
 
 The chief was evidently much embarrassed by this 
 proposition, but he did not venture to present any ob- 
 
THE CONSPIRACY. 185 
 
 stacles. Knowing the valor and ferocity of his troops, 
 he still thought that with De Soto as his captive, he 
 could crush the Spaniards by overwhelming numbers. 
 Matters being thus arranged, the whole Spanish 
 army, in its most glittering array, defiled upon the 
 plain. De Soto was secretly well armed. Servants 
 were ready with two of the finest horses to rush to 
 his aid. A body-guard of twelve of his most stalwart 
 men loitered carelessly around him. 
 
 At nine o'clock in the morning, De Soto and Vita- 
 chuco walked out, side by side, accompanied by their 
 few attendants and ascended a slight eminence which 
 commanded a view of the field. Notwithstanding the 
 careless air assumed by De Soto, he was watching 
 every movement of Vitachuco with intensest interest. 
 The instant the Indian chief gave his signal, his at- 
 tendants rushed upon De Soto, and his ten thousand 
 warriors grasped their arrows and javelins, and with 
 the hideous war-whoop rushed upon the Spaniards. 
 But at the same instant a bugle blast, echoing over 
 the plain, put the whole Spanish army in motion in 
 an impetuous charge. The two signals for the deadly 
 conflict seemed to be simultaneous. The body-guard 
 of De Soto, with their far superior weapons, not only 
 repelled the Indian assailants, but seized and bound 
 Vitachuco as their captive. De Soto lost not a mo- 
 ment in mounting a horse, led to him by his servant. 
 
1 86 DE SOTO. 
 
 But the noble animal fell dead beneath him, pierced 
 by many arrows. Another steed was instantly at his 
 side, and De Soto was at the head of his cavalry, lead- 
 ing the charge. Never, perhaps, before, did so terri- 
 ble a storm burst thus suddenly from so serene a sky. 
 
 The natives fought with valor and ferocity which 
 could not be surpassed even by the Spaniards. All 
 the day long the sanguinary battle raged, until ter- 
 minated by the darkness of the night. The field was 
 bordered, on one side, by a dense forest, and on the 
 other by a large body of water, consisting of two 
 lakes. Some of the natives escaped into the almost 
 impenetrable forest. Many were drowned. Several 
 of the young men, but eighteen years of age, who 
 were taken captive, — the sons of chiefs, — developed 
 a heroism of character which attracted the highest ad- 
 miration of De Soto. They fought to the last possi- 
 ble moment, and when finally captured, expressed 
 great regret that they had not been able to die for 
 their country. They said to their conqueror, 
 
 " If you wish to add to your favors, take our lives. 
 After surviving the defeat and capture of our chief- 
 tain, we are not worthy to appear before him, or to 
 live in the world." 
 
 It is said that De Soto was greatly moved with 
 compassion in view of the calamity which had befal- 
 len these noble young men. He embraced them 
 
THE CONSPIRACY. 1 8/ 
 
 with parental tenderness, and commended their valor, 
 which he regarded as proof of their noble blood. 
 
 " For two days," writes Mr. Irving, "he detained 
 them in the camp, feasting them at his table and 
 treating them with every distinction ; at the end of 
 which time he dismissed them with presents of linen, 
 cloths, silks, mirrors and other articles of Spanish 
 manufacture. He also sent by them presents to 
 their fathers and relations, with proffers of friend- 
 ship." 
 
 De Soto had succeeded in capturing four of the 
 most distinguished captains of Vitachuco. They had 
 been ostensibly the friends of the Spaniard, had ate 
 at his table and had apparently reciprocated all his 
 kindly words and deeds. While thus deceiving him, 
 they had cooperated with Vitachuco for his destruc- 
 tion. De Soto summoned them with their chief be- 
 fore him. 
 
 " He reproached them," says Mr. Irving " with the 
 treacherous and murderous plot, devised against him 
 and his soldiers, at a time when they were professing 
 the kindest amity. Such treason, he observed, mer- 
 ited death ; yet he wished to give the natives evi- 
 dence of his clemency. He pardoned them, there- 
 fore, and restored them to his friendship ; warning 
 them, however, to beware how they again deceived 
 him, or trespassed against the safety and welfare of 
 
1 88 DE SOTO. 
 
 the Spaniards, lest they should bring down upon 
 themselves dire and terrible revenge." 
 • Vitachuco was now a captive. Yet notwithstand- 
 ing the conspiracy which had led to such deplorable 
 results, De Soto treated him with great kindness, giv- 
 ing him a seat at his own table, and endeavoring in 
 all ways to obliterate the remembrance of the con- 
 flict. De Soto was in search of gold. He had heard 
 of mountains of that precious metal far away in the 
 interior. The natives had no wealth which he desired 
 to plunder. Their hostility he exceedingly depre- 
 cated, as it deprived him of food, of comforts, and 
 exposed his little band to the danger of being cut off 
 and annihilated, as were the troops of Narvaez, who 
 had preceded him. The past career of De Soto 
 proves, conclusively, that he was by nature a humane 
 man, loving what he conceived to be justice. 
 
 Under these circumstances, a wise policy de- 
 manded that he should do what he could to concili- 
 ate the natives before he advanced in his adventurous 
 journey, leaving them, if hostile, disposed to cut off 
 his return. It is said that nine hundred of the most 
 distinguished warriors of Vitachuco were virtually 
 enslaved, one of whom was assigned to each of the 
 Spaniards, to serve him in the camp and at the table. 
 Such at least is the story as it comes down to us, Vi- 
 tachuco formed the plan again to assail the Spaniards 
 
THE CONSPIRACY. 1 89 
 
 by a concerted action at the dinner-table. Every 
 warrior was to be ready to surprise and seize his 
 master, and put him to death. There is much in thisj^ 
 narrative which seems improbable. We will, however, 
 give it to our readers as recorded by Mr. Irving in his 
 very carefully written history of the Conquest of 
 Florida. We know not how it can be presented in a 
 more impartial manner. 
 
 " Scarcely had Vitachuco conceived this rash 
 scheme than he hastened to put it into operation. He 
 had four young Indians to attend him as pages. 
 These he sent to the principal prisoners, revealing 
 his plan, with orders that they should pass it secretly 
 and adroitly from one to another, and hold themselves 
 in readiness, at the appointed time, to carry it into 
 effect. The dinner hour of the third day was the 
 time fixed upon for striking the blow. Vitachuco 
 would be dining with the governor, and the Indians 
 in general attending upon their respective masters. 
 
 " The cacique was to watch his opportunity, 
 spring upon the governor and kill him, giving at the 
 moment of assault a war-whoop which should resound 
 throughout the village. The war-whoop was to be 
 the signal for every Indian to grapple with his master 
 or with any other Spaniard at hand and dispatch him 
 on the spot. 
 
 " On the day appointed Vitachuco dined as usual 
 
190 DE SOTO. 
 
 with the governor. When the repast was conckided, 
 he sprang upon his feet, closed instantly with the 
 governor, seized him with the left hand by the collar, 
 and with the other fist dealt him such a blow in the 
 face as to level him with the ground, the blood gush- 
 ing out of eyes, nose and mouth. The cacique threw 
 himself upon his victim to finish his work, giving at 
 the same time his signal war-whoop. 
 
 " All this was the work of an instant ; and before 
 the officers present had time to recover from their 
 astonishment, the governor lay senseless beneath the 
 tiger grasp of Vitachuco. One more blow from the 
 savage would have been fatal ; but before he could 
 give it a dozen swords and lances were thrust through 
 his body, and he fell dead. 
 
 " The war-whoop had resounded through the vil- 
 lage. Hearing the fatal signal, the Indians, attend- 
 ing upon their masters, assailed them with whatever 
 missile they could command. Some seized upon 
 pikes and swords ; others snatched up the pots in 
 which meal was stewing at the fire, and beating the 
 Spaniards about the head, bruised and scalded them 
 at the same time. Some caught up plates, pitchers, 
 jars, and the pestles wherewith they pounded the 
 maize. Others seized upon stools, benches and ta- 
 bles, striking with impotent fury, when their weapons 
 had not the power to harm. Others snatched up 
 
THE CONSPIRACY. I9I 
 
 burning fire-brands, and rushed like very devils into 
 the affray. Many of the Spaniards were terribly 
 burned, bruised and scalded. Some had their arms 
 broken." 
 
 This terrible conflict was of short duration. 
 Though the Spaniards were taken by surprise, they 
 were not unarmed. Their long keen sabres gave 
 them a great advantage over their assailants. Though 
 several were slain, and many more severely wounded, 
 the natives were soon overpowered. The exasperated 
 Spaniards were not disposed to show much mercy. 
 In these two conflicts with the Indians, Vitachuco fell, 
 and thirteen hundred of his ablest warriors. 
 
 De Soto had received so terrific a blow, that for 
 half an hour he remained insensible. The gigantic 
 fist of the savage had awfully bruised his face, knock- 
 ing out several of his teeth. It was four days before 
 he recovered sufficient strength to continue his march 
 and twenty days elapsed before he could take any 
 solid food. On the fifth day after this great disaster 
 the Spaniards resumed their journey ings in a north- 
 west direction, in search of a province of which they 
 had heard favorable accounts, called Osachile. The 
 first day they advanced but about twelve miles, 
 encamping upon the banks of a broad and deep river, 
 which is supposed to have been the Suwanee. 
 
 A band of Indians was upon the opposite side of 
 
192 DE SOTO, 
 
 the stream evidently in hostile array. The Spaniards 
 spent a day and a half in constructing rafts to float 
 them across. They approached the shore in such 
 strength, that the Indians took to flight, without as- 
 sailing them. Having crossed the river they entered 
 upon a prairie country of fertile soil, where the indus- 
 trious Indians had many fields well filled with corn, 
 beans and pumpkins. But as they journeyed on, the 
 Indians, in small bands,, assailed them at every point 
 from which an unseen arrow or javelin could be 
 thrown. The Spaniards, on their march, kept in 
 ■ quite a compact body, numbering seven or eight hun- 
 dred men, several hundred of whom were mounted 
 on horses gayly caparisoned, which animals, be it re- 
 membered, the Indians had never before seen. 
 
 After proceeding about thirty miles through a 
 pretty well cultivated country, with scattered farm- 
 houses, they came to quite an important Indian town 
 called Osachile. It contained about two hundred 
 houses ; but the terrified inhabitants had fled, taking 
 with them their most valuable effects, and utter soli- 
 tude reigned in its streets. 
 
 The country was generally flat, though occasion- 
 ally it assumed a little of the character of what is 
 called the rolling prairie. The Indian towns were al- 
 ways built upon some gentle swell of land. Where 
 this could not be found, they often constructed arti- 
 
THE CONSPIRACY. I93 
 
 ficial mounds of earth, sufficient in extent to contain 
 from ten to twenty houses. Upon one of these the 
 chief and his immediate attendants would rear their 
 dwellings, while the more humble abodes of the com- 
 mon people, were clustered around. At Osachile 
 De Soto found an ample supply of provisions, and he 
 remained there two days. 
 
 It is supposed that Oaschile was at the point 
 now called Old Town. Here De Soto was inform- 
 ed by captive Indians that about thirty leagues to 
 the west there was a very rich and populous country 
 called Appalachee. The natives were warlike in the 
 highest degree, spreading the terror of their name 
 through all the region around. Gold was said to 
 abound there. The country to be passed through, 
 before reaching that territory, was filled with gloomy 
 swamps and impenetrable thickets, where there was 
 opportunity for ambuscades. De Soto was told that 
 the Appalachians would certainly destroy his whole 
 army should he attempt to pass through those bar- 
 riers and enter their borders. 
 
 This peril was only an incentive to the adventu- 
 rous spirit of the Spanish commander. To abandon 
 the enterprise and return without the gold, would be 
 not only humiliating, but would be his utter ruin. He 
 had already expended in the undertaking all that he 
 possessed. He had no scruples of conscience to re- 
 9 
 
194 I^E SOTO. 
 
 tard his march, however sanguinary the hostility of 
 the natives might render it. It was the doctrine of 
 the so-called church at Rome, that Christians were en- 
 titled to the possessions of the heathen ; and though 
 Dc Soto himself by no means professed to be actu- 
 ated by that motive, the principle unquestionably in- 
 fluenced nearly his whole army. 
 
 But he did assume that he was a peaceful travel- 
 ler, desiring to cultivate only friendly relations with 
 the natives, and that he had a right to explore this 
 wilderness of the new world in search of those pre- 
 cious medals of which the natives knew not the value, 
 but which were of so much importance to the interest 
 of all civilized nations. 
 
 For three days the Spaniards toiled painfully along 
 over an arid, desert plain, beneath a burning sun. 
 About noon on the fourth day they reached a vast 
 swamp, probably near the Estauhatchee river. This 
 swamp was bordered by a gloomy forest, with gigantic 
 trees, and a dense, impervious underbrush, ever stim- 
 ulated to wonderful luxuriance by an almost tropical 
 sun and a moist and spongy soil. Through this mo- 
 rass the Indians, during generations long since passed 
 away, had constructed a narrow trail or path about 
 three feet wide. This passage, on both sides, was 
 walled up by thorny and entangled vegetation almost 
 as impenetrable as if it were brick or stone. 
 
THE CONSPIRACY, I95 
 
 In the centre of this gloomy forest, there was a 
 sheet of shallow water about a mile and a half in 
 width and extending north and south as far as the eye 
 could reach. The Indians had discovered a ford 
 across this lake till they came to the main channel in 
 the centre, which was about one hundred and twenty 
 feet wide. This channel, in the motionless waters, 
 was passed by a rude bridge consisting of trees tied 
 together. 
 
 De Soto encamped on the borders of this gloomy 
 region for a short time to become acquainted with the 
 route and to force the passage. There were various 
 spots where the Indians, familiar with the whole re- 
 gion, lay in ambush. From their unseen coverts, 
 they could assail the Spaniards with a shower of ar- 
 rows as they defiled through the narrow pass, and 
 escape beyond any possibility of pursuit. Compelling 
 some Indians to operate as guides, under penalty of 
 being torn to pieces by bloodhounds, De Soto com- 
 menced his march just after midnight. Two hundred 
 picked men on foot, but carefully encased in armor, 
 led the advance in a long line two abreast. Every 
 man was furnished with his day's allowance of food in 
 the form of roasted kernels of corn. They pressed 
 along through a path which they could not lose, and 
 from which they could not wander, till they reached 
 the lake. Here the guides led them along by a nar- 
 
196 DE SOTO. 
 
 row ford, up to their waists in water, till they reached 
 the bridge of logs. The advance-guard had just 
 passed over this bridge when the day dawned, and they 
 were discovered by the Indians, who had not supposed 
 they would attempt to cross the morass by night. 
 
 The Appalachian warriors, with hideous yells and 
 great bravery, rushed into the lake to meet their 
 foes. Here Spaniard and Floridian grappled in the 
 death struggle up to their waists in water. The 
 steel-clad Spaniards, with their superior arms, pre- 
 vailed, and the natives repulsed, rushed into the nar- 
 row defile upon the other side of the lake. The 
 main body of the army pressed on, though contin- 
 ually and fiercely assailed by the arrows of the In- 
 dians. Arriving at a point where there was an ex- 
 panse of tolerably dry ground, De Soto sent into the 
 forests around forty skirmishers to keep off the In- 
 dians, while a hundred and fifty men were employed 
 in felling trees and burning brush, in preparation for 
 an encampment for the night. 
 
 Exhausted by the toil of the march and of the 
 battle ; drenched with the waters of the lake ; many of 
 them suffering from wounds, they threw themselves 
 down upon the hot and smouldering soil for sleep. 
 But there was no repose for them that night. Dur- 
 ing all the hours of darkness, the prowling natives 
 kept up a continuous clamor, with ever recurring as- 
 
THE CONSPIRACY. 1 97 
 
 saults. With the first dawn of the morning the 
 Spaniards resumed their march, anxious to get out 
 of the defile and into the open prairie beyond, where 
 they could avail themselves of their horses, of which 
 the Indians stood in great dread. As they gradually 
 emerged from the impenetrable thicket into the more 
 open forest, the army could be spread out more 
 effectually, and the horesmen could be brought a lit- 
 tle more into action. But here the valor of the na- 
 tives did not forsake them. 
 
 " As soon as the Spaniards," writes Mr. Irving, 
 " entered this more open woodland, they were as- 
 sailed by showers of arrows on every side. The In- 
 dians, scattered about among the thickets, sallied 
 forth, plied their bows with intense rapidity, and 
 plunged again into the forest. The horses were of 
 no avail. The arquebusiers and archers seemed no 
 longer a terror ; for in the time a Spaniard could make 
 one discharge, and reload his musket or place another 
 bolt in his cross-bow, an Indian would launch six or 
 seven arrows. Scarce had one arrow taken flight 
 before another was in the bow. For two long leagues 
 did the Spaniards toil and fight their way forward 
 through this forest. 
 
 " Irritated and mortified by these galling attacks 
 and the impossibility of retaliating, at length they 
 emerged into an open and level country. Here, over- 
 
198 DE SOTO, 
 
 joyed at being freed from this forest prison, they gave 
 reins to their horses, and free vent to their smothered 
 rage, and scoured the plain, lancing and cutting down 
 every Indian they encountered. But few of the ene- 
 my were taken prisoners, many were put to the 
 sword." 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 Winter Quarters. 
 
 Incidents of the March. — Passage of the River. — Entering Anhayea. — 
 Exploring Expeditions. — De Soto's desire for Peace. — Capture of 
 Capifi. — His Escape. — Embarrassments of De Soto. — Letter of 
 Isabella. — Exploration of the Coast. — Discovery of the Bay of Pen- 
 sacola. — Testimony Respecting Cafachique. — The March Resumed. 
 
 The Spaniards now entered upon a beautiful and 
 highly cultivated region, waving with fields of corn 
 and adorned with many pleasant villages and scat- 
 tered farm-houses. It seemed to be the abode of 
 peace, plenty and happiness. It certainly might have 
 been such, but for the wickedness of man. Wearied 
 with their long march and almost incessant battle, the 
 Spaniards encamped in the open plain, where their 
 horsemen would be able to beat off assaults. 
 
 But the night brought them no repose. It was 
 necessary to keep a large .force mounted and ready 
 for conflict. The natives, in large numbers, surroun- 
 ded them, menacing an attack from every quarter, 
 repeatedly drawing near enough in the darkness to 
 throw their arrows into the camp, and keeping up an 
 incessant and hideous howling. After a sleepless 
 
200 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 night, with the earHest Hght of the morning they re- 
 sumed their march along a very comfortable road, 
 which led through extensive fields of corn, beans, 
 pumpkins and other vegetables. The prairie spread 
 out before them in its beautiful, level expanse, till 
 lost in the distant horizon. All the day long their 
 march was harassed by bands of natives springing up 
 from ambush in the dense corn-fields which effectu- 
 ally concealed them from view. Many were the 
 bloody conflicts in which the natives were cut down 
 mercilessly, and still their ferocity and boldness con- 
 tinued unabated. 
 
 After thus toiling on for six miles the Spaniards 
 approached a deep stream, supposed to be the river 
 Uche, It was crossed by a narrow ford with deep 
 water above and below. Here the natives had con- 
 structed palisades, and interposed other obstacles, 
 behind which, with their arrows and javelins, they 
 seemed prepared to make a desperate resistance. De 
 Soto, after carefully reconnoitering the position, se- 
 lected a number of horsemen, who were most effectually 
 protected with their steel armor, and sent them for- 
 ward, with shields on one arm, and with swords and 
 hatchets to hew away these obstructions, which were 
 all composed of wood. Though several of the Span- 
 iards were slain and many wounded, they effected a 
 passage, when the mounted horsemen plunged 
 
WINTER QUARTERS. 20I 
 
 through the opening, put the Indians to flight and 
 cut them down with great slaughter. 
 
 Continuing their march, on the other side of the 
 river, for a distance of about six miles through the 
 same fertile and well populated region, they were ad- 
 monished by the approach of night, again to seek an 
 encampment. The night was dark and gloomy. All 
 were deeply depressed in spirits. An incessant battle 
 seemed their destiny. The golden mountains of which 
 they were in pursuit were ever vanishing away. They 
 were on the same path which had previously been 
 traversed by the cruel but energetic Narvaez, and 
 where his whole company had been annihilated, 
 leaving but four or five to tell the tale of the awful 
 tragedy. 
 
 Dreadful as were the woes which these adventur- 
 ers had brought upon the Indians, still more terrible 
 were the calamities in which they had involved them- 
 selves. They were now three hundred miles from 
 Tampa Bay. Loud murmurs began to rise in the 
 camp. Nearly all demanded to return. But, for De 
 Soto, the abandonment of the enterprise was dis- 
 grace, and apparently irretrievable ruin. There was 
 scarcely any condition of life more to be deplored 
 than that of an impoverished nobleman, De Soto 
 was therefore urged onward by the energies of de- 
 spair. 
 
202 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 Again through all the hours of the night, they 
 were exposed to an incessant assault from their un- 
 wearied foes. From their captives they learned that 
 they were but six miles from the village of Anhayea, 
 where their chief, Capafi, resided. This was the first 
 instance in which they heard of a chief who did not 
 bear the same name as the town in which he dwelt. 
 Early in the morning, De Soto, with two hundred 
 mounted cavaliers and one hundred footmen, led the 
 advance, and soon entered the village, which consist- 
 ed of two hundred and fifty houses, well built and 
 of large size. 
 
 At one end of the village stood the dwelling of 
 the chief, which was quite imposing in extent, 
 though not in the grandeur of its architecture. The 
 chief and all his men had fled, and the Spaniards en- 
 tered deserted streets. The army remained here for 
 several days, finding abundance of food. Still they 
 were harassed, day and night, by the indomitable 
 energy of the natives. Two well armed expeditions 
 were sent out to explore the country on the north 
 and the west, for a distance of forty or fifty miles, 
 while a third was dispatched to the south in search 
 of the ocean. 
 
 Anhayea, where the main body of the army 
 took up its quarters, is supposed to have been near 
 the present site of the city of Tallahassee. The two 
 
WINTER QUARTERS. 203 
 
 first expeditions sent out, returned, one in eight and 
 the other in nine days, bringing back no favorable 
 report. The other, sent in search of the ocean, was 
 absent much longer, and De Soto became very ap- 
 prehensive that it had been destroyed by the natives. 
 
 Through many perilous and wild adventures, being 
 often betrayed and led astray by their guides, they 
 reached, after a fortnight's travel, the head of the bay 
 now called St. Mark's. Here they found vestiges of 
 the adventurers who had perished in the ill-fated 
 Narvaez expedition. There was a fine harbor to 
 which reinforcements and fresh supplies of ammunition 
 might be sent to them by ships from Cuba, or from 
 Tampa Bay. With these tidings they hurried back 
 to Anhayea. 
 
 They had now reached the month of November, 
 1539. The winter in these regions, though short, had 
 often days of such excessive cold that men upon the 
 open prairie, exposed to bleak winds called northers, 
 often perished from the severity of the weather. 
 De Soto resolved to establish himself in winter-quar- 
 ters at Anhayea. With his suite he occupied the 
 palace of the chief. The other houses were appro- 
 priated to the soldiers for their barracks. He threw 
 up strong fortifications and sent out foraging parties 
 into the region around, for a supply of provisions. 
 As we have no intimation that any payment was 
 
204 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 made, this was certainly robbery. Whatev^er may be 
 said of the necessities of his case, it was surely unjust 
 to rob the Indians of their harvests. Still, De Soto 
 should not be condemned unheard ; and while we 
 have no evidence that he paid the natives for the 
 food he took from them, still we have no proof that 
 he did not do so. 
 
 In accordance with his invariable custom, he made 
 strenuous efforts to win the confidence of the natives. 
 Through captive Indians he sent valuable presents to 
 the chief Capafi in his retreat, and also assurances 
 that he sought only friendly relations between them. 
 The chief, however, was in no mood to give any 
 cordial response to these advances. He had taken 
 refuge in a dense forest, surrounded by dismal morass- 
 es, which could only be traversed by a narrow pass 
 known only to the Indians, where his warriors in am- 
 bush might easily arrest the march of the whole army 
 of Spaniards. The brutal soldiery of Narvaez had 
 taught them to hate the Spaniards. 
 
 He kept up an incessant warfare, sending out 
 from his retreat fierce bands to assail the invaders 
 by day and by night, never allowing them one 
 moment of repose. Many of the Spaniards were 
 slain. But they always sold their lives very dearly, 
 so that probably ten natives perished to one of the 
 Spaniards. There was nothing gained by this car- 
 
WINTER QUARTERS. 205 
 
 nage. De Soto was anxious to arrest it. Every 
 consideration rendered it desirable for him to have 
 the good will of the natives. Peace and friendship 
 would enable him to press forward with infinitely- 
 less difficulty in search of his imaginary mountains 
 of gold and silver, and would greatly facilitate his 
 establishment of a colony around the waters of some 
 beautiful bay in the Gulf, whence he could ship his 
 treasures to Spain and receive supplies in return. 
 
 Finding it impossible to disarm the hostility of 
 Capafi by any kindly messages or presents, he 
 resolved if possible to take him captive. In this 
 way only could he arrest the cruel war. The venera- 
 tion of the Indians for their chief was such that, 
 with Capafi in the hands of the Spaniards as a hos- 
 tage, they would cease their attacks out of regard to 
 his safety. 
 
 It was some time before De Soto could get any 
 clew to the retreat in which Capafi was concealed. 
 And he hardly knew how to account for the fact, 
 that the sovereign of a nation of such redoubtable 
 ferocity, should never himself lead any of his military 
 bands, in the fierce onsets which they were inces- 
 santly making. At length De Soto learned that 
 Capafi, though a man of great mental energy, was 
 incapacitated from taking the field by his enormous 
 obesity. He was so fat that he could scarcely walk, 
 
2o6 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 and was borne from place to place on a litter. He 
 could give very energetic commands, but the execu- 
 tion of them must be left to others. He also ascer- 
 tained that this formidable chief had taken up his 
 almost unapproachable quarters about twenty-five 
 miles from Anhayea ; and that in addition to the 
 tangled thickets and treacherous morasses with 
 which nature had surrounded him, he had also 
 fortified himself in the highest style of semi-barbarian 
 art, and had garrisoned his little fortress with a band 
 of his most indomitable warriors. 
 
 Notwithstanding the difficulty of the enterprise, 
 De Soto resolved to attempt to capture him. This 
 was too arduous a feat to be entrusted to the leader- 
 ship of any one but himself. He took a select body 
 of horsemen and footmen, and after a very difficult 
 journey of three days, came to the borders of the 
 citadel where the chief and his garrison were in- 
 trenched. Mr. Irving, in his admirable history of 
 the Conquest of Florida, gives the following interest- 
 ing account of the fortress, and of the battle in 
 which it was captured: 
 
 " In the heart of this close and impervious forest, 
 a piece of ground was cleared and fortified for the 
 residence of the Cacique and his warriors. The only 
 entrance or outlet, was by a narrow path cut through 
 the forest. At every hundred paces, this path was 
 
WINTER QUARTERS. 20/ 
 
 barricaded by palisades and trunks of trees, at each 
 of which was posted a guard of the bravest warriors. 
 Thus the fat Cacique was ensconced in the midst of 
 the forest hke a spider in the midst of his web, and 
 his devoted subjects were ready to defend him to the 
 last gasp. 
 
 " When the Governor arrived at the entrance to 
 the perilous defile, he found the enemy well prepared 
 for its defence. The Spaniards pressed forward, but 
 the path was so narrow that the two foremost only 
 could engage in the combat. They gained the first 
 and second palisades at the point of the sword. 
 There it was necessary to cut the osiers and other 
 bands, with which the Indians had fastened the 
 beams. While thus occupied they were exposed 
 to a galling fire and received many wounds. Not- 
 withstanding all these obstacles, they gained one 
 palisade after the other until, by hard fighting, they 
 arrived at the place of refuge of the Cacique. 
 
 " The conflict lasted a long time, with many feats 
 of prowess on both sides. The Indians however, for 
 want of defensive armor, fought on unequal terms, 
 and were most of them cut down. The Cacique 
 called out to the survivors to surrender. The latter, 
 having done all that good soldiers could do, and 
 seeing all their war-like efforts in vain, threw them- 
 selves on their knees before the Governor and offer- 
 12 
 
2o8 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 ed up their own lives, but entreated him to spare 
 the Hfe of their Cacique. 
 
 " De Soto was moved by their valor and their 
 loyalty; receiving them with kindness, he assured 
 them of his pardon for the past, and that henceforth 
 he would consider them as friends, Capafi, not 
 being able to walk, was borne in the arms of his at- 
 tendants to kiss the hands of the Governor, who, 
 well pleased to have him in his power, treated him 
 with urbanity and kindness." 
 
 Severe as had been the conflict, De Soto return- 
 ed to Anhayea with his captive, highly gratified by 
 the result of his enterprise. He had strictly en- 
 joined it upon his troops not to be guilty of any act 
 of wanton violence. On the march he had very 
 carefully refrained from any ravaging of the country. 
 He now hoped that, the chief being in his power 
 and being treated with the utmost kindness, all hos- 
 tilities would cease. But, much to his disappoint- 
 ment, the warriors of Capafi, released from the care 
 of their chief, devoted themselves anew to the 
 harassment of the Spaniards in every possible way. 
 
 Capafi seemed much grieved by this their con- 
 duct, assuming to be entirely reconciled to his con- 
 queror. He informed De Soto that his prominent 
 warriors, who directed the campaign, had established 
 their headquarters in a dense forest about thirty 
 
WINTER QUARTERS. 209 
 
 miles from Anhayea. He said that it would be of 
 no avail for him to send messengers to them, for 
 they would believe that the messages were only such 
 as De Soto compelled their chief to utter. He how- 
 ever offered to go himself to the camp of his war- 
 riors, accompanied by such a guard of Spanish 
 troops as De Soto might deem it best to send with 
 him. He expressed the assurance, that he should 
 be enabled to induce his warriors to throw down 
 their arms. 
 
 De Soto accepted tliQ proposition. In the early 
 morning a strong escort of infantry and cavalry left 
 the village to conduct the chief to the encampment 
 of the natives. Skillful guides accompanied them, 
 so that they reached the vicinity of the encampment 
 just as the sun was going down. The chief sent 
 forward scouts immediately, to inform his friends 
 of his approach. The Spaniards, weary of their long 
 day's march, and convinced of the impossibility of 
 the escape of the chief, who could scarcely walk 
 a step, were very remiss in watchfulness. Though 
 they established sentinels and a guard, in accordance 
 with military usage, it would seem that they all 
 alike fell asleep. It is probable that the wily chief 
 had sent confidential communications to his war- 
 riors through his scouts. 
 
 The Spaniards were encamped in the glooms of 
 
210 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 the forest. At midnight, when darkness, silence and 
 solitude reigned, Capafi stealthily crept on his hands 
 and knees, a few rods from his sleeping guard, into 
 the thicket, where a band of Indian runners met him 
 with a litter and bore him rapidly away beyond all 
 chance of successful pursuit. The Spaniards never 
 caught glimpse of their lost captive again. When 
 they awoke their chagrin and dread of punishment 
 were extreme. The sentinels, who had been ap- 
 pointed to watch the captive, solemnly averred, in 
 excuse for their neglect, that during the night de- 
 moniac spirits had appeared, and had borne away 
 the unwieldy chief through the air. 
 
 As all the band were implicated in the escape, all 
 were alike ready to aver that, during the night, they 
 had witnessed very strange sights and heard very 
 strange sounds. When they carried back this report, 
 the good-natured De Soto, convinced that fretting 
 and fault-finding would do no good, appeased their 
 alarm by saying, with a peculiar smile : 
 
 "It is not strange. These Indian wizards per- 
 form feats far more difficult than conjuring away a 
 fat chief." 
 
 The winter passed slowly away. The natives 
 were a very ferocious race ; tall, strong, athletic, and 
 delighting in war. Every day and every hour brought 
 alarm and battle. The Indians conducted a harass- 
 
WINTER QUARTERS. 211 
 
 ing and destructive warfare. In small bands they 
 roamed through the forest, cutting off any who ven- 
 tured to wander from the town.- It required a large 
 amount of food to supply the wants of the army in 
 Anhayea. Not a native carried any provisions to 
 the town, and it was necessary for De Soto to send 
 out foraging expeditions, at whatever risk. The 
 winter was cold. Fires were needed for warmth and 
 cooking. But the sound of an axe could not be heard 
 in the forest, without drawing upon the wood-cutters, 
 a swarm of foes. De Soto found himself in what is 
 called a false position ; so that he deemed it neces- 
 sary to resort to cruel and apparently unjustifiable 
 expedients. 
 
 He took a large number of Indian captives. These 
 he compelled to be his hewers of wood and drawers 
 of water. ' He would send a party of Spaniards into 
 the forests for fuel. Each man led an Indian as a 
 servant to operate in the double capacity of a shield 
 against the arrows of the natives, and a slave to col- 
 lect and bring back the burden. To prevent the 
 escape of these Indians, each one was led by a chain, 
 fastened around his neck or waist. Sometimes these 
 natives would make the most desperate efforts to 
 escape ; by a sudden twitch upon the chain they 
 would endeavor to pull it from the hands of their 
 guard, or to throw him down and, seizing any club 
 
212 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 within their reach, would spring upon him with the 
 ferocity of a tiger. 
 
 In various ways more than twenty Spaniards lost 
 their lives, and many more were seriously wounded. 
 It was indeed a melancholy winter for the army of 
 De Soto. Their supplies were so far expended that 
 it was needful for them to await the arrival of their 
 vessels in the Bay of St. Marks. It will also be remem- 
 bered, that De Soto had sent back an expedition to 
 cut its way for a distance of three hundred miles 
 through hostile nations to Ucita, and to summon the 
 garrison there, to set out on a march to join him at 
 Anhayea. Five months wer£ thus spent in weary 
 waiting. 
 
 It is estimated that De Soto's force in Anhayea, 
 including the captives who were servants or slaves, 
 amounted to about fifteen hundred persons. He had 
 also over three hundred horses. The fertility of the 
 region was however such, with its extended fields of 
 corn, beans, pumpkins and other vegetables, that it 
 was not necessary to send foraging parties to a dis- 
 tance of more than four or five miles from the village. 
 On the 29th of December, 1539, the two brigantines, 
 which had sailed from Tampa Bay, came into St. 
 Marks, then called the Bay of Aute. For twelve 
 days before the arrival of the ships, De Soto had 
 kept companies of horse and foot marching and 
 
WINTER QUARTERS. 213 
 
 countermarching between Anhayea and the Bay, 
 to keep the communication open. They also placed 
 banners on the highest trees, as signals to point out 
 the place of anchorage. 
 
 Juan De Auasco, who had command of the 
 vessels, left them well manned in the bay, and with 
 the remainder of the ship's company marched to 
 Anhayea, under escort of the troops sent him by De 
 Soto. 
 
 Soon after this, Pedro Calderon arrived with his 
 gallant little band of a hundred and twenty men. 
 By a series of the wildest adventures and most 
 heroic achievements they had cut their way through 
 a wilderness thronging with foes, where an army of 
 eight hundred men had with difficulty effected a 
 passage. Fighting every step of the way and bear- 
 ing along with them their wounded, their progress 
 was necessarily slow. Several of their number were 
 killed and many wounded. Of the wounded, twelve 
 died soon after they reached Anhayea. 
 
 Their arrival in the village was a cause of great 
 gratification to all there. De Soto received them as 
 an affectionate father welcomes his son whom he had 
 supposed to have been lost. The rumor had reached 
 the Governor that all had been slain on the road. 
 
 Captain Calderon brought a letter to De Soto, 
 from his wife Isabella. We find the followinji^ 
 
2 14 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 interesting extract from this letter in the life of De 
 Soto by Mr. Lambert A. Wilmer. It seems to bear 
 internal evidence of authenticity, though we know 
 not the source from which Mr. Wilmer obtained it. 
 The spirit of the letter is in entire accord with the 
 noble character which Mr. Washington Irving gives 
 Isabella, in his life of Columbus and his companions. 
 
 " I have lately had some conversation with Las 
 Casas, the Bishop of Chiapa. He has convinced me 
 that the behavior of our people to the Indians is 
 inexcusable in the sight of God, however it may be 
 overlooked by men in high authority. The Bishop 
 has proved to me that all who have taken part in 
 the abuse of these harmless people, have been visited 
 in this life with the manifest displeasure of heaven ; 
 and God grant that they may not be punished in the 
 life to come according to the measure of their 
 offense. 
 
 " I hope, my dearest husband that no considera- 
 tions of worldly advantage will make you neglectful 
 of the precepts of humanity and of the duties of 
 religion. Be persuaded to return to me at once ; for 
 you can gain nothing in Florida which can repay me 
 for the sorrow and anxiety I feel in your absence. 
 Nor for all the riches of the country would I have 
 you commit one act the remembrance of which 
 would be painful to you hereafter. If you have 
 
WINTER QUARTERS. 21$ 
 
 ^Min'id nothing I shall be better satisfied, because 
 theti may be the less cause for repentance. What- 
 ever may have been your want of success or your 
 losses, I implore you to come to me without delay; 
 for any reverse of fortune is far better than the sus- 
 pense and misery I now endure." 
 
 This letter must have caused De Soto great per- 
 plexity. But for reasons which we have above given 
 he could not make up his mind to abandon the 
 enterprise, and return to Cuba an unsuccessful and 
 impoverished man. 
 
 De Soto now ordered the two vessels under Diego 
 Maldonado to explore the coast to the westward, 
 carefully examining every river and bay. It would 
 seem also probable that at the same time he fitted 
 out an expedition of fifty foot soldiers, to march along 
 the coast on a tour of discovery. Maldonado, after a 
 sail of about two hundred miles, entered the beautiful 
 bay of Pensacola, then called Archusi. It was an ad- 
 mirable harbor, and with shores so steep and bold 
 that ships could ride in safety almost within cable 
 length of the land. No Spaniards had previously 
 visited that region, consequently the natives were 
 friendly. They came freely on board, bringing fruits 
 and vegetables, and inviting the strangers to the hos- 
 pitality of their homes. 
 
 Maldonado was allowed without molestation to 
 
2l6 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 explore the bay in all directions, taking careful sound- 
 ings. The vessels returned to the bay of Aute, after 
 an absence of but eight weeks. De Soto was highly 
 gratified with the results of the expedition. It 
 seemed to him that the shores of the bay of Pensacola 
 presented just the position he desired for the location 
 of his colony. He had thus far failed, in his searcli 
 for gold, but it seemed to him still possible that he 
 nlight lay the foundation of a populous and powerful 
 empire. 
 
 It was now the latter part of February, and an 
 almost vortical sun was throwing down its rays upon 
 them. Maldonado was dispatched with the brigan- 
 tines to Havana, to return with a supply of clothing, 
 ammunition and such other freight as was needful for 
 the army in its isolated condition. He received orders 
 to be back in the bay of Pensacola, by the first of 
 October. In the mean time De Soto with his army 
 was to make a long circuit through the country, in 
 search of gold. De Soto had received information of 
 a distant province called Cofachiqui, which was gov- 
 erned by a queen, young and beautiful. It was said 
 that this nation was quite supreme over the adjacent 
 provinces, from which it received tribute and feudal 
 homage. 
 
 Two lads but sixteen years of age had come to 
 Anhayea, from this province in company with some 
 
WINTER QUARTERS. 21/ 
 
 Indian traders. So far as they could make themselves 
 understood, though very unskilful interpreters, they 
 represented the country as abounding in silver, gold 
 and precious stones. In pantomime they described 
 the process of mining and smelting the precious metals 
 so accurately that experienced miners were convinced 
 that they must have witnessed those operations. 
 
 In the month of March, 1 540, De Soto left his com- 
 fortable quarters, and commenced his march for thlt 
 province, in a northeasterly direction. Their path 
 led first through an almost unpeopled wilderness 
 many leagues in extent. Each soldier bore his frugal 
 supper or food upon his back. It consisted mainly 
 of roasted corn pounded or ground into meal. 
 
 An unobstructed but weary tramp of three days 
 brought them through this desert region to a very 
 singular village, called Capachiqui. In the midst of 
 a vast morass, there was an island of elevated and 
 dry ground. Here quite a populous village was 
 erected, which commanded a wide spread view of the 
 flat surrounding region. The village could only be 
 approached by several causeways crossing the marsh, 
 about three hundred feet in length. The country be- 
 yond was fertile and sprinkled with small hamlets. 
 Eight hundred armed warriors, on the open plain, 
 presented a force, which the most valiant Indians 
 
 would not venture to assail. The Spaniards entered 
 10 
 
21 8 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 * 
 
 the village by these causeways unopposed, and found 
 there a not inhospitable reception. 
 
 The day after their arrival, seven of De Soto's 
 body-guard, thoughtless and rollicking young men, 
 set out, without authority from their superior officers, 
 to seek ami^sement in the neighboring hamlets. 
 They had scarcely reached the main land, beyond the 
 marsh, when the Indians, from an ambush, rushed 
 upon them, and after a very fierce struggle all but one 
 were slain, and that one, Aguilar, was mortally 
 wounded. The soldiers in the village hastened to the 
 relief of their comrades, but they were too late. 
 Aguilar, in a dying condition, was carried back to the 
 encampment. He had, however, sufficient strength 
 left to make the following extraordinary state- 
 ment: 
 
 " You must know that a band of more than fifty 
 savages sprang out of the thickets to attack us. 
 The moment, however, they saw that we were but 
 seven, and without our horses, seven warriors stepped 
 forth, and the rest retired to some distance. They 
 began the attack, and as we had neither arquebus 
 nor cross-bow, we were entirely at their mercy. Be- 
 ing more agile, and fleet of foot than our men, they 
 leaped around us like so many devils, with horrid 
 laughter, shooting us down like wild beasts without 
 our being able to close with them. My poor com- 
 
WINTER QAARTERS. 219 
 
 rades fell one after the other, and the savages seeing 
 me alone, all seven rushed upon me, and with their 
 bows battered me as you have witnessed." 
 
 This singular event took place within the territory 
 of Apalache, It is said that the Spaniards not un- 
 frequently met with similar instances, in which the 
 natives disdained to avail themselves of superior 
 numbers. 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Lost in the Wilderness. 
 
 Incidents at Achise — Arrival at Cofa. — Friendly Reception by Cofa- 
 qui. — The Armed Retinue. — Commission of Patofa. — Splendors 
 of the March. — Lost in the Wilderness. — Peril of the Army. — 
 Friendly Relations. — The Escape from the Wilderness. — They 
 Reach the Frontiers of Cofachiqui. — Dismissal of Patofa. — Won- 
 derful Reception by the Princess of Cofachiqui. 
 
 After a couple of days of rest and feasting, the 
 Spanish army resumed its march. De Soto led the 
 advance with forty horsemen and seventy foot sol- 
 diers. Ere long they entered the province of At- 
 tapaha, from which the river Attapaha probably 
 takes its name. On the morning of the third day 
 they approached a village called Achise. The af- 
 frighted natives had fled. Two warriors who had 
 tarried behind, were captured as the dragoons came 
 dashing into the streets. They were led into the 
 presence of De Soto. Without waiting to be ad- 
 dressed by him, they haughtily assailed him with 
 the question, 
 
 "What is it you seek in our land? Is it peace, 
 
LOST IN THE WILDERNESS. 221 
 
 or is it war?'' De Soto replied, through his inter- 
 preter, 
 
 " We seek not war with any one. We are in 
 search of a distant province ; and all that we ask 
 for is an unobstructed passage through your country, 
 and food by the way." 
 
 The answer seemed to them perfectly satisfac- 
 tory, and they at once entered apparently into the 
 most friendly relations. The captives were set at lib- 
 erty and treated by the Spaniards, in all respects, as 
 friends. Promptly the two warriors sent a message 
 to their chief, informing him of the peaceful disposi- 
 tion of the Spaniards, and he accordingly issued 
 ciders to his people not to molest them. 
 
 In this pleasant village, and surrounded by this 
 friendly people, De Soto spent three days. He then 
 resumed his journey, in a northeasterly direction, 
 along the banks of some unknown river, fringed with 
 mulberry trees, and winding through many luxuriant 
 and beautiful valleys. The natives were all friendly, 
 and not the slightest collision occurred. For eleven 
 days the army continued its movements, encounter- 
 ing nothing worthy of note. 
 
 They then entered a province called Cofa. De 
 Soto sent couriers in advance to the chief with prof- 
 fers of friendship. The chief, in return, sent a large 
 number of Indians laden with food for the strangers. 
 
222 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 With the provisions were sent rabbits, partridges, 
 and a species of dog whose flesh was held in high 
 esteem. The Spaniards suffered for want of meat ; 
 for though game in the forest was abundant, being 
 constantly on the march, they had no time for hunt- 
 ing. 
 
 The chief of Cofa received the Spaniards in his 
 metropolitan town with great hospitality. He as- 
 signed his own mansion to De Soto, and provided 
 comfortable quarters for all his troops. The natives 
 and the Spaniards mingled together without the 
 slightest apparent antagonism. The province of 
 Cofa was of large extent, populous and fertile. Here 
 the Spaniards remained five days, entertained by 
 the abounding hospitality of the chief. 
 
 De Soto had thus far brought with him a piece 
 of ordnance, which had proved of very little service. 
 It was heavy and exceedingly difficult of transpor- 
 tation. He decided to leave it behind him with 
 this friendly people. To impress them, however, with 
 an idea of its power as an engine of destruction, 
 he caused it to be loaded and aimed at a large oak 
 tree just outside of the village. Two shots laid the 
 oak prostrate. The achievement filled both the 
 chief and his people with amazement and awe. 
 
 Again the army resumed its march towards the 
 next province, which was called Cofaque ; whose 
 
LOST IN THE WILDERNESS. 223 
 
 chief was brother of Cofa. The Spaniards were 
 escorted by Cofa and a division of his army, during 
 one day's journey. The friendly chief then took an 
 affectionate leave of De Soto, and sent forward cour- 
 iers to inform his brother of the approach of the 
 Spaniards and to intercede for his kindly offices in 
 their behalf. It required a march of six days to 
 reach the territory of the new chieftain. 
 
 In response to Cofa's message, Cofaqui dispatched 
 four of his subordinate chiefs, with a message of 
 welcome to the Spaniards. He sent out his runners 
 to bring him speedy intelligence of their approach. 
 As soon as he received news that they were drawing 
 near, he started himself, with a retinue of warriors 
 in their richest decorations, to welcome the strangers. 
 The meeting, on both sides, was equally cordial. 
 Side by side, almost hand in hand, the Floridiansand 
 the Spaniards entered the pleasant streets of Cofa- 
 qui. The chief led De Soto to his own mansion, 
 and left him in possession there while he retired to 
 another dwelling. 
 
 The intercourse between these two illustrious 
 men seemed to be as cordial as that between two 
 loving brothers. The Floridian chief, with great 
 frankness, gave De Soto information respecting the 
 extent, population and resources of his domain. He 
 informed him that the province of Cofachiqui, of 
 
224 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 which he was in search, could only be reached by a 
 journey of seven days, through a dreary wilderness. 
 But he offered, should De Soto decide to continue 
 his journey, to send a strong band of his army, to 
 accompany him with ample supplies. De Soto after- 
 wards ascertained that there was some duplicity in 
 this proposal ; or rather, that the chief had a double 
 object in view. It appeared, that there had been 
 long and hereditary antagonism between the prov- 
 ince of Cofaqui, and that of Cofachiqui ; and the 
 chief availed himself of that opportunity to invade 
 the territory of his rival. 
 
 Scouts were sent out in all directions to assemble 
 the Avarriors, and De Soto was surprised to find an 
 army of four thousand soldiers, and as many burden- 
 bearers, ready to accompany him. The provisions, 
 with which they were fully supplied, consisted mainly 
 of corn, dried plums and nuts of various kinds. In- 
 dian hunters accompanied the expedition to search 
 the forests for game. 
 
 The Spaniards at first were not a little alarmed 
 in finding themselves in company with such an army 
 of natives ; outnumbering them eight to one, and 
 they were apprehensive of treachery. Soon, however, 
 their fears in that direction were allayed, for the 
 chief frankly avowed the object of the expedition. 
 Summoning before him Patofa, the captain of the 
 
LOST IN THE WILDERNESS. 22$ 
 
 native army, he said to him, in presence of the lead- 
 ing Spanisli officers in the public square : 
 
 " You well know that a perpetual enmity has 
 existed between our fathers and the Indians of Cof- 
 achiqui. That hatred you know has not abated in 
 the least. The wrongs we have received from that 
 vile tribe still rankle in our hearts, unavenged. The 
 present opportunity must not be lost. You, at the 
 head of my braves, must accompany this chief and 
 his warriors, and, under their protection, wreak ven- 
 geance on our enemies." 
 
 Patofa, who was a man of very imposing appear- 
 ance, stepped forward, and after going through sev- 
 eral evolutions with a heavy broadsword carved from 
 wood, exceedingly hard, said : 
 
 " I pledge my word to fulfill your commands, so 
 
 far as may be in my power. I promise, by aid of 
 
 the strangers, to revenge the insults and deaths, our 
 
 fathers have sustained from the natives of Cofachi- 
 
 qui. My vengeance shall be such, that the memory 
 
 of past evils shall be wiped away forever. My daring 
 
 to reappear in your presence will be a token that 
 
 your commands have been executed. Should the 
 
 fates deny my hopes, never again shall you see me, 
 
 never again shall the sun shine upon me. If the 
 
 enemy deny me death, I will inflict upon myself the 
 
 punishment my cowardice or evil fortune will merit." 
 10* 
 
226 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 It was indeed a large army which then com- 
 menced its march, for it consisted of four thousand 
 native warriors, and four thousand retainers to carry- 
 supplies and clothing, and between eight and nine 
 hundred Spaniards. The Indians were plumed and 
 decorated in the highest style of military display. 
 The horses of the Spaniards were gayly caparisoned, 
 and their burnished armor glittered in the sun. 
 Silken banners waving in the breeze and bugle peals 
 echoing over the plains, added both to the beauty 
 and the sublimity of the scene. 
 
 The Spaniards conducted their march as in an 
 enemy's country, and according to the established 
 usages of war. They formed in squadrons with a 
 van and rear guard. The natives followed, also in 
 martial array ; for they were anxious to show the 
 Spaniards that they were acquainted with military 
 discipline and tactics. Thus in long procession, but 
 without artillery trains or baggage wagons, they 
 moved over the extended plains and threaded the 
 defiles of the forest. At night they invariably en- 
 camped at a little distance from each other. Both 
 parties posted their sentinels, and adopted every 
 caution to guard against surprise. 
 
 Indeed, it appears that De Soto still had some 
 distrust of his allies, whose presence was uninvited, 
 and with whose company he would gladly have dis- 
 
LOST IN THE WILDERNESS. 22/ 
 
 pensed. The more he reflected upon his situation, 
 the more embarrassing it seemed to him. He was 
 entering a distant and unknown province, ostensibly 
 on a friendly mission, and it was his most earnest 
 desire to secure the good-will and cooperation of the 
 natives. And yet he was accompanied by an army 
 whose openly avowed object was, to ravage the 
 country and to butcher the people. 
 
 The region upon which they first entered, being 
 a border land between the two hostile nations, was 
 almost uninhabited, and was much of the way quite 
 pathless. It consisted, however, of a pleasant di- 
 versity of hills, forests and rivers. The considerable 
 band of hunters which accompanied the native army, 
 succeeded in capturing quite an amount of game for 
 the use of the troops. For seven days the two 
 armies moved slowly over these widely extended 
 plains, when they found themselves utterly bewil- 
 dered and lost in the intricacies of a vast, dense, 
 tangled forest, through which they could not find 
 even an Indian's trail. The guides professed to be 
 entirely at fault, and all seemed to be alike bewil- 
 dered. 
 
 De Soto was quite indignant, feeling that he had 
 been betrayed and led into an ambush for his de- 
 struction. He summoned Patofa to his presence and 
 said to him : 
 
228 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 " Why have you, under the guise of friendship, led 
 us into this wilderness, whence we can discover no 
 way of extricating ourselves? I will never believe 
 that among eight thousand Indians there is not one 
 to be found capable of showing us the way to Cofa- 
 chiqui. It is not at all likely that you who have 
 maintained perpetual war with that tribe, should 
 know nothing of the public road and secret paths 
 leading from one village to another." 
 
 Patofa made the following frank and convincing 
 reply. 
 
 " The wars that have been waged between these 
 two provinces, have not been carried on by pitched 
 battles nor invasions of either party, but by skirmishes 
 by small bands who resort to the streams and rivers 
 we have crossed, to fish ; and also by combats be- 
 tween hunting parties, as the wilderness we have tra- 
 versed is the common hunting ground of both nations. 
 The natives of Cofachiqui are more powerful and 
 have always worsted us in fight. Our people were 
 therefore dispirited and dared not pass over their own 
 frontiers. 
 
 " Do you suspect that I have led your army into 
 these deserts to perish ? If so, take what you please. 
 If my head will suffice, take it ; if not you may be- 
 head every Indian, as they will obey my mandate to 
 the death." 
 
LOST IN THE WILDERNESS. 229 
 
 The manner of Patofa was in accordance with 
 these feeling and manly words. De Soto no longer 
 cherished a doubt of his sincerity, and became also con- 
 vinced that their guides were utterly unable to extri- 
 cate him. Under these circumstances nothing re- 
 mained but blindly to press forward or to retrace his 
 steps. They at length found some narrow openings 
 in the forest through which they forced their way 
 until they arrived, just before sunset, upon the banks 
 of a deep and rapid stream which seemed to present 
 an impassable barrier before them. 
 
 They had no canoes or rafts with which to cross 
 the river ; their food was nearly consumed, as it had 
 been supposed that a supply for seven days would be 
 amply sufficient to enable them to traverse the des- 
 ert. To turn back was certain death by starvation ; 
 to remain where they were was equal destruction ; to 
 go forward seemed impossible, for they had not suffi- 
 cient food to support them even while constructing 
 rafts. It was the darkest hour in all their wander- 
 ings. Despair seemed to take possession of all hearts 
 excepting that of De Soto. He still kept up his 
 courage, assuming before his people an untroubled 
 and even cheerful spirit. 
 
 The river afforded water to drink. A large grove 
 of pine trees bordering the river, beneath whose 
 fragrant shade they were encamped, sheltered them 
 
230 FERDINAND DE SUTO. 
 
 from the sun. The level and extended plain, dry 
 and destitute of underbrush, presented excellent 
 camping-ground. Food only was wanting. But 
 without this food in a few short days the whole 
 army must perish. 
 
 De Soto, that very evening leaving the armies 
 there, took a detachment of horse and foot and set 
 off himself in search of some relief or path of extri- 
 cation. Late in the night he returned, perplexed 
 and distressed, having accomplished nothing. A 
 council of war was held. It was promptly decided 
 that the armies should remain where they were while 
 detachments were sent in all directions in search of 
 food or of some path of escape. 
 
 These detachments left early in the morning and 
 returned late at night having discovered neither road 
 nor corn-field, nor habitation. De Soto then organized 
 four bands of horse and two of foot to go up and 
 down the river, and to penetrate the interior, and to 
 make as wide an exploration as possible within the 
 limit of five days. Each band was accompanied by 
 a large number of natives. Patofa himself went with 
 one of these detachments. A thousand Indian 
 warriors were scattered through the forest in search 
 of a road and such game as could be found. The 
 Governor remained on the banks of the river anx- 
 iously awaiting their return. 
 
LOST IN THE WILDERNESS. 23 1 
 
 " The four thousand Indians," writes Mr. Irving, 
 " who remained with him, salHed out every morning 
 and returned at night, some with herbs and roots 
 that were eatable, others with fish, and others again 
 with birds and small animals killed with their bows 
 and arrows. These supplies were, however, by no 
 means sufficient for the subsistence of such a multi- 
 tude. 
 
 " De Soto fared equally with his men in every 
 respect ; and, though troubled and anxious for the 
 fate of his great expedition, he wore a sunny counte- 
 nance to cheer up his followers. These chivalrous 
 spirits appreciated his care and kindness, and to 
 solace him they concealed their sufferings, assumed 
 an air of contentedness, and appeared as happy as 
 though revelling in abundance." 
 
 Most of the exploring parties suffered no less 
 from hunger than did their companions who remained 
 behind. Juan De Anasco, after traversing the banks 
 of the river for three days, had his heart gladdened 
 by the sight of a small village. From an eminence 
 he saw that the country beyond was fertile, well 
 cultivated and dotted here and there with hamlets. 
 In the village, for some unexplained reason, he found 
 a large amount of provisions accumulated, consisting 
 mainly of corn. He immediately dispatched four 
 horsemen back to De Soto with the joyful tidings. 
 
232 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 They took with them such food as they could carry. 
 This proved to be the first village in the long-sought- 
 for province of Cofachiqui. 
 
 It will be remembered that Patofa, the com- 
 mander-in-chief of the native army, had, with a large 
 number of his warriors, accompanied Aiiasco. He 
 had pledged his word to his chief that he would do 
 everything in his power to harass, pillage and destroy 
 their ancestral foes. Afiasco encamped his band a 
 little outside the village. At midnight Patofa and 
 his warriors crept stealthily from the encampment, 
 pillaged the temple which contained many treasures 
 prized by the Indians, and killed and scalped every 
 native whom they met, man, woman or child. When 
 Anasco awoke in the morning and found what they 
 had done, he was terrified. The outrage had been 
 committed by troops under his own command. He 
 was apprehensive that every man in the village, 
 aided by such warriors as could be gathered from 
 around, would rush upon him in revenge, and that 
 he and his enfeebled followers would be destroyed. 
 Immediately he commenced a retreat to meet De 
 Soto, who he doubted not would be promptly on the 
 move to join him. 
 
 The four couriers reached the camp in one day, 
 though in their slow exploring tour it had required 
 three days to accomplish the forty miles which they 
 
LOST IN THE WILDERNESS. 233 
 
 had traversed. The troops were overjoyed at the 
 glad tidings, and immediately prepared to resume 
 their march. Several of their detachments had not 
 yet returned. In order to give them information of 
 the direction which the army had taken, De Soto 
 wrote a letter, placed it in a box, and buried it at 
 the foot of a tree. Upon the bark of the tree, he 
 had these words conspicuously cut : " Dig at the 
 root of this pine, and you will find a letter." 
 
 The half famished troops, inspired with new en- 
 ergies, reached the village in a day and a half, where 
 their hunger was appeased. The scattered detach- 
 ments arrived a few days after. The force of De 
 Soto was too strong for the natives to attack him, 
 notwithstanding the provocation they had received. 
 He found, however, much to his chagrin, that he was 
 utterly unable to restrain the savage propensities 
 of his allies. For seven days the Spaniards so- 
 journed in this frontier village of Cofachiqui. War- 
 like bands were continually stealing out, penetrating 
 the region around, killing and scalping men, women 
 and children, and committing every conceivable out- 
 rage of barbaric warfare. 
 
 De Soto could endure this no longer. He called 
 Patofa before him, and told him in very emphatic 
 terms that he must return to his own province. lie 
 thanked the chieftain very cordially for his friendly 
 
234 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 escort, made him a present of knives, clothing, and 
 other valuables, and dismissed him and his followers. 
 Patofa was not unwilling to return. He was highly 
 gratified with the presents he had received, and 
 still more gratified that he had been permitted to 
 wreak vengeance on his hereditary foes. 
 
 Two days after his departure, the Spanish army 
 was again in motion, along the banks of the river. 
 Every step they took revealed to them the awful 
 ravages committed by the bands of Patofa. They 
 passed many dwellings and many small hamlets, 
 where the ground was covered with the scalpless 
 bodies of the dead. The natives had fled in terror 
 to the woods, so that not a living being was encoun- 
 tered. There was, however, a plentiful supply of 
 food in the villages, and the army again enjoyed 
 abundance. 
 
 The heroic Aiiasco was sent in advance to search 
 out the way and, if possible, to capture some Indians 
 as guides. He took with him a small band of thirty 
 foot-soldiers, who were ordered to move as noise- 
 lessly as possible, that they might, perchance, come 
 upon the natives by surprise. There was quite a 
 broad, good road leading along the banks over which 
 the band advanced. Night came upon them when 
 they were about six miles ahead of the army. They 
 were moving in profound silence and with noiseless 
 
LOST IN THE WILDERNESS. 235 
 
 step through a grove, when they heard, just before 
 them, the sounds of a village. The barking of dogs, 
 the shouts of children, and the voices of men and 
 women, reached their ears. Pressing eagerly forward, 
 hoping to capture some Indians in the suburbs, they 
 found that there was a sudden turn in the river and 
 that they stood upon the banks of its deep and 
 swiftly flowing flood, with the village on the other 
 side. There was no means of crossing, neither 
 would it have been prudent to have crossed with 
 such small numbers, not knowing the force they 
 might encounter there. 
 
 They dispatched couriers back in the night, to in- 
 form De Soto of their discovery. By the break of 
 day, the army was again in motion, De Soto himself 
 taking the lead, with one hundred horse and one hun- 
 dred foot. When he reached the banks, and the na- 
 tives upon the opposite shore caught sight of his 
 glittering dragoons, on their magnificent steeds, they 
 were struck with amazement and consternation. 
 
 It would seem that the language of these differ- 
 ent tribes must have been essentially the same, for 
 Juan Ortiz was still their interpreter. He shouted 
 across the river, assuring the natives of the friendly 
 intentions of the Spaniards, and urging them to send 
 some one over to convey a message to their chief. 
 After some little hesitation and deliberation, the In- 
 
236 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 dians launched a large canoe, in which six Indians of 
 venerable appearance took their seats, while quite a 
 number of lusty men grasped the oars. Very rapidly 
 the canoe was driven through the water. 
 
 De Soto, who had watched these movements with 
 deep interest, perceived that he was about to be 
 visited by men of much importance. He had there- 
 fore brought forward and placed upon the banks a 
 very showy throne, or chair of state, which he always 
 carried with him for such purposes. Here he took 
 his seat, with his retinue of officers around him. 
 
 The native chieftains landed without any appa- 
 rent fear, approached him with three profound rever- 
 ences, and then with much dignity inquired, " Do you 
 come for peace or for war ? '' 
 
 " I come for peace," De Soto replied, " and seek 
 only an unmolested passage through your land. I 
 need food for my people, and implore your assistance, 
 by means of canoes and rafts, to cross the river. 
 
 The Indians replied, that they were themselves 
 somewhat destitute of provisions ; that a terrible 
 pestilence the preceding year had swept off many of 
 their inhabitants ; and that others in their consterna- 
 tion had fled from their homes, thus neglecting to 
 cultivate the fields. 
 
 They said that their chieftain was a young prin- 
 cess who had recently inherited the government, and 
 
LOST IN THE WILDERNESS. 237 
 
 that they had no doubt that she would receive them 
 with hospitahty, and do everything in her power, to 
 promote their welfare. Having thus concluded this 
 friendly interview, the chiefs returned to the other 
 side of the river. 
 
 Very soon the Spaniards, who eagerly watched 
 every movement, perceived a decided commotion in 
 the village. A large and highly decorated canoe 
 appeared upon the banks ; then quite a gorgeous 
 palanquin was seen borne by four men, descending 
 towards the stream ; then several other canoes of 
 imposing structure seemed to be preparing for an 
 aquatic procession. From the palanquin a graceful 
 girl, showily dressed, entered the state canoe and re- 
 clined upon cushions in the stern under a canopy. 
 Eight female attendants accompanied her. 
 
 The six ambassadors, who had already visited De 
 Soto, took seats in the canoe which led the van, 
 driven as before by a large number of sinewy arms. 
 The royal barge was attached to this canoe and was 
 towed by it. Several other boats, filled with distin- 
 guished men, followed in the rear, completing the im- 
 posing show. 
 
 As the young princess stepped on shore, all the 
 Spaniards were deeply impressed with her dignity, 
 grace and beauty. To their eyes, she was in form 
 and feature as perfect as any image which Grecian 
 
238 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 artist ever sculptured. Her attendants brought with 
 them a chair of state upon which she took her seat 
 after courteously bowing to the Governor. Through 
 an interpreter they immediately entered into conver- 
 sation. The princess confirmed the statement of her 
 ambassadors in reference to the pestilence, but offered 
 to do everything in her power to provide them with 
 food. She offered one-half of her own residence to 
 Dc Soto for his accommodation, and one-half of the 
 houses in her village as barracks for the soldiers. 
 She also promised that by the next day rafts and 
 canoes should be in readiness to transport the Span- 
 iards across the river. 
 
 The generous soul of De Soto was deeply touched, 
 and he assured her of his lasting friendship and that 
 of his sovereign. At the close of the interview the 
 princess rose, and as a present, suspended a string of 
 costly pearls around the neck of De Soto. The Gov- 
 ernor then rose and presented her with a ring of gold 
 set with a ruby, which she placed upon one of her 
 fingers. Thus terminated this extraordinary inter- 
 view. What a difference between peace and war ! 
 
 " Were half the power that fills the world with terror, 
 Were half the wealth bestowed on camps and courts. 
 Given to redeem the human mind from error. 
 There were no need for arsenals or forts. 
 
LOST IN THE WILDERNESS. 239 
 
 ' The warrior's nnme would be a name abhorred ; 
 And eveiy nation that should lift again 
 Its hand against a brother, on its forehead 
 Would wear forevermore the curse of Cain." 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 TJie Indian Princess. 
 
 Crossing the River. — Hospitable Reception. — Attempts to visit the 
 Queen Mother. — Suicide of the Prince. — Futile search for Gold. 
 — The Discovery of Pearls. — The Pearl Fishery. — The Princess a 
 Captive. — Held in Silken Chains. — Her Escape. — Location of 
 Cutifachiqui. — The March Resumed. 
 
 The next day after the extraordinary interview 
 which we have described in the last chapter, the prin- 
 cess ordered several large rafts to be constructed, 
 and with these, aided by a number of canoes, the 
 army crossed the rapid stream. Four horses, in at- 
 tempting to swim the swift river, were carried away 
 and drowned. These animals were so precious 
 that the loss was deplored by the whole army. 
 
 When the troops had all crossed, they found very 
 pleasant accommodations provided for them. Some 
 were lodged in the village. For the rest commodious 
 wigwams were erected just outside of the village in a 
 beautiful mulberry grove on the river banks. The 
 province of Cofachiqui was found to be very fertile 
 and quite densely populated. The natives were in 
 
THE INDIAN PRINCESS. 24I 
 
 complexion nearly as white as the Spaniards. They 
 had agreeable featui-es, graceful forms, and were very 
 frank and aimable in disposition. They did not seem 
 to be fond of war, though often involved in conflicts 
 with their neighbors. According to the custom of 
 the times, all prisoners of war were enslaved and 
 were employed in servile labor. To prevent their 
 escape the cruel expedient was adopted of cutting 
 the main tendon of one leg just above the heel. 
 
 The mother of the princess of this tribe was a 
 widow, residing in a retired home about thirty-six 
 miles down the river. De Soto, who was anxious to 
 secure the firm friendship of this interesting people, 
 expressed an earnest desire to see the queen mother. 
 The princess immediately dispatched twelve of her 
 chieftains to urge her mother to visit her, that she 
 might be introduced to the strange visitors, and see 
 the wonderful animals on which they rode. 
 
 She however declined the invitation, expressing 
 her very decided disapproval of the conduct of her 
 daughter, as both inexpedient and indelicate, in 
 entering into such friendly relations with utter stran- 
 gers, of whose ulterior designs she could know noth- 
 ing. This message, greatly increased the desire of 
 De Soto to have an interview with the queen mother, 
 that he might conciliate her friendship. He there- 
 fore dispatched Juan De Auasco, who was alike dis- 
 
242 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 tinguished for bravery and prudence, with thirty- 
 companions on foot, to convey to her presents and 
 friendly messages, and very earnest requests that 
 she would visit them at the court of her daughter. 
 
 The princess sent a near relative of the family as 
 guide to this party — a young man about twenty- 
 one years of age, and exceedingly attractive both in 
 person and character. He was richly habited in 
 garments of soft deerskin, beautifully fringed and 
 embroidered, with a head-dress of various colored 
 plumes. 
 
 " In his hand he bore a beautiful bow, so highly 
 polished as to appear as if finely enamelled. At his 
 shoulder hung a quiver full of arrows. With a light 
 and elastic step and an animated and gallant air his 
 whole appearance was that of an ambassador, worthy 
 of the young and beautiful princess whom he served." 
 The morning was somewhat advanced, ere they 
 left the village. It was a beautiful day in a lovely 
 clime. Their route led down the banks of the river 
 through luxuriant and enchanting scenery. After a 
 pleasant walk of ten or twelve miles, "they rested in 
 the shade of a grove, for their noonday meal. Their 
 young guide had been very social all the way, enter- 
 taining them with information of the region through 
 which they were passing, and of the people. As 
 they were partaking of their refreshments, suddenly 
 
THE INDIAN PRINCESS. 243 
 
 the aspect of their young companion became greatly- 
 altered. He was silent, thoughtful and apparently 
 deeply depressed. At length he quietly took the 
 quiver from his shoulder, and slowly and seemingly 
 lost in deep reflection, drew out the arrows one by 
 one. They were very beautiful, of the highest possi- 
 ble finish, keenly pointed, and triangularly feathered. 
 
 The Spaniards took them up, admired them great- 
 ly, and passed them from hand to hand. At length he 
 drew out an arrow barbed with flint, long, and sharp, 
 and shaped like a dagger. Casting an anxious glance 
 around, and seeing the attention of the Spaniards 
 engrossed in examining his weapons, he plunged the 
 keen pointed arrow down his throat, severing an 
 artery, and almost immediately fell dead. The sol- 
 diers were shocked and bewildered, not being able 
 to conceive of any reason for the dreadful occur- 
 rence. There were several Indian attendants in the 
 company, who seemed to be overwhelmed with dis- 
 tress, uttering loud cries of grief over the corpse. 
 
 It subsequently appeared, that the young guide 
 was a great favorite with the queen mother ; that he 
 knew that she was very unwilling to have any ac- 
 quaintance with the Spaniards, and he apprehended 
 that it was their object to seize her and carry her 
 off by violence. The thought that he was guiding 
 them to her retreat overwhelmed him. He could 
 
244 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 not endure the idea of meeting her, and perhaps of 
 being reproached as her betrayer. 
 
 On the other hand, the queen, whom he revered 
 and loved, had commissioned him to conduct the 
 Spaniards to her mother's abode. He did not dare 
 to disobey her commands. Either alternative was 
 more to be dreaded by him than death. The ingen- 
 uous young man had, therefore, endeavored to es- 
 cape from the dilemma by self-destruction. 
 
 Juan De Ailasco was not only deeply grieved by 
 the fate of his young friend, but also greatly per- 
 plexed as to the course he was then to pursue. 
 None of the Indian attendants knew where the 
 widow^ was concealed. ?Ic took several natives pris- 
 oners, and anxiously inquired of them respecting the 
 residence of the queen m.other. But either they 
 could not, or would not, give him any information. 
 After wandering about fruitlessly until noon of the 
 next day, he returned to the camp, much mortified 
 in reporting to De Soto the utter failure of his ex- 
 pedition. 
 
 Two days after his return, an Indian came to him 
 and offered to conduct him down the river in a canoe, 
 to the dwelling of the queen mother. Eagerly he 
 accepted the proposition. Two large canoes, with 
 strong rowers, were prepared. Afiasco, with twenty 
 companions, set out on this second expedition. The 
 
THE INDIAN PRINCESS. 245 
 
 queen heard of his approach, and, with a few attend- 
 ants, secretly fled to another retreat far away. After 
 a search of six days, the canoes returned, having 
 accompHshed nothing. De Soto rehnquished all 
 further endeavors to obtain an interview with the 
 widow. 
 
 In the meantime, while Aiiasco was engaged in 
 these unsuccessful enterprises, De Soto was making 
 very anxious inquiries respecting the silver and the 
 gold which he had been informed was to be found 
 in the province. The princess listened to his de- 
 scription of the yellow metal and the white metal of 
 which he was in search, and said that they were both 
 to be found in great abundance in her territories. 
 She immediately sent out some Indians, to bring 
 him specimens. They soon returned laden with a 
 yellow metal somewhat resembling gold in color, 
 but which proved to be nothing but an alloy of cop- 
 per. The shining substance which he had supposed 
 was silver, was nothing but a worthless species of 
 mica, or quartz. Thus again, to his bitter disap- 
 pointment, De Soto awoke from his dreams of gold- 
 en treasure, to the toils and sorrows of his weary 
 Hfe. 
 
 The princess seemed to sympathize with her 
 guest in the bitterness of his disappointment. In 
 her attempts at consolation, she informed him that 
 
246 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 at the distance of about three miles from where they 
 were, there was a village called Talomeco, which 
 was the ancient capital of the realm ; that here 
 there was a vast sepulchre, in which all the chieftains 
 and great warriors had been buried ; that their bod- 
 ies were decorated with great quantities of pearls. 
 
 De Soto, with a large retinue of his own officers 
 a4id of the household of the princess, visited this 
 mausoleum. Much to his surprise, he found there 
 an edifice three hundred feet in length, and one 
 hundred and twenty in breadth, with a lofty roof. 
 The entrance was decorated with gigantic statuary 
 of wood. One of these statues was twelve feet in 
 height. In the interior many statues and carved 
 ornaments were found. 
 
 A large number of wooden chests or coffins con- 
 tained the decaying bodies of the illustrious dead. 
 By the side of each of these there was another 
 smaller chest, containing such valuables as it was 
 probably supposed the chief would need in the spirit- 
 land. Both the Inca and the Portuguese narrative 
 agree in the account of the almost incredible number 
 of pearls there found. It is said that the Spaniards 
 obtained fourteen bushels, and that the princess as- 
 sured them, that by visiting the mausoleums of the 
 various villages, they could find enough pearls to 
 load down all the horses of the army. 
 
THE INDIAN PRINCESS. 247 
 
 The Spaniards generally were greatly elated at 
 the discovery of these riches. Pearls were esti- 
 mated at a value almost equal to diamonds. It is said 
 that Queen Cleopatra possessed a single pearl which 
 was valued at three hundred and seventy-five thou- 
 sand dollars. Philip II. of Spain received as a present 
 a pearl, about the size of a pigeon's egg, valued at 
 one hundred and sixty thousand dollars. 
 
 De Soto was urged to establish his colony upon 
 this river, which has variously been conjectured to 
 have been the St. Helena, the Oconee, the Ogeechee, 
 and the Savannah. The country was beautiful and 
 fertile ; the climate delightful ; and apparently an 
 inexhaustible pearl fishery near. It was urged that 
 an agricultural colony could be established on the 
 fertile banks of the river, while from the seaport at 
 its mouth a lucrative trade could be carried on with 
 the mother country for all the rich productions of 
 Spain. 
 
 But the persistent spirit of De Soto was not to 
 be turned from its one great all-absorbing object, 
 the search for gold. He urged, and with great show 
 of reason, that, in consequence of the recent pesti- 
 lence, there was not sufficient provision in the coun- 
 try, to support the army for a month ; that by con- 
 tinuing their march they might enter far richer 
 provinces, and might find mines of gold. Should 
 
248 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 they be disappointed, they could easily return ; and 
 in the meantime, the Indians having replanted their 
 land, the fields would wave with abundant golden 
 harvests. 
 
 In an army of eight or nine hundred Spanish 
 adventurers, there would of course be many worth- 
 less characters, difficult of restraint. De Soto had 
 been in this village several weeks. Notwithstanding 
 all his endeavors to promote peace and friendship, 
 several broils had arisen between the natives and 
 some of the low and degraded of his soldiery. The 
 conduct of these vile men had produced a general 
 feeling of ill-will among the natives. Even the 
 princess herself manifested estrangement. She had 
 become distant and reserved, and was evidently 
 desirous that her no longer welcome guests should 
 take their speedy departure. There were some 
 indications that the princess so far distrusted the 
 Spaniards that, like her more prudent mother, she 
 was about secretly to escape from them by flight. 
 
 This would leave the Spaniards in a very embar- 
 rassed condition. They needed guides to conduct 
 them through the extended territory of the princess. 
 Heavily armed as they were, they needed porters to 
 carry their burdens of extra clothing and provisions. 
 The flight of the princess would be the signal for the 
 natives, all over the territory, to rise in a war of 
 
THE INDIAN PRINCESS. 249 
 
 attempted •extermination. The queen mother would 
 doubtless do everything in her power to rouse and 
 stimulate this hostility. The Spaniards thus assailed 
 on every side, destitute of guides, without porters 
 to carry their baggage, and with but little food, 
 would find themselves compelled in self-defence, to 
 cut their way, with blood-dripping sabres, through 
 their foes, to rob their granaries, and to leave behind 
 them a path strown with the dead, and filled with 
 misery. 
 
 Again De Soto found himself in a false position 
 Again he felt constrained to do that which his own 
 conscience told him was unjust. The only possible 
 way, as it seemed to him, by which he could obtain 
 extrication from these awful difficulties, was to seize 
 the person of the, princess, his friend and benefactor, 
 and hold her as a captive to secure the good 
 behavior of her subjects. He knew that their love 
 for her was such that so long as she was in his 
 power, they would not enter upon any hostile move- 
 ment which might bring down vengeance upon her 
 head. 
 
 If De Soto had accepted the spirit of the noble 
 letter from Isabella, and had said, " I will no longer 
 persevere in this invasion of the lands of others, 
 which is always plunging me more and more deeply 
 into difficulties," — had he said frankly to the friendly 
 11* 
 
250 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 princess, "I have decided to return to my home, and 
 I soHcit your friendly cooperation to assist me on my 
 way ; and had he made her a present, in token of his 
 gratitude, of some of those articles with which he 
 could easily have parted, and which were of priceless 
 value to her, he might doubtless have retired unmo- 
 lested. Instead of this he followed the infamous 
 example which Pizarro had set him in Peru. 
 
 He appointed a guard, who were directed to keep 
 a constant watch upon the princess, so that she 
 could by no possibility escape ; at the same time 
 he informing her, in the most courteous tones, that 
 the protection of his army and of her own people 
 rendered it necessary that she should accompany 
 him on his march. He held her in silken chains, 
 treating her with the utmost delicacy and deference. 
 The princess had sufficient shrewdness to affect 
 compliance with this arrangement. It certainly 
 accomplished the desired effect. All strife between 
 the natives and the Spaniards ceased, a sufficient 
 body of porters accompanied the army, and its 
 march was unimpeded. A beautiful palanquin was 
 provided for the princess, and the highest honors 
 were lavished upon her. 
 
 Colonel A. J. Pickett, in his interesting and very 
 carefully prepared History of Alabama, speaking of 
 the locality of this village where De Soto tarried 
 
THE INDIAN PRINCESS. 25 1 
 
 SO long, and encountered so many adventures, 
 says : 
 
 " He entered the territory of the present Geor- 
 gia at its southwestern border, and successively 
 crossing the Ockmulgee, Oconee, and Ogeechee, 
 finally rested on the banks of the Savannah, im- 
 mediately opposite the modern Silver Bluff. On 
 the eastern side was the town of Cutifachiqui, 
 where lived an Indian queen, young, beautiful, 
 and unmarried, and who ruled the country around 
 to a vast extent. In 1736 George Golphin, then 
 a young Irishman, established himself as an Indian 
 trader at this point, and gave the old site of Cu- 
 tifachiqui the name of Silver Bluff. The most 
 ancient Indians informed him that this was the 
 place where De Soto found the Indian princess ; 
 and this tradition agrees with that preserved by 
 other old traders, and handed down to me.'' 
 
 According to this statement the village of Cu- 
 tifachiqui was on the eastern bank of the Savan- 
 nah river, in Barnwell county, in the State of 
 South Carolina. On the morning of the 4th of 
 May, 1540, De Soto again put his army in motion, 
 taking with him the beautiful queen and her reti- 
 nue of plumed warriors. All this country was 
 then called Florida. The army advanced rapidly 
 up the eastern bank of the Savannah river, where 
 
252 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 they forded the stream, and, again entering the 
 present State of Georgia, traversed nearly its whole 
 breadth until they reached the head waters of the 
 Coosa river. Here, at the confluence of the Oos- 
 tanaula and Etowa rivers, they found a large Indian 
 town called Chiaha, near the present site of Rome. 
 
 While on the march across the State of Georgia, 
 the queen, probably dreading to be carried captive 
 beyond her own domain, and aided by an under- 
 standing with her retinue, leaped from the palan- 
 quin and disappeared in a dense forest through 
 which they were passing. De Soto never saw her 
 or heard from her again. Undoubtedly a band of 
 her warriors were in rendezvous there to receive 
 her. 
 
 For five days the adventurers pressed along as 
 rapidly as possible, over a hilly country about sixty 
 miles in breadth. Though w^ell watered, and 
 abounding in beautiful valleys, luxuriant with mul- 
 berry groves and rich prairies, it seemed to be 
 quite uninhabited. Having crossed this mountain- 
 ous region, they reached a populous district called 
 Guachule. The chief had received an intimation 
 of the approach of the Spaniards, and that they 
 came as messengers of peace and not of war. 
 When De Soto and his band, led by native guides 
 whom they had picked up by the way, had ar- 
 
THE INDIAN PRINCESS. 253 
 
 rived within two miles of the village of the chief, 
 they discovered him approaching them with a reti- 
 nue of five hundred plumed warriors, adorned 
 with glittering robes and weapons in the highest 
 style of semi-barbaric display. The chief was un- 
 embarrassed, dignified, and courtly in his address. 
 He received De Soto with truly fraternal kindness, 
 escorted' him to his village, which consisted of 
 three hundred spacious houses, in a beautiful val- 
 ley of running streams at the base of adjacent 
 hills. 
 
 The dwelling of the chief was upon a spacious 
 artificial mound, the summit of which was suffi- 
 ciently broad for the large edifice, leaving a ter- 
 race all around it about twelve feet in breadth. 
 Here De Soto remained four days, enjoying the 
 hospitality of the friendly Cacique. 
 
 Resuming their journey, the army marched 
 down the banks of a large stream, supposed to be 
 the Etowa, which empties into the Coosa. For 
 five days they continued their march through an 
 uninteresting country, almost destitute of inhabit- 
 ants, until, having traversed, as they supposed, 
 about ninety miles, they came in sight of a large 
 village, called Chiaha. 
 
 De Soto, having arrived opposite the great 
 town of Chiaha, which probably occupied the pres- 
 
254 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 ent site of Rome, crossed the Oostanaula in ca- 
 noes, and upon rafts made of logs, prepared by 
 the Indians, and took up his quarters in the town. 
 The noble young chief received De Soto with un- 
 affected joy, and made him the following address : 
 
 " Mighty Chief: — Nothing could have made me 
 so happy as to be the means of serving you and 
 your warriors. Vou sent me word from Guaxule 
 to have corn collected to last your army two 
 months. Here I have twenty barns full of the 
 best which the country can afford. If I have not 
 met your wishes respect my tender age, and re- 
 ceive my good-will to do for you whatever I am 
 able." 
 
 The Governor responded in a kind manner, and 
 was then conducted to the chief's own house, pre- 
 pared for his accommodation. The confluence of 
 the Oostanaula and Etowa at this point forms 
 the Coosa. Here De Soto remained for a fort- 
 night, recruiting his wearied men and his still 
 more exhausted horses. It was bright and balmy 
 summer, and the soldiers encamping in a luxuri- 
 ant mulberry grove a little outside of the town, 
 enjoyed, for a season, rest and abundance. De 
 Soto, as usual, made earnest inquiries for gold. 
 He was informed that about thirty miles north of 
 him there were mines of copper, and also of some 
 
THE INDIAN PRINCESS. 255 
 
 metal of the color of copper, but finer, brighter, 
 and softer ; and that the natives sometimes melted 
 them together in their manufacture of barbs, spear- 
 heads, and hatchets. 
 
 This intelligence excited De Soto with new 
 hopes. He had occasionally met on his way na- 
 tives with hatchets composed of copper and gold 
 melted together. As the province, which was called 
 Chisca, was separated from Chiaha by a pathless 
 wilderness which horses could not traverse, De 
 Soto sent two of his most trusty followers on an 
 exploring tour through the region, conducted by 
 Indian guides. After an absence of ten days they 
 returned with the disappointing report that they 
 found nothing there but copper of different degrees 
 of purity. 
 
 The rivers in the vicinity of Chiaha seem to 
 have abounded with pearl oysters, and large num- 
 bers of beautiful pearls were obtained. The na- 
 tives nearly spoiled them all by boring them through 
 with a red-hot rod, that they might string them 
 as bracelets. One day the Cacique presented De 
 Soto with a string of pearls six feet in length, 
 each pearl as large as a filbert. These gems would 
 have been of almost priceless value but for the 
 action of fire upon them. 
 
 De Soto expressed some curiosity to see how 
 
256 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 the pearls were obtained. The Cacique immedi- 
 ately dispatched forty canoes down the river to 
 fish during the night for pearl oysters. In the 
 morning De Soto accompanied the Cacique to the 
 banks of the riyer where the oysters were col- 
 lected. Large fires were built, and the oysters 
 placed upon the glowing coals. The heat opened 
 them, and the pearls were sought for. From some 
 of the first thus opened ten or twelve pearls were 
 obtained, about the size of peas. They were all, 
 however, more or less injured by the heat. Col. 
 Pickett says that the oyster mentioned was the 
 muscle, to be found in all the rivers of Alabama. 
 
 Again Dq Soto commenced his journey, leaving 
 the friendly chief and his people well contented 
 with the presents he made them of gayly colored 
 cloths, knives, and other trinkets. Following the 
 banks of the Coosa to the west they soon entered 
 what is now the State of Alabama, and on the 
 second of July came to a large native town named 
 Acoste. The tribe, or nation, inhabiting this re- 
 gion, was famed for its martial prowess. The Ca- 
 cique, a fierce warrior, did not condescend to advance 
 to meet De Soto, but at the head of fifteen hun- 
 dred of his soldiers, well armed and gorgeously 
 uniformed, awaited in the public square the ap- 
 proach of the Spanish chief. De Soto encamped 
 
THE INDIAN PRINCESS. 257 
 
 his army just outside of the town, and, with a 
 small retinue, rode in to pay his respects to the 
 Cacique. 
 
 Some of the vagabond soldiers straggled into 
 the city, and were guilty of some outrages, which 
 led the natives to fall upon them. Dc Soto, with 
 his accustomed presence of mind, seized a cudgel 
 and assisted the natives in fighting the Spaniards, 
 while at the same moment he dispatched a cour- 
 ier to summon the whole army to his rescue. 
 Peace was soon established, but there was some 
 irritation on both sides. The next morning De 
 Soto was very willing to leave the neighborhood, 
 and the chief was not unwilling to have him. 
 
 De Soto crossed the river Coosa to the eastern 
 banks, and journeying along in a southerly direc- 
 tion, at the rate of about twelve miles a day, passed 
 over a fertile and populous region, nearly three hun- 
 dred miles in extent. It is supposed his path led 
 through the present counties of Benton, Talladega, 
 Coosa, and Tallapoosa, in Alabama. Throughout 
 the whole route they were treated by the natives 
 with the most profuse hospitality, being fed by them 
 liberally, and supplied with guides to lead them 
 from one village to another. The province which 
 De Soto was thus traversing, and which was far- 
 famed for its beauty and fertility, was called Coosa. 
 
258 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 With a delightful climate, and abounding in fine 
 meadows and beautiful little rivers, this region was 
 charming to De Soto and his followers. The nu- 
 merous barns were full of corn, while acres of that 
 which was growing bent to the warm rays of the 
 sun and rustled in the breeze. In the plains were 
 plum trees, peculiar to the country, and others re- 
 sembling those of Spain. Wild fruit clambered to 
 the tops of the loftiest trees, and lower branches 
 were laden with delicious Isabella grapes."* 
 
 This is supposed to have been the same native 
 grape, called the Isabella, which has since been so 
 extensively cultivated. 
 
 * History of Alabama, by Albert James Pickett, p. 17. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 The Dreadful Battle of Mobila. 
 
 The Army in Alabama. — Barbaric Pageant. — The Chief of Tusca- 
 loosa. — Native Dignity. — Suspected Treachery of the Chief. — 
 Mobila, its Location and Importance. — Cunning of the Chief. — 
 The Spaniards Attacked. — Incidents of the Battle. — Disastrous 
 Results. 
 
 On the 15th of July, 1540, the army came in 
 sight of the metropoHtan town of the rich and popu- 
 lous province through which it was passing. The 
 town, hke the province, bore the name of Coosa. 
 The army had travelled slowly, so that the native 
 chief, by his swift footmen, had easily kept himself 
 informed of all its movements. When within a mile 
 or two of Coosa, De Soto saw in the distance a very 
 splendid display of martial bands advancing to meet 
 him. The friendly greeting he had continually re- 
 ceived disarmed all suspicion of a hostile encounter. 
 
 The procession rapidly approached. At its head 
 was the chief, a young man twenty-six years of age, 
 of admirable figure and countenance, borne in a 
 chair palanquin upon the shoulders of four of his 
 warriors. A thousand soldiers, in their most gaudy 
 
26o FERDINAND DE SOTO. - 
 
 attire, composed his train. As they drew near, with 
 the music of well-played flutes, with regular tread, 
 their mantles and plumes waving in the breeze, all 
 the Spaniards were alike impressed with the beauty 
 of the spectacle. The chief himself was decorated 
 with a mantle of rich furs gracefully thrown over his 
 shoulders. His diadem was of plumes very bril- 
 liantly colored. He addressed De Soto in the fol- 
 lowing speech : 
 
 " Mighty chief, above all others of the earth. 
 Although I come now to receive you, yet I received 
 you many days ago deep in my heart. If I had the 
 whole world it would not give me as much pleasure as 
 I now enjoy at the presence of yourself and your in- 
 comparable warriors. My person, lands, and sub- 
 jects are at your service. I will now march you to 
 your quarters with playing and singing."* 
 
 De Soto made a suitable response. Then the 
 two armies, numbering, with their attendants, more 
 than two thousand men, commenced their march to- 
 ward the town. The native chief was borne in his 
 palanquin, and De Soto rode on his magnificent 
 charger by his side. The royal palace was assigned 
 to De Soto, and one-half of the houses in the town 
 were appropriated to the soldiers for their lodgings. 
 
 The town of Coosa, which consisted of five hun- 
 * Portuguese Narrative, p. 719. 
 
• THE DREADFUL BATTLE OF MOBILA. 26 1 
 
 dred houses, was situated on the east bank of the 
 river of the same name, between two creeks now 
 known as Talladega and Tallasehatchee. During a 
 residence of twelve days in this delightful retreat, 
 some slight disturbance arose between some of the 
 natives and some of the Spanish soldiers. It was, 
 however, easily quelled by the prudence and friendly 
 disposition of the chief and the Governor. Indeed, 
 the native chief became so attached to De Soto as 
 to urge him to establish his colony there. Or if he 
 could not consent to that arrangement, at least to 
 spend the winter with him. 
 
 '* But De Soto," writes Mr. Irving, " was anxious 
 to arrive at the bay of Achusi, where he had ap- 
 pointed Captain Diego Maldonado to meet him in 
 the autumn. Since leaving the province of Xuala 
 he had merely made a bend through the country, 
 and was now striking southerly for the sea-coast.'' 
 
 On the 20th of August the Spanish army, after 
 having spent twenty-five days at Coosa, was again 
 in movement. The chief of Coosa, and a large body 
 of his warriors, accompanied De Soto to their fron- 
 tiers, evidently as a friendly retinue. The Portuguese 
 Narrative makes the incredible assertion that they 
 were all prisoners, compelled to follow the army for 
 its protection and as guides. With much more 
 probability it is represented that one of the chief's 
 
2J2 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 subordinate officers on the frontier was in a state of 
 insurrection, and that upon that account the chief 
 gladly accompanied the Spaniards, hoping to over- 
 awe his refractory subjects by appearing among 
 them with such formidable allies. 
 
 The Spaniards now entered the territory' of Tus- 
 caloosa, who was the most warlike and powerful 
 chieftain of all the southern tribes. His domain 
 comprised nearly the whole of the present States of 
 Alabama and Mississippi. The Tuscaloosa, or Black 
 Warrior river, flowed through one of the richest of 
 his valleys. Though there were no mails or tele- 
 graphs in those da}'s, Indian runners conveyed all 
 important intelligence with very considerable rapid- 
 ity. The chief had heard of the approach of the 
 Spaniards, and the annalists of those days say, we 
 know not with what authority, that he hesitated 
 whether to receive them as friends or foes. What- 
 ever may have been his secret thoughts, he certainly 
 sent his son, a young man of eighteen, with a reti- 
 nue of warriors, to meet De Soto with proffers of 
 friendship. 
 
 The young ambassador was a splendid specimen 
 of manhood, being taller than any Spaniard or In- 
 dian in the army, and admirably formed for both 
 strength and agility. In his bearing he was self-pos- 
 sessed and courteous, appearing like a gentleman 
 
THE DREADFUL BATTLE OF MOBILA. 263 
 
 accustomed to polished society. De Soto was much 
 impressed by his appearance and princely manners. 
 He received him with the utmost kindness, made 
 him several valuable presents, and dismissed him 
 with friendly messages to his father, stating that he 
 cordially accepted of his friendship, and would 
 shorly visit him. 
 
 De Soto then crossed the fiver Tuscaloosa, or 
 Black Warrior, having first taken an affectionate leave 
 of the Cacique of Coosa, who had accompanied him to 
 this frontier river. A journey of two days brought 
 the Spaniards to within six miles of the large village 
 where the chief of Tuscaloosa was awaiting their 
 arrival. As they reached this spot in the evening, 
 they encamped for the night in a pleasant grove. 
 Early the next morning De Soto sent forward a 
 courier to apprise the chief of his arrival, and set out 
 soon after himself, accompanied by a suitable retinue 
 of horsemen. 
 
 The chief had, however, by his own scouts, kept 
 himself informed of every movement of the Span- 
 iards. He had repaired with a hundred of his no- 
 bles, and a large band of warriors, to the summit of 
 a hill, over which the route of the Spaniards led, and 
 which commanded a magnificent prospect of the 
 country for many leagues around. He was seated 
 on a chair of state, and a canopy of parti-colored 
 
264 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 • 
 
 deer-skin, very softly tanned, and somewhat resem- 
 bling a large umbrella, was held over his head. His 
 chief men were arranged respectfully and in order 
 near him, while at a little distance his warriors were 
 posted 'in martial bands. The whole spectacle, 
 crowning the smooth and verdant hill, presented a 
 beautiful pageant. 
 
 The Cacique was about forty years of age, and of 
 gigantic proportions, being, like his son, nearly a 
 head taller than any of his attendants. He was 
 well-formed, and his countenance indicated perfect 
 self-possession, intelligence, and great firmness. The 
 sight of the cavaliers approaching with their silken 
 banners, their glittering armor, and bestride their 
 magnificent steeds, must have been astounding in 
 the highest degree to one who had never seen a quad- 
 ruped larger than a dog. But the proud chief as- 
 sumed an air of imperturbable gravity and indiffer- 
 ence. 
 
 One would have supposed that he had been ac- 
 customed to such scenes from his childhood. He 
 did not deign even to look upon the horsemen, 
 though some of them endeavored to arrest his 
 attention by causing the animals to prance and rear. 
 Without taking the slightest notice of the cavaliers 
 who preceded De Soto, his eye seemed instantly to 
 discern the Governor. As he approached, the chief 
 
THE DREADFUL BATTLE OF MOBILA. 265 
 
 courteously arose, and advanced a few steps to meet 
 him. De Soto alighted from his horse, and with 
 Spanish courtesy embraced the chieftain, who, with 
 great dignity, addressed him in the following words : 
 
 " Mighty chief, I bid you welcome. I greet you 
 as I would my brother. It is needless to talk long. 
 Wliat I have to say can be said in a few words. 
 You shall know how willing I am to serve you. I 
 am thankful for the things you have sent me, chiefly 
 because they were yours. I am now ready to com- 
 ply with your desires." 
 
 This interview, it is supposed, took place in the 
 present county of Montgomery, Alabama. The 
 whole party then returned to the village, De Soto 
 and the chief walking arm in arm. A spacious house 
 was assigned to De Soto and his suite by the side of 
 that occupied by the Cacique. 
 
 After a rest of two days in the village, enjoying 
 the rather cold and reserved, but abundant hospital- 
 ity of the chief, the Spaniards continued their 
 march. The chief, either for his own pleasure or by 
 persuasion, was induced to accompany him. The 
 most powerful horse in the army was selected to 
 bear his herculean frame ; and yet it is said that 
 when the Cacique bestrode him his feet almost 
 touched the ground. De Soto had made him a 
 
 present of a dress and mantle of rich scarlet cloth 
 12 
 
266 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 Thus habited and mounted, with his towering 
 plumes, he attracted all eyes. The two chieftains 
 rode side by side. Their route led through the 
 counties of Montgomery, Lowndes, and the south- 
 eastern part of Dallas, until they came to a large 
 town called Piache, upon the Alabama river. This 
 stream they passed on rafts of log and cane, proba- 
 bly in the upper part of the county of Wilcox. The 
 expedition then turned in a southerly direction, fol- 
 lowing down the western bank of the Alabama 
 through Wilcox county. 
 
 The Indian chief continued proud and distant ; 
 was observed to be frequently consulting with his prin- 
 cipal men, and often dispatching runners in different 
 directions. De Soto was led to suspect that some 
 treachery was meditated. Two of the Spaniards, 
 who had wandered a little distance in the woods, 
 disappeared, and were never heard of again. It 
 was suspected that they had been killed by the na- 
 tives. The Cacique being questioned upon the sub- 
 ject, angrily and contemptuously replied : 
 
 " Why do you ask me about your people ? Am I 
 their keeper? " 
 
 These suspicions led De Soto to keep a close 
 watch upon the chief. This was done secretly, 
 while still friendly relations were maintained be- 
 tween them. It was more than probable that the 
 
THE DREADFUL BATTLE OF MOBILA. 267 
 
 chief was himself a spy in the Spanish camp, and 
 that he was treacherously gathering his powerful 
 armies at some favorable point where he could effect- 
 ually annihilate the Spaniards, and enrich himself 
 with all their possessions of armor and horses. It 
 was therefore a matter of prudence, almost a vital 
 necessity, for De Soto to throw an invisible guard 
 around the chieftain, that all his movements might 
 be narrowly observed, and that he might not take to 
 sudden flight. With him in their hands as a host- 
 age, the hostility of his warriors might, perhaps, be 
 effectually arrested. 
 
 They were now approaching the town of Mobila, 
 which was the capital of the Tuscaloosa kingdom. 
 This town was probably situated at a place now call- 
 ed Choctaw Bluff, on the north or western side of the 
 Alabama river, in the county of Clarke. At that 
 point the Spaniards were at a distance of about 
 twenty-five miles above the confluence of the Ala- 
 bama and the Tombigbee, and about eighty-five 
 miles from the bay of Pensacola. The town was 
 beautifully situated upon a spacious plain, and con- 
 sisted of eighty very large houses ; each one of 
 which, it was stated, would accommodate a thousand 
 men. 
 
 As they approached this important place, De So- 
 to sent forward some very reliable couriers, to ob- 
 
268 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 serve if there were any indications of conspiracy. 
 Early in the morning of the eighteenth of October, 
 1540, De Soto with the advance guard of his army, 
 consisting of one hundred footmen, all picked men, 
 accompanied by the Cacique, entered the streets of 
 Mobila. Mr. Irving gives the following interesting 
 account of this important capital : 
 
 " This was the stronghold of the Cacique, where 
 he and his principal men resided. It stood in a 
 fine plain, and was surrounded by a high wall, formed 
 of huge trunks of trees driven into the ground, side 
 by side, and wedged together. These were crossed, 
 within and without, by others, small and longer, 
 bound to them by bands made of split reeds and wild 
 vines. The whole was thickly plastered over with a 
 kind of mortar, made of clay and straw trampled to- 
 gether, which filled up every chink and crevice of 
 the wood-work, so that it appeared as if smoothed 
 with a trowel. Throughout its whole circuit, the 
 wall was pierced at the height of a man with loop- 
 holes, whence arrows might be discharged at an en- 
 emy, and at every fifty paces, it was surmounted by a 
 tower capable of holding seven or eight fighting 
 men." 
 
 As De Soto and the chief, accompanied by the 
 advance guard of the Spanish army, and a numer- 
 ous train of Indian warriors, approached the walls, a 
 
THE DREADFUL BATTLE OF MOBILA. 269 
 
 large band of native soldiers, in compact martial ar- 
 ray, and as usual gorgeously decorated, emerged 
 from one of the gates. They were preceded by a 
 musical band, playing upon Indian flutes, and were 
 followed by a group of dancing girls, remarkably 
 graceful and beautiful. As we have mentioned, De 
 Soto, and the Cacique in his scarlet uniform, rode 
 side by side. Traversing the streets, the whole 
 band arrived in the central square. Here they alight- 
 ed, and all the horses were led outside the walls to 
 be tethered and fed. 
 
 The chief then, through Juan Ortiz, the inter- 
 preter, pointed out to De Soto one of the largest 
 houses for the accommodation of himself and suite. 
 Another adjoining house was appropriated to the 
 servants and attendants. Cabins were also immedi- 
 ately reared just outside the walls for the accommo- 
 dation of the main body of the army. 
 
 De Soto was somewhat anxious in view of this 
 arrangement. It was effectually separating him 
 from his soldiers, and was leaving the Cacique en- 
 tirely at liberty. Some words passed between the 
 chief and the Governor, which led to an angry reply 
 on the part of the Cacique, who turned upon his 
 heel and retired to his own palace. The main body 
 of the army had not yet come up, and if the chief 
 
2/0 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 meditated treachery, the moment was very favor- 
 able for an attack upon the advance guard only. 
 
 Soon after the Cacique had left in an angry 
 mood, one of the cavaliers whom De Soto had sent 
 forward to examine into the state of affairs, entered 
 with the announcement that many circumstances in- 
 dicated a dark and treacherous plot. He said that 
 more than ten thousand warriors, all evidently 
 picked men, and thoroughly armed, were assembled 
 in the various houses. Not a child was to be found 
 in the town, and scarcely a woman, excepting the 
 few dancing girls who had formed a part of the 
 escort. 
 
 The Governor was much alarmed by these tid- 
 ings. He dispatched orders to all the troops who 
 were with him to be on the alert, and to hold them- 
 selves in readiness to repel an assault. At the same 
 time he sent back a courier to inform Luis De Mos- 
 coso, who was master of the Spanish camp, of the 
 dangerous posture of affairs. Unfortunately, rely- 
 ing upon the friendly spirit of the natives, he had 
 allowed his men to scatter widely from the camp, 
 hunting and amusing themselves. It was some time 
 before they could be collected. 
 
 De Soto, anxious to avert a rupture, wished to 
 get the person of the Cacique in his power. They 
 had been accustomed since they met to eat together. 
 
THE DREADFUL BATTLE OF MOBILA. 2/1 
 
 As soon as the attendants of the Governor had pre- 
 pared some refreshments for him, he sent Juan Ortiz 
 to invite the Cacique to join him in the repast. The 
 interpreter was not permitted to enter the palace, 
 but after a little delay, a messenger announced that 
 the Cacique would come pretty soon. 
 
 The Governor waited some time, and again sent 
 Ortiz to repeat the invitation. Again the interpre- 
 ter returned with the same response. After an- 
 other interval of waiting, and the Cacique not 
 appearing, Ortiz was sent for the third time. Ap- 
 proaching the door of the palace, he shouted out, in 
 a voice sufficiently loud to be heard by all within, 
 " Tell the chief of Tuscaloosa to come forth. The 
 food is upon the table, and the Governor is waiting 
 for him." 
 
 Immediately one of the principal attendants of 
 the Cacique rushed out in a towering passion, and 
 exclaimed : 
 
 " Who are these robbers, these vagabonds, who 
 keep calling to my chief of Tuscaloosa, ' come out ! 
 come out ! ' with as little reverence as if he were one 
 of them ? By the sun and moon, this insolence is no 
 longer to be borne ! Let us cut them to pieces on 
 the spot, and put an end to their wickedness and 
 tyranny!" 
 
 Uttering these words, he threw off his superb 
 
2/2 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 mantle of marten skins, and seizing a bow from the 
 hands of an attendant, drew an arrow to the head, 
 aiming at a group of Spaniards in the pubHc square. 
 But before the arrow left the bow, a steel-clad cava- 
 lier, who had accompanied the interpreter, with one 
 thrust of his sword laid the Indian dead at his feet. 
 The son of the dead warrior, a vigorous young sav- 
 age, sprang forward and let fly upon the cavalier 
 six or seven arrows, as fast as he could draw them. 
 But they all fell harmless from his armor. He then 
 seized a club and struck him three or four blows 
 over the head with such force that the blood gushed 
 from beneath his casque. 
 
 All this was done in an instant, when the cava- 
 lier, recovering from his surprise, with two sword- 
 thrusts, laid the young warrior dead in his blood by 
 the side of his father. It seemed as though instan- 
 taneously the war-whoop resounded from a thousand 
 throats. 
 
 The concealed warriors, ten thousand in number, 
 with hideous yells, like swarming bees, rushed into 
 the streets. De Soto had but two hundred men to 
 meet them. But these were all admirably armed, 
 and most of them protected by coats of mail. He 
 immediately placed himself at the head of his troops, 
 and slowly retreating, fighting fiercely every inch of 
 the way, with his armored men facing the foe, sue- 
 
THE DREADFUL BATTLE OF MOBILA. 2/3 
 
 ceeded in withdrawing through the gate out upon 
 the open plain, where his horsemen could operate to 
 better advantage. In the retreat five of the Span- 
 iards were killed and many severely wounded, De 
 Soto being one of the number. 
 
 The Indians came rushing out upon the plain 
 in a tumultuous mass, with yells of defiance and vic- 
 tory. But the dragoons soon regained their horses, 
 which had been tethered outside the walls, and 
 whose bodies were much protected from the ar- 
 rows of the natives ; and then, in a terrific charge, 
 one hundred steel-clad men, cutting to the right 
 hand and to the left, maddened by the treachery of 
 which they had been the victims, plunged into the 
 densest masses of their foes, and every sabre-blow 
 was death to a half-naked Indian. The slaughter 
 was awful. Brave as the Indians were, they were 
 thrown into a panic, and fled precipitately into the 
 town. 
 
 In the retreat from the town, about twenty of the 
 Spaniards had been cut off from their comrades, and 
 had taken refuge in the house assigned to the Gov- 
 ernor. Here they valiantly defended themselves 
 against fearful odds. The bold storming of the 
 place by the Spanish troops rescued them from their 
 perilous position. But now all the warriors of both 
 parties crowded together in the public square, fought 
 12* 
 
274 FERDINAND DE SOTO, 
 
 hand to hand with a ferocity which could not be sur- 
 passed. Though the natives were far more numer- 
 ous than their foes, and were equally brave and 
 strong, still the Spaniards had a vast superiority 
 over them in their bucklers, their impenetrable ar- 
 mor, and their long, keen sabres of steel. 
 
 De Soto, conscious that the very existence of 
 his army depended upon the issue of the conflict, was 
 ever in the thickest of the battle, notwithstanding 
 the severity of the wound from which he was suffer- 
 ing. At length, to drive his foes from the protec- 
 tion of their houses, the torch was applied in many 
 places. The timber of which they were built was 
 dry almost as tinder. Soon the whole place was in 
 flames, the fiery billows surging to and fro like a 
 furnace. All alike fled from the conflagration. The 
 horsemen were already upon the plain, and they cut 
 down the fugitive Indians mercilessly. 
 
 The sun was then sinking; Mobila was in ruins, 
 and its flaming dwellings formed the funeral pyre of 
 thousands of the dead. The battle had lasted nine 
 hours. To the Spaniards it was one of the most 
 terrible calamities. Eighty-two of their number 
 were slain. Nearly all the rest were more or less 
 severely wounded. Forty-five horses had been shot 
 — an irreparable loss which all the army deeply 
 mourned. 
 
THE DREADFUL BATTLE OF MOBILA. 2/5 
 
 In entering the city, they had piled their camp 
 equipage against the walls. This was all consumed, 
 consisting of clothing, armor, medicines, and all the 
 pearls which they had collected. The disaster to 
 the natives was still more dreadful. It is estimated 
 that six thousand of their number perished by the 
 sword or the flames. The fate of the chieftain is 
 not with certainty known. It is generally supposed 
 that he was slain and was consumed in the flames of 
 his capital. 
 
 The situation of the Spanish army that night 
 was distressing in the highest degree. They were 
 hungry, exhausted, dejected, and seventeen hundred 
 dangerous wounds demanded immediate attention. 
 There was but one surgeon of the expedition who 
 survived, and he was a man of but little skill. 
 
 De Soto forgot himself and his wound in devo- 
 tion to the interests of his men. Foraging parties 
 were sent in all directions to obtain food for the suf- 
 ferers, and straw for bedding. Here the army was 
 compelled many days to remain to recruit from the 
 awful disaster with which it had been so suddenly 
 overwhelmed. 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 Days of Darkness. 
 
 The Melancholy Encampment. — The Fleet at Pensacola. — Singular 
 Resolve of De Soto. — Hostility of the Natives. — Beautiful Sce- 
 — nery. — Winter Quarters on the Yazoo. — Feigned Friendship 
 of the Cacique. — Trickery of Juan Ortiz. — The Terrible Battle of 
 Chickasaw. — Dreadful Loss of the Spaniards. 
 
 For twenty-three days the Spaniards remained in 
 their miserable quarters, nursing the sick and the 
 wounded. As nearly all their baggage had been 
 consumed in the flames, they w^ere in a condition of 
 extreme destitution and suffering. Parties, of those 
 who were least disabled, were sent on foraging expe- 
 ditions, penetrating the country around to a distance 
 of about twelve miles. They found the villages de- 
 serted by the terror-stricken inhabitants. But they 
 obtained a sufficient supply of food to meet their 
 immediate wants. In the thickets and ravines they 
 found the bodies of many Indians, who had died of 
 their wounds, and had been left unburied by their 
 companions. They also found in many of the de- 
 serted hamlets, wounded Indians, who could go no 
 farther, and who were in a starving and dying con- 
 
DAYS OF DARKNESS. 2// 
 
 dition. De Soto kindly ordered that their wounds 
 should be dressed, and that they should be fed and 
 nursed just as tenderly as his own men. Several cap- 
 tives were taken. De Soto inquired of them if 
 another attack were meditated. They replied that 
 all their warriors were slain ; that none were left to 
 renew the battle ; that their chief had sent his son 
 to watch the movements of the Spaniards, and had 
 summoned his warriors from a great distance for 
 their extermination. Nearly all were to be slain. 
 The survivors were to be held as slaves. All their 
 possessions and especially the magnificent animals 
 they rode, were to be divided as the spoils of the 
 conqueror. They said that their chief, upon the ar- 
 rival of De Soto with his advance guard, was hold- 
 ing a council with his officers, to decide whether 
 they should immediately attack those who had al- 
 ready arrived, or wait until the whole army was with- 
 in their power. The passion and imprudence of one 
 of their generals had precipitated the conflict. 
 
 The loss of the natives was even greater than De 
 Soto had at first imagined. The thousands of In- 
 dian warriors who were within the spacious houses, 
 shooting their arrows through windows, doors and 
 loopholes, were many of them cut off from all es- 
 cape, by the devouring flames. Bewildered, blinded, 
 
2/8 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 Stifled by the smoke, and encircled by the billowy 
 fire, they miserably perished. 
 
 While De Soto was thus encamped around the 
 smouldering ruins of Mobila, he heard of the arrival 
 of his fleet at Pensacola, then called the bay of Ach- 
 usi. As he was but about one hundred miles from 
 that point, an easy march of a few days would bring 
 him to reinforcements and abundant supplies. The 
 tidings of their arrival at first gave him great satis- 
 faction. His determined spirit was still unvanquish- 
 ed. He immediately resolved to establish his col- 
 ony on the shores of Pensacola Bay, whence he could 
 have constant water communication with Cuba and 
 with Spain. Having obtained a fresh supply of mil- 
 itary stores and recruits from the ships, he would 
 lecommence his pursuit after gold. 
 
 While one cannot but condemn his persistence 
 in a ruinous course, the invincible spirit it develops 
 wins admiration. Indeed if we accept the facts of 
 the affair at Mobila, as above described, and those 
 facts seem to be fully corroborated by a careful ex- 
 amination of all the reliable annalists of those days, 
 impartial history cannot severely condemn De Soto 
 in that dreadful occurrence. But it cannot be denied 
 that he would have acted much more wisely, had he 
 followed the counsel of Isabella, previously given, 
 
DAYS OF DARKNESS. 279 
 
 and withdrawn from scenes thus fraught with vio- 
 lence, cruelty and blood. 
 
 As De Soto was conversing with some of his of- 
 ficers, of his plan of still prosecuting his journey in 
 search of gold, he was told, not a little to his dismay, 
 that his soldiers would not follow him. It was said 
 that they were all thoroughly disheartened, and anx- 
 ious to return to their homes, and that immediately 
 upon reaching their ships, they would insist upon re- 
 embarking, and abandoning a land where they had 
 thus far encountered only disasters. 
 
 The thought of returning to Cuba an impoverish- 
 ed man, having utterly failed in his expedition, sur- 
 rounded by ragged and clamorous followers, and thus 
 in disgrace, was to De Soto dreadful. Not making 
 sufficient allowance for the difference in those re- 
 spects between himself and his followers, he found 
 it difficult to credit the representations which had 
 been made to him. He therefore dressed himself in 
 a disguise, and secretly wandered about by night 
 among the frail huts of the soldiers, and soon found, 
 by listening to their conversation, his worst fears con- 
 firmed. It became clear to his mind that immedi- 
 ately on his return to the ships, his present followers 
 would disband and shift for themselves, while it 
 would be in vain for him to attempt to raise another 
 armv. 
 
28o FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 Speaking of the distress with which these consid- 
 erations oppressed the mind of De Soto, Mr. Irving 
 well says, referring in confirmation of his statement, 
 both to the account given by the Portuguese Narra- 
 tive, and that by the Inca : 
 
 " Should his present forces desert him, therefore, 
 he would remain stripped of dignity and command, 
 blasted in reputation, his fortune expended in vain, 
 and his enterprise, which had caused so much toil 
 and trouble, a subject of scoffing rather than renown. 
 The Governor was a man extremely jealous of his 
 honor ; and as he reflected upon these gloomy pros- 
 pects, they produced sudden and desperate resolves. 
 He disguised his anger and his knowledge of the 
 schemes he had overheard, but he determined to frus- 
 trate them by turning back upon the coast, striking 
 again into the interior, and never seeking the ships 
 nor furnishing any tidings of himself, until he had 
 crowned his enterprise gloriously by discovering new 
 regions of wealth like those of Peru and Mexico. 
 
 " A change came over De Soto from this day. He 
 was disconcerted in his favorite scheme of coloniza- 
 tion, and had lost confidence in his followers. In- 
 stead of manifesting his usual frankness, energy and 
 alacrity, he became a moody, irritable, discontented 
 man. He no longer pretended to strike out any grand 
 undertaking, went recklessly wandering from place to 
 
DAYS OF DARKNESS. 281 
 
 place, apparently without order or object, as if care- 
 less of time and life, and only anxious to finish his 
 existence." 
 
 On the morning of the 15th of November, 1540, 
 the troops, much to their consternation, received or- 
 ders to commence their march to the north, instead 
 of to the south. The established habits of military 
 discipline, and the stern manner of De Soto, repelled 
 all audible murmurs. Each soldier took with him 
 two days' provision, which consisted mainly of roasted 
 corn pounded into meal. It was not doubted that in 
 the fertile region of that sunny clime they would 
 find food by the way. But winter was approaching 
 which, though short, would certainly bring with it 
 some days and nights of such severe cold that an 
 unsheltered army would almost perish. 
 
 After traversing a very pleasant country for five 
 days, without meeting any adventure of any espe- 
 cial interest, they came to a river wide and deep, with 
 precipitous banks, which is supposed to have been 
 the Tuscaloosa, or Black Warrior. The point at 
 which they touched this stream, upon whose banks 
 they had already encamped, was probably near the 
 present site of Erie, in Greene County. Here they 
 found upon the farther banks of the river, a popu- 
 lous village called Cabusto. De Soto as usual sent a 
 courier with a friendly message to the chief, saying 
 
282 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 " that he came in friendship and sought only an un- 
 obstructed path through his realms." 
 
 The chief returned the defiant reply — 
 
 " We want no peace with you. War only we 
 want ; a war of fire and blood.'' 
 
 As De Soto, troubled by this message, moved 
 cautiously forward, he found an army of fifteen hun- 
 dred natives drawn up on the banks of the stream to 
 prevent the passage ; while the opposite banks were 
 occupied by between six and seven thousand warri- 
 ors, extending up and down the river for a distance 
 of six miles. There was nothing for the Spaniards 
 to do but to press forward. To turn back, in sight 
 of their foes, was not to be thought of. After a 
 pretty sharp skirmish, in which the Spaniards at- 
 tacked their opponents, the natives sprang into their 
 canoes, and some by swimming crossed the river and 
 joined the main body of the Indians upon the oppo- 
 site bank. 
 
 Here they were obviously prepared, to make a 
 desperate resistance. Night came on, dark and chill. 
 The Spaniards bivouacked on the open plain, await- 
 ing the morning, when, with but about seven hun- 
 dred men, they were to assail eight thousand warri- 
 ors, very strongly posted on bluffs, with a deep and 
 rapid river flowing at their feet. The Indians gave 
 the Spaniards no repose. During the darkness they 
 
DAYS OF DARKNESS. 283 
 
 were continually passing the river at different points 
 in their canoes, and then uniting in one band, with 
 hideous outcries assailing the weary travellers. The 
 military genius of De Soto successfully beat them 
 off through the night. He then intrenched himself 
 so as to bid defiance to their attacks, and employed 
 one hundred of his most skilful workmen in build- 
 ing, under the concealment of a neighboring grove, 
 two very large flat boats. 
 
 Twelve days passed before these barges were fin- 
 ished. By the aid of men and horses, they were 
 brought to the river and launched. In the morning, 
 before the dawn, ten mounted horsemen and forty 
 footmen embarked in each boat, the footmen to ply 
 the oars as vigorously as possible in the rapid pas- 
 sage of the river to a designated spot, where the 
 horsemen were immediately to spur their steeds up- 
 on the shore, and with their sabres open a passage 
 for the rest of the troops. De Soto was anxious to 
 pass in the first boat, but his followers entreated him 
 not to expose his life, upon which everything de- 
 pended, to so great a peril. 
 
 The moment the boats were dimly seen by the 
 watchful natives, a signal war-whoop rang along the 
 bank for miles. Five hundred warriors rushed to the 
 menaced spot, to prevent the landing. Such a 
 shower of arrows was thrown upon the boat that 
 
284 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 every man was more or less wounded. The mo- 
 ment the bows touched the beach, the steel-clad 
 horsemen plunged upon the foe, and cut their way 
 through them with blood-dripping sabres. Other 
 native warriors were however hurrying to the assist- 
 ance of their comrades. In the meantime the 
 boats had with great rapidity recrossed the river, and 
 brought over another detachment of eighty men with 
 De Soto himself at their head. After a sanguinary 
 conflict the Spaniards obtained complete possession 
 of the landing place. Though unimportant skir- 
 mishes were kept up through the day, the remaining 
 troops were without difficulty brought across the 
 river. At nightfall not an Indian was to be seen. 
 They had all withdrawn and fortified themselves 
 with palisades in a neighboring swamp. 
 
 The Spaniards found opening before them a 
 beautiful and fertile country, well cultivated, with 
 fields of corn and beans, and with many small vil- 
 lages and comfortable farm-houses scattered around. 
 They broke up their boats for the sake of the nails, 
 which might prove of priceless value to them in 
 their future operations. Leaving the Indians unmo- 
 lested in their fortress, they journeyed on five days 
 in a westerly direction, when they reached the 
 banks of another large river, which is supposed to 
 have been the Tombigbee. 
 
DAYS OF DARKNESS. 285 
 
 Here De Soto found hostile Indians arrayed on 
 the opposite bank, ready to oppose his passage. 
 Anxious to avoid, if possible, any sanguinary collis- 
 ion with the natives, he tarried for two days, until a 
 canoe had been constructed by which he could send 
 a friendly message across to the chief. A single un- 
 armed Indian was dispatched in the canoe with these 
 words of peace. He paddled across the river, and 
 as soon as the canoe touched the shore the savages 
 rushed upon him, beat out his brains with their war- 
 clubs, and raising yells of defiance, mysteriously dis- 
 appeared. 
 
 There being no longer any foe to oppose the 
 passage, the troops were easily conveyed across on 
 rafts. Unassailed, they marched tranquilly on for 
 several days, until, on the i8th of December, they 
 reached a small village called Chickasaw. It was 
 pleasantly situated on a gentle eminence, embel- 
 lished with groves of walnut and oak trees, and with 
 streams of pure water running on either side. It is 
 supposed that this village was on the Yazoo river, in 
 the upper part of the State of Mississippi, about two 
 hundred and fifty miles northwest of Mobile. 
 
 It was midwinter, and upon those high lands the 
 weather was intensely cold. The ground was fre- 
 quently encumbered with snow and ice, and the 
 troops, unprovided with winter clothing, suffered 
 
286 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 severely. De Soto decided to take up his winter 
 quarters at Chickasaw, there to await the returning 
 sun of spring. There appears to have been some- 
 thing senseless in the wild wanderings in which De 
 Soto was now persisting, which have led some to 
 suppose that care, exhaustion, and sorrow had 
 brought on some degree of mental derangement. 
 However that may be, he devoted himself with 
 great energy to the promotion of the comfort of his 
 men. Foraging parties were dispatched in all direc- 
 tions in search of food and of straw for bedding, 
 while an ample supply of fuel was collected for their 
 winter fires. 
 
 There were two hundred comfortable houses in 
 this village, and De Soto added a few more, so that 
 all of his men were well sheltered. So far as we can 
 judge from the narratives given, the native inhabit- 
 ants, through fear of the Spaniards, had abandoned 
 their homes and fled to distant parts. De Soto did 
 everything in his power to open friendly relations 
 with the Indians. He succeeded, through his scouts, 
 in capturing a few, whom he sent to their chief laden 
 with presents, and with assurances of peace and 
 friendship. 
 
 The Cacique returned favorable replies, and sent 
 to De Soto in return fruit, fish, and venison. He, 
 however, was very careful not to expose his person to 
 
DAYS OF DARKNESS. 28/ 
 
 the power of the Spaniards. His warriors, in gradu- 
 ally increasing numbers, ventured to enter the vil- 
 lage, where they were treated by De Soto with the 
 .greatest consideration. He had still quite a large 
 number of swine with him, for they had multiplied 
 wonderfully on the way. The Indians, having had a 
 taste of pork, found it so delicious that they began 
 to prowl around the encampment by night to steal 
 these animals. It is said that two Indians who were 
 caught in the act were shot, and as this did not 
 check the thievery, a third had both his hands 
 chopped off with a hatchet, and thus mutilated was 
 sent to the chief as a warning to others. 
 
 It is with great reluctance that we give any cre- 
 dence to this statement. It certainly is not sus- 
 tained by any evidence which would secure convic- 
 tion in a court of justice. It is quite contrary to the 
 well-established humanity of De Soto. There can 
 be no possible excuse for such an act of barbarity on 
 the part of any civilized man. If De Soto were 
 guilty of the atrocity, it would, indeed, indicate that 
 his reason was being dethroned. 
 
 The chief had taken up his residence about three 
 or four miles from the village. Four of the Spanish 
 soldiers one night, well armed, stole from their bar- 
 racks, in direct violation of orders, and repairing to 
 the dwelling of the Cacique, robbed him of some rich 
 
288 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 fur mantles, and other valuable articles of clothing. 
 With that even-handed justice which has thus far 
 characterized De Soto, he who had ordered two In- 
 dians to be shot for stealing his swine, now ordered 
 the two ringleaders in this robbery of the Indian 
 chief to be put to death. 
 
 The priests in the army, and most of the officers, 
 earnestly implored De Soto to pardon the culprits. 
 But he was inflexible. He would administer equal 
 justice to the Indian and the Spaniard. The cul- 
 prits were led into the public square to be beheaded. 
 It so happened that, just at that time, an embas- 
 sage arrived from the Cacique with complaints of the 
 robbery, and demanding the punishment of the 
 offenders. Juan Ortiz, the interpreter, whose sym- 
 pathies were deeply moved in behalf of his com- 
 rades about to be executed, adopted the following 
 singular and sagacious expedient to save them : 
 
 He falsely reported to the Governor that the 
 chief had sent his messengers to implore the for- 
 giveness of the culprits — to say that their offence 
 was a very slight one, and that he should regard it 
 as a personal favor if they were pardoned and set at 
 liberty. The kind-hearted De Soto, thus delivered 
 from his embarrassment, gladly released them. 
 
 On the other hand, the tricky interpreter sent 
 word to the Cacique that the men who had robbed 
 
DAYS OF DARKNESS. 289 
 
 him were in close imprisonment, and that they would 
 be punished with the utmost severity, so as to serve 
 as a warning to all others. 
 
 Many circumstances led De Soto to the suspi- 
 cion that the chief was acting a treacherous part ; 
 that he was marshalling an immense army in the 
 vicinity to attack the Spaniards ; that his pretended 
 friendliness was intended merely to disarm suspicion, 
 and that the warriors who visited the village were 
 spies, making preparation for a general assault. In 
 this judgment subsequent events proved him to be 
 correct. 
 
 Early in the month of March there was a dark and 
 stormy night, and a chill north wind swept the bleak 
 plains. The sentinels were driven to seek shelter ; 
 no one dreamed of peril. It was the hour for the 
 grand assault. Just at midnight the Cacique put 
 his martial bands in motion. They were in three 
 powerful divisions, the central party being led by the 
 chief in person. These moccasoned warriors, with 
 noiseless tread, stealthily approached their victims. 
 Suddenly the air resounded with war-whoops, blasts 
 of conch shells, and the clangor of wooden drums, 
 rising above the roar of the storm, when the sav- 
 aged, like spirits of darkness, rushed upon the de- 
 fenceless village. They bore with them lighted 
 
 matches, made of some combustible substance twist- 
 13 
 
290 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 ed in the form of a cord, which, being waved in the 
 air, would blaze into flame. The village was built of 
 reeds, with thatch of dried grass. The torch was 
 everywhere applied ; the gale fanned the fire. In a 
 few minutes the whole village was a roaring furnace 
 of flame. 
 
 What pen can describe the scene which ensued 
 of tumult, terror, blood, and woe ! What imagina- 
 tion can conceive of the horrors of that night, when 
 uncounted thousands of savages, fierce as demons, 
 rushed upon the steel-clad veterans of Spain, not 
 one of whom would ask for quarter ! every one of 
 whom would fight with sinewy arm and glittering 
 sabre to the last possible gasp. 
 
 Nothing could throw the veteran Spaniards into 
 a panic. They always slept prepared for surprise. 
 In an instant every man was at his post. De Soto, 
 who always slept in hose and doublet, drew his 
 armor around him, mounted his steed ever ready, 
 and was one of the first to dash into the densest of 
 the foe. Twelve armored horsemen were immedi- 
 ately at his side. The arrows and javelins of the 
 natives glanced harmless from helmet and cuirass, 
 while every flash of the long, keen sabres was death 
 to an Indian, and the proud war-horses trampled the 
 corpses beneath their feet. 
 
 The fierce conflagration soon drove all alike out 
 
DAYS OF DARKNESS. 29I 
 
 into the plain. Many of the Spaniards could not 
 escape, but perished miserably in the fire. Several 
 of the splendid horses were also burned. Soon all 
 were engaged hand to hand, fighting in a tumultu- 
 ous mass by the light of the conflagration. There 
 was, perhaps, alike bravery on either side. But the 
 natives knew that if defeated they could flee to the 
 forests ; while to the Spaniards defeat was certain 
 death, or captivity worse than death to every one. 
 
 De Soto observed not far from him an Indian 
 chief of herculean strength, who was fighting with 
 great success. He closed in upon him, and as he rose 
 in his saddle, leaning mainly upon the right stirrup, 
 to pierce him with his lance, the saddle, which in 
 the haste had not been sufficiently girded, turned 
 beneath him, and he was thrown upon the ground in 
 the midst of the enemy. His companions sprang to 
 the rescue. Instantly he remounted, and was again 
 in the thickest of the foe. The battle was fierce, 
 bloody, and short. So many of the horsemen had 
 perished during their long journey that many of the 
 foot soldiers were protected by armor. At length 
 the savages were put to flight. Pursued by the 
 swift-footed horses, they, in their terror, to add 
 speed to their footsteps, threw away their weapons, 
 and thus fell an easy prey to the conqueror. 
 
 The Spaniards, justly exasperated in being thus 
 
292 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 treacherously assailed by those who had assumed 
 the guise of friendship, pursued the fugitive so long 
 as they could be distinguished by the light of the 
 conflagration, and cut them down without any mercy. 
 A bugle-blast then sounded the recall. The victors 
 returned to an awful scene of desolation and misery. 
 Their homes were all in ashes, and many of the few 
 comforts they had retained were consumed. Forty 
 Spaniards had been slain, besides many more 
 wounded. Fifty horses had perished in the flames, 
 or had been shot by the natives. Their herd of 
 swine, which they prized so highly, and which they 
 regarded as an essential element in the establish- 
 ment of their colony, had been shut up in an enclo- 
 sure roofed with straw, and nearly every one had 
 perished in the flames. 
 
 This disaster was the most severe calamity which 
 had befallen them. Since landing at Tampa Bay, 
 over three hundred men had fallen from the attacks 
 of the natives. De Soto was thrown into a state of 
 the deepest despondency. All hope seemed to be 
 extinguished. World-weary, and in despair, he ap- 
 parently wished only to die. Distress was all around 
 him, with no possibility of his affording any relief. 
 Sadly he buried the dead of his own army, while he 
 left the bodies of the natives thick upon the plain, a 
 prey for wolves and vultures. The smouldering 
 
DAYS OF DARKNESS. 293 
 
 ruins of Chickasaw were abandoned, and an encamp- 
 ment was reared of logs and bark at a distance of 
 about tliree miles ; where they passed a few weeks of 
 great wretchedness. Bodily discomfort and mental 
 despondency united in creating almost intolerable 
 gloom. 
 
 Terribly as the natives had been punished they 
 soon learned the extent of the calamity they had in- 
 flicted upon the Spaniards. Through their spies 
 they ascertained their diminished numbers, witness- 
 ed their miserable plight, and had the sagacity to 
 perceive that they were very poorly prepared to 
 withstand another attack. Thus they gradually re- 
 gained confidence, marshalled their armies anew, and 
 commenced an incessant series of assaults, avoiding 
 any general action, and yet wearing out the Span- 
 iards with the expectation of such action every hour 
 of every night. 
 
 In the daytime, De Soto sent out his horsemen 
 to scour the country around in all directions for a 
 distance often or twelve miles. They would return 
 with the declaration that not a warrior was to be 
 found. But before midnight the fleet footed savages 
 would be swarming around the encampment, with 
 hideous yells, often approaching near enough to 
 throw in upon it a shower of arrows. Occasionally 
 these skirmishes became hotly contested. In one 
 
294 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 of them forty Indians were slain, while two of the 
 horses of the Spaniards were killed and two severely 
 wounded. 
 
 In their thin clothing the Spaniards would have 
 suffered terribly from the severe cold of the nights, 
 but for the ingenuity of one of their number, who 
 invented a soft, thick, warm matting or coverlet 
 which he wove from some long grass that abounded 
 in the vicinity. Every soldier was speedily engaged 
 in the manufacture of these beds or blankets. They 
 were made several inches in thickness and about six 
 feet square. One half served as a mattress, and the 
 other folded over, became a blanket. Thus they 
 were relieved from the cold, which otherwise would 
 have been almost unendurable. 
 
 The foraging parties succeeded in obtaining a 
 supply of corn, beans, and dried fruit. Here De 
 Soto was compelled to remain, to heal his wounded, 
 for the remainder of the month of March. He was 
 very anxious to escape from the hostile region as 
 soon as possible. As an illustration of the scenes 
 which were occurring almost every night during this 
 sad encampment, we may mention the following. 
 
 The night was cold and dark. The defiant war- 
 cries of the savages were heard in all directions and 
 no one could tell how great their numbers, or upon 
 what point their attack would fall. Several camp- 
 
DAYS OF DARKNESS. 295 
 
 fires were built, around which horsemen were assem- 
 bled ready to meet the foe from whatever point, in 
 the darkness, he might approach. Juan De Gusman 
 was the leader of one of these bands. He was a 
 cavalier of high renown. In figure, he was delicate, 
 almost feminine, but he had the soul of a lion. 
 
 By the light of the blazing fagots, he discerned a 
 numerous band of Indians stealthily approaching. 
 Leaping upon his horse, and followed by five com- 
 panions, and a few armored footmen, he plunged in- 
 to the midst of them. He aimed his javelin, at ap- 
 parently the leader of the savages, a man of gigantic 
 stature. The Indian wrenched the lance from his 
 hand, seized him by the collar, and hurled him from 
 his saddle to the ground. Instantly the soldiers 
 rushed in, with their sabers, cut the savage to pieces 
 and after a short conflict in which a large number of 
 the natives were slain, put the rest to flight. 
 
 It may seem strange that so few of the Spaniards 
 were killed in these terrible conflicts, in which they 
 often cut down hundreds and even thousands of 
 their foes. But it should be remembered that their 
 coats of mail quite eflectually protected them from 
 the flint pointed arrows of the Indians. The only 
 vulnerable point was the face, and even this was 
 sometimes shielded by the visor. But the bodies of 
 the natives, thinly clad, were easily cut down by the 
 steel blades of the cavaliers. 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 The Discovery of the Mississippi. 
 
 The Fortress of Hostile Indians. — Its Capture. — The Disastrous Con- 
 flict. — The Advance of the Army. — Discovery of the Mississippi 
 River. — Preparations for Crossing. — Extraordinary Pageants. — 
 Unjustifiable Attack. — The passage of the River. — Friendly Re- 
 ception by Casquin. — Extraordinary Religious Festival. 
 
 On the first day of April, 1541, the army broke 
 up its encampment, and again set out languidly on 
 its journey to the westward. No sounds of joy were 
 heard, for there was no longer hope to cheer. The 
 indomitable energy of De Soto dragged along the re- 
 luctant footsteps of his troops. The first day they 
 travelled about twelve miles, through a level and fer- 
 tile country with many villages and farm houses to 
 charm the eye. At night they encamped beyond 
 the territory of Chickasaw, and consequently suppos- 
 ed that they would no longer be molested, by those 
 hostile Indians. 
 
 A well armed party of cavalry and infantry was 
 sent out on a foraging expedition. They accidently 
 approached a strong fortress where a large number 
 of Indian warriors was assembled, prepared to resist 
 
THE DISCOVERY OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 29/ 
 
 their march. They were very fantastically clothed, 
 and painted in the highest style of barbaric art, so as 
 to render them as hideous as possible. Immediately 
 upon catching sight of the Spaniards they rushed out 
 upon them with ferocious cries. Anasco, who was 
 in command of the Spanish party, seeing such over- 
 whelming numbers coming upon him, retreated to an 
 open field, where he drew up his horses and placed 
 his crossbow men in front with their bucklers, to 
 protect the precious animals. At the same time he 
 sent hastily back to De Soto for reinforcements. 
 
 The Indians came rushing on, clashing their weap- 
 ons, beating wooden drums and raisirig the warwhoop, 
 till they arrived within reach of the arrows of the 
 crossbow men. Then, somewhat appalled by the 
 formidable military array of the Spaniards glittering 
 in steel armor, they stopped and taunted their foes 
 from the distance, with cries of defiance and gestures 
 of insolence and insult. 
 
 The hot-headed Auasco found it hard to restrain 
 his impatience. Soon De Soto himself came, with all 
 his force, except a few left to guard the camp. Care- 
 fully he scrutinized the fortress where these savages 
 had gathered their strength to crush him. It was in- 
 deed a formidable structure : consisting of a quadran- 
 gle twelve hundred feet square. There were three 
 
 entrance gates, purposely so low that mounted men 
 13* 
 
298 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 could not enter. In the rear of the fortress there 
 was a deep and rapid river with steep banks, proba- 
 bly the Yazoo ; in the county of Tallahatchee. The 
 fort was called the Alabama. Across this stream, frail 
 bridges were constructed, over which the Indians, in 
 case of necessity, could retreat, and easily destroy the 
 bridges behind them. Directly in the rear of the front 
 entrance, there was a second wall, and in the rear of 
 that a third ; so that if the outer wall were gained, 
 the garrison could retreat behind one and the other. 
 
 De Soto very carefully reconnoitred the fort. He 
 judged that the slightest appearance of timidity, on 
 his part, would so embolden the savages as to expose 
 him to great peril. Should he avoid the conflict, to 
 which he was challenged, and endeavor to escape, 
 by fleeing before his enemies, he would draw them 
 down upon him with resistless fury. Thus again he 
 found himself impelled to rouse all the energies of 
 his army for the slaughter of the poor savages. 
 
 He formed his attacking force in three columns, 
 to seize the three entrances. The Indians, carefully 
 noting these preparations, made a simultaneous rush 
 upon the Spaniards, pouring in upon them an inces- 
 sant volley of flint-pointed arrows. Notwithstand- 
 ing the armor, many of the Spaniards were wounded, 
 the savages taking careful aim at those parts which 
 were least protected. The three storming columns 
 
TPIE DISCOVERY OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 299 
 
 pressed vigorously on, while two bands of horsemen, 
 twenty in each, De Soto leading one of them, at- 
 tacked the tumultuous foe on each flank. The as- 
 sault was resistless. The panic-stricken savages fled 
 to the fortress. The entrances were clogged by the 
 crowd, and horsemen and footmen, with their long 
 sharp sabres cut down their foes with enormous 
 slaughter. 
 
 In the heat of the conflict an arrow, thrown by 
 the sinewy arm of an Indian, struck the steel casque 
 of De Soto with such force that it rebounded some 
 sixteen feet in the air. The blow was so severe that 
 it almost unhorsed the Governor, and seemingly 
 cau-sed, as he afterwards said, the fire to flash from 
 his eyes. As the savages rushed pell-mell into the 
 fortress, their pursuers were at their heels, cutting 
 them down. The Spaniards were exasperated. 
 They had sought peace, and had found only war. De 
 Soto had wished, in a friendly spirit, to traverse their 
 country, and they were hedging up his way and pur- 
 suing him with relentless ferocity. He assumed that 
 it was necessary, for the salvation of his army, to 
 teach them a lesson which they would not soon for- 
 get. 
 
 The carnage within the fortress was dreadful. 
 All was inextricable confusion. It was a hand-to- 
 hand fight. Wooden swords fell harmless upon hel- 
 
300 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 met, cuirass and b'uckler. But the keen and polish- 
 ed steel of the Spaniards did fearful execution upon 
 the almost naked bodies of the Indians. Some 
 climbed the palisades and leaped down into the 
 plain, where they were instantly slain by the mount- 
 ed troops. Others crowded through the fort and 
 endeavored to escape by the narrow bridges. Many 
 were jostled off, and in the swift current were drown- 
 ed. But a few moments elapsed ere the fort was in 
 the hands of the Spaniards. Its floor was covered 
 by the gory bodies of the slain. Still, not a few had 
 escaped, some by swimming, some by the bridges. 
 They immediately formed in battle array upon the 
 opposite bank of the river, where they supposed they 
 were beyond the reach of the Spaniards. 
 
 Again they raised shouts of defiance and insult. 
 De Soto was not in a mood to endure these taunts. 
 Just above the fort he found a ford. Crossing with 
 a squadron of horsemen, they rushed with gleaming 
 sabres upon the savages, and put them instantly to 
 flight. For more than three miles they pursued them 
 over the plain, till weaned with slaughter. They 
 then returned, victors, slowly and sadly to their en- 
 campment. Peace and friendship would have been 
 far preferable to this war and misery. Even their 
 victory was to the Spaniards a great disaster, for sev- 
 eral of the men were slain, and many severely 
 
THE DISCOVERY OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 30I 
 
 wounded. Of the latter, fifteen subsequently died. 
 De Soto remained four days in the encampment, 
 nursing the wounded, and then resumed his weary 
 ftiarch. 
 
 He still directed his footsteps in a westerly di- 
 rection, carefully avoiding an approach to the sea, 
 lest his troops should rise in mutiny, send for the 
 .ships, and escape from the ill-starred enterprise. 
 This certainly indicates, under the circumstances, an 
 unsound, if not a deranged mind. For four days 
 the troops toiled along through a dismal region, un- 
 inhabited, and encumbered with tangled forests and 
 almost impassable swamps. 
 
 At length they came to a small village called 
 Chisca, upon the banks of the most majestic stream 
 they had yet discovered. Sublimely the mighty flood, 
 a mile and a half in width, rolled by them. The cur- 
 rent was rapid and bore upon its bosom a vast 
 amount of trees, logs, and drift-wood, showing that its 
 sources must be hundreds of leagues far away, in the 
 unknown interior. This was the mighty Mississippi? 
 the ' father of waters.' The Indians, at that point, 
 called it Chucagua. Its source and its embouchure 
 were alike unknown to De Soto. Little was he 
 then aware of the magnitude of the discovery he had 
 made. 
 
 " De Soto," says Mr. Irving, " was the first Euro- 
 
302 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 pean who looked out upon the turbid waters of this 
 magnificent river ; and that event has more surely 
 enrolled his name among those who will ever live in 
 American history, than if he had discovered mines of 
 silver and gold." 
 
 The Spaniards had reached the river after a four 
 days' march through an unpeopled wilderness. The 
 Indians of Chisca knew nothing of their approach, 
 and probably had never heard of their being in the 
 country. The tribe inhabiting the region of which 
 Chisca was the metropolis, was by no means as formi- 
 dable, as many whom they had already encountered. 
 The dwelling of the Cacique stood on a large artifi 
 cial mound, from eighteen to twenty feet in height 
 It was ascended by two ladders, which could of course 
 be easily drawn up, leaving the royal family thus 
 quite isolated from the people below. 
 
 Chisca, the chieftain, was far advanced in years, a 
 feeble, emaciate old man of very diminutive stature. 
 In the days of his prime, he had been a renowned 
 warrior. Hearing of the arrival of the Spaniards, he 
 was disposed to regard them as enemies, and seizing 
 his tomahawk, he was eager to descend from his cas- 
 tle and lead his warriors to battle. 
 
 The contradictory statements are made that De 
 Soto, weary of the harassing warfare of the winter, 
 was very anxious to secure the friendship of these 
 
THE DISCOVERY OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 303 
 
 Indians. Unless he were crazed, it must have been 
 so, for there was absokitely nothing to be gained, 
 but everything to be imperilled, by war. On the 
 other hand, it is said that the moment the Spaniards 
 descried the village, they rushed into it, plundering 
 the houses, seizing men and women as captives. 
 Both statements may have been partially true. It is 
 not improbable that the disorderly troops of De So- 
 to, to his great regret, were guilty of some outrages, 
 while he personally might have been intensely anx- 
 ious to repress this violence and cultivate only friend- 
 ly relations with the natives. 
 
 But whatever may have been the hostile or 
 friendly attitude assumed by the Spaniards, it is ad- 
 r"\itted that the Cacique was disposed to wage war 
 against the new comers. The more prudent of his 
 warriors urged that he should delay his attack upon 
 them until he had made such preparations as would 
 secure successful results. 
 
 " It will be best first," said they, "to assemble all 
 the warriors of our nation, for these men are well 
 armed. In the meantime, let us pretend friendship 
 and not provoke an attack until we are strong enough 
 to be sure of victory." 
 
 The irascible old chief was willing only partially 
 to listen to this advice. He delayed the conflict, but 
 did not disguise his hostility. De Soto sent to him 
 
304 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 a very friendly message, declaring that he came in 
 peace and wished only for an unmolested march 
 through his country. The Cacique returned an an- 
 gry reply, refusing all courteous intercourse. 
 
 The Spaniards had been but three hours in the 
 village when, to their surprise, they perceived an 
 army of four thousand warriors, thoroughly prepared 
 for battle, gathered around the mound upon which 
 was reared the dwelling of the chief. If so many 
 warriors could be assembled in so short a time, they 
 feared there must be a large number in reserve who 
 could be soon drawn in. The Spaniards, in their 
 long marches and many battles, had dwindled away 
 to less than five hundred men. Four thousand 
 against five hundred were fearful odds ; and yet the 
 number of their foes might speedily be doubled or 
 even quadrupled. In addition to this, the plains 
 around the city were exceedingly unfavorable for the 
 movements of the Spanish army, while they present- 
 ed great advantages to the nimble-footed natives, for 
 the region was covered with forests, sluggish streams 
 and bogs. 
 
 By great exertions, De Soto succeeded in effect- 
 ing a sort of compromise. The Cacique consented 
 to allow the Spaniards to remain for six days in the 
 village to nurse the sick and the wounded. Food 
 was to be furnished them by the Cacique. At the 
 
THE DISCOVERY OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 305 
 
 end of six days the Spaniards were to leave, abstain- 
 ing entirely from pillage, from injuring the crops, 
 and from all other acts of violence. 
 
 The Cacique and all the inhabitants of the village 
 abandoned the place, leaving it to the sole occupancy 
 of the Spaniards. April, in that sunny clime, was 
 mild as genial summer. The natives, with their 
 simple habits, probably found little inconvenience in 
 encamping in the groves around. On the last day 
 of his stay, De Soto obtained permission to visit the 
 Cacique. He thanked the chief cordially for his 
 kindness and hospitality, and taking an affectionate 
 leave, continued his journey into the unknown re- 
 gions beyond. 
 
 Ascending the tortuous windings of the river on 
 the eastern bank, the Spaniards found themselves, 
 for four days, in almost impenetrable thickets, where 
 there were no signs of inhabitants. At length they 
 came to quite an opening in the forest. A treeless 
 plain, waving with grass, spread far and wide around 
 them. The Mississippi river here was about half a 
 league in width. On the opposite bank large num- 
 bers of Indians were seen, many of them warriors in 
 battle array, while a fleet of canoes lined the shore. 
 
 De Soto decided, for some unexplained reason, to 
 cross the river at that point, though it was evident 
 that the Indians had in some way received tidings 
 
306 FERDINAND DE SOTO. • 
 
 of his approach, and were assembled there to dispute 
 his passage. The natives could easily cross the river 
 in their canoes, but they would hardly venture to 
 attack the Spaniards upon the open plain, where 
 there was such a fine opportunity for the charges of 
 their cavalry. 
 
 Here De Soto encamped for twenty days, while 
 all who could handle tools were employed in build- 
 ing four large flat boats for the transportation of the 
 troops across the stream. On the second day of the 
 encampment, several natives from some tribe dis- 
 posed to be friendly, on the eastern side of the river, 
 visited the Spaniards. With very much ceremony 
 of bowing and semi-barbaric parade, they approached 
 De Soto, and informed him that they were commis- 
 sioned by their chief to bid him welcome to his ter- 
 ritory, and to assure him of his friendly services. 
 De Soto, much gratified by this message, received 
 the envoys with the greatest kindness, and dismissed 
 them highly pleased with their reception. 
 
 Though this chief sent De Soto repeated mes- 
 sages of kindness, he did not himself visit the Span- 
 ish camp, the alleged reason being, and perhaps the 
 true one, that he was on a sick bed. He, however, 
 sent large numbers of his subjects with supplies of 
 food, and to assist the Spaniards in drawing the tim- 
 ber to construct their barges. The hostile Indians 
 
THE DISCOVERY OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 307 
 
 on the opposite bank frequently crossed in their ca- 
 noes, and attacking small bands of workmen, show- 
 ered upon them volleys of arrows, and fled again to 
 their boats. 
 
 One day the Spaniards, while at work, saw two 
 hundred canoes filled with natives, in one united 
 squadron, descending the river. It was a beautiful 
 sight to witness this fleet, crowded with decorated 
 and plumed warriors, their paddles, ornaments, and 
 burnished weapons flashing in the sunlight. They 
 came in true military style : several warriors stand- 
 ing at the bows and stern of each boat, with large 
 shields of buffalo hides on their left arms, and with 
 bows and arrows in their hands. De Soto advanced 
 to the shore to meet them, where he stood sur- 
 rounded by his staff. The royal barge containing 
 the chief was paddled within a few rods of the bank. 
 The Cacique then rose, and addressed De Soto in 
 words which were translated by the interpreter as 
 follows : 
 
 "I am informed that you are the envoy of the 
 most powerful monarch on the globe. I have come 
 to proffer to you friendship and homage, and to as- 
 sure you of my assistance in any way in w^hich I can 
 be of service." 
 
 De Soto thanked him heartily for his offers, and 
 entreated him to land, assuring him he should meet 
 
308 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 only the kindest reception. The following extra- 
 ordinary account of the termination of this interview, 
 a termination which seems incredible, is given in the 
 ''Conquest of Florida:'' 
 
 " The Cacique returned no answer, but sent three 
 canoes on shore with presents of fruit, and bread 
 made of the pulp of a certain kind of plum. The 
 Governor again importuned the savage to land, but 
 perceiving him to hesitate, and suspecting a treach- 
 erous and hostile intent, marshalled his men in order 
 of battle. Upon this the Indians turned their prows 
 and fled. 
 
 " The cross-bowmen sent a flight of arrows after 
 them, and killed five or six of their number. They 
 retreated in good order, covering the rowers with 
 their shields. Several times after this they landed 
 to attack the soldiers, as was supposed, but the mo- 
 ment the Spaniards charged upon them they fled to 
 their canoes." 
 
 If this account be true, the attack by the Span- 
 iards was as inexcusable as it was senseless. At the 
 end of twenty days the four barges were built and 
 launched. In the darkness of the night De Soto 
 ordered them to be well manned with rowers and 
 picked troops of tried prudence and courage. The 
 moment the bows touched the beach the soldiers 
 sprang ashore, to their surprise encountering no re- 
 
THE DISCOVERY OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 309 
 
 sistance. The boats immediately returned for an- 
 other load. Rapidly they passed to and fro, and 
 before the sun went down at the close of that day, 
 the whole army was transported to the western bank 
 of the Mississippi. The point where De Soto and 
 his army crossed, it is supposed, was at what is called 
 the lowest Chickasaw Bluff. 
 
 " The river in this place,'' says the Portuguese 
 Narrative, " was a mile and a half in breadth, so that 
 a man standing still could scarcely be discerned from 
 the opposite shore. It was of great depth, of won- 
 derful rapidity, and very turbid, and was always 
 filled with floating trees and timber, carried down by 
 the force of the current.'' 
 
 The army having all crossed, the boats were 
 broken up, as usual, to preserve the nails. It would 
 seem that the hostile Indians had all vanished, for 
 the Spaniards advanced four days in a westerly 
 direction, through an uninhabited wilderness, en- 
 countering no opposition. On the fifth day they 
 toiled up a heavy swell of land, from whose summit 
 they discerned, in a valley on the other side, a large 
 village of about four hundred dwellings. It was situ- 
 ated on the fertile banks of a stream, which is sup- 
 posed to have been the St. Francis. 
 
 The extended valley, watered by this river, pre- 
 sented a lovely view as far as the eye could reach, 
 
3IO FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 with luxuriant fields of Indian corn and with (jroves 
 of fruit trees. The natives had received some inti- 
 mation of the approach of the Spaniards, and in 
 friendly crowds gathered around them, offering food 
 and the occupancy of their houses. Two of the 
 highest chieftains, subordinate to the Cacique, soon 
 came with an imposing train of warriors, bearing a 
 welcome from their chief and the offer of his services. 
 
 De Soto received them with the utmost courtesy, 
 and in the interchange of these friendly ofifices, both 
 Spaniards and natives became alike pleased with 
 each other. The adventurers remained in this vil 
 lage for six days, finding abundant food for them- 
 selves and their horses, and experiencing in the 
 friendship and hospitality of the natives, joys which 
 certainly never were found in the horrors of war. 
 The province was called by the name of Kaski, and 
 was probably the same as that occupied by the Kas- 
 kaskias Indians. 
 
 Upon commencing anew their march they passed 
 through a populous and well cultivated country, 
 where peace, prosperity and abundance seemed to 
 reign. In two days, having journeyed about twenty 
 miles up the western bank of the Mississippi, they 
 approached the chief town of the province where the 
 Cacique lived. It was situated, as is supposed, in the 
 region now called Little Prairie, in the extreme 
 
THE DISCOVERY OF THE MISSISSIPPI, 3 II 
 
 southern part of the State of Missouri, not far from 
 New Madrid. Here they found the hospitable 
 hands of the Cacique and his people extended to 
 greet them. 
 
 The residence of the chief stood upon a broad ar- 
 tificial mound, sufficiently capacious for twelve or 
 thirteen houses, which were occupied by his numer- 
 ous family and attendants. He made De Soto a 
 present of a rich fur mantle, and invited him, with 
 his suite, to occupy the royal dwellings for their res- 
 idence. De Soto politely declined this offer, as he 
 was unwilling thus to incommode his kind enter- 
 tainer. He, however, accepted the accommodation 
 of several houses in the village. The remainder of 
 the army were lodged in exceedingly pleasant bow- 
 ers, skilfully, and very expeditiously constructed by 
 the natives, of bark and the green boughs of trees, 
 outside the village. 
 
 It was now the month of May. The weather was 
 intensely hot, and these rustic bowers were found to 
 be refreshingly cool and grateful. The name of this 
 friendly chief was Casquin. Here the army remain- 
 ed for three days, without a ripple of unfriendly feel- 
 ing arising between the Spaniards and the natives. 
 
 It was a season of unusual drouth in the country, 
 and on the fourth day the following extraordinary 
 incident occurred : Casquin, accompanied by quite 
 
312 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 an imposing retinue of his most distinguished men, 
 came into the presence of De Soto, and stepping 
 forward, with great solemnity of manner, said to 
 him, — 
 
 " Senor, as you are superior to us in prowess and 
 surpass us in arms, we hkewise believe that your God 
 is better than our God. These you behold before 
 you are the chief warriors of my dominions. We 
 supplicate you to pray to your God to send us rain, 
 for our fields are parched for the want of water." 
 
 De Soto, who was a reflective man, of pensive 
 temperament and devoutly inclined, responded, — 
 
 " We are all alike sinners, but we will pray to God, 
 the Father of mercies, to show his kindness to you.'' 
 
 He then ordered the carpenter to cut down one 
 of the tallest pine trees in the vicinity. It was care- 
 fully trimmed and formed into a perfect, but gigan- 
 tic cross. Its dimensions were such, that it required 
 the strength of one hundred men to raise and plant 
 it in the ground. Two days were employed in this 
 operation. The cross stood upon a bluff, on the 
 western bank of the Mississippi. The next morning 
 after it was reared, the whole Spanish army was call- 
 ed out to celebrate the erection of the cross, by a 
 solemn religious procession. A large number of the 
 natives, with apparent devoutness, joined in the fes- 
 tival. 
 
THE DISCOVRRY OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 313 
 
 Casquin and De Soto took the lead, walking side 
 by side. The Spanish soldiers and the native war- 
 riors, composing a procession of more than a thou- 
 sand persons, walked harmoniously along as brothers, 
 to commemorate the erection of the cross — the sym- 
 bol of the Christian's faith. The Cross ! It should be 
 the emblem of peace on earth and good will among 
 men. Alas ! how often has it been the badge of cru- 
 elty and crime. 
 
 The priests, for there were several in the army, 
 chanted their Christian hymns, and offered fervent 
 prayers. The Mississippi at this point is not very 
 broad, and it is said that upon the opposite bank 
 twenty thousand natives were assembled, watching 
 with intensest interest the imposing ceremony, and 
 apparently, at times, taking part in the exercises. 
 When the priests raised their hands in prayer, they, 
 too, extended their arms and raised their eyes, as if 
 imploring the aid of the God of heaven and of earth. 
 
 Occasionally a low moan was heard wafted across 
 the river — a wailing cry, as if woe-stricken children 
 were imploring the aid of an Almighty Father. The 
 spirit of De Soto was deeply moved to tenderness 
 and sympathy as he witnessed this benighted people 
 paying such homage to the emblem of man's re- 
 demption. After several prayers were offered, the 
 whole procession, slowly advancing two by two, knelt 
 14 
 
314 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 before the cross, as in brief ejaculatory prayer, and 
 kissed it. All then returned with the same solem- 
 nity to the village, the priests chanting the grand an- 
 them, " Te Deum Laudamus." 
 
 Thus more than three hundred years ago the 
 cross, significant of the religion of Jesus, was planted 
 upon the banks of the Mississippi, and the melody 
 of Christian hymns was wafted across the silent 
 waters, and was blended with the sighing of the 
 breeze through the tree-tops. It is sad to reflect 
 how little of the spirit of that religion has since been 
 manifested in those realms in man's treatment of his 
 brother man. 
 
 It is worthy of especial notice that upon the night 
 succeeding this eventful day clouds gathered, and 
 the long-looked-for rain fell abundantly. The devout 
 Las Casas writes : 
 
 " God, in his mercy, willing to show these hea- 
 then that he listeneth to those who call upon him in 
 truth, sent down, in the middle of the ensuing night, 
 a plenteous rain, to the great joy of the Indians." 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Vagrant Wanderings, 
 
 Trickery of Casquin. — The March to Capaha. — The Battle and its 
 Results. — Friendly Relations with Capaha. — The Return Jour- 
 ney. — The March Southward. — Salt Springs. — The Savages of 
 Tulu. — Their Ferocity. — Anecdote. — Despondency of De Soto. 
 
 It is painful to recall the mind from these peace- 
 ful, joy-giving, humanizing scenes of religion, to bar- 
 baric war — its crime, carnage, and misery. It is an 
 affecting comment upon the fall of man, that far 
 away in this wilderness, among these tribes that 
 might so have blessed and cheered each other by 
 fraternal love, war seems to have been the normal 
 condition. After a residence of nine days in this 
 village, beneath truly sunny skies, in the enjoyment 
 of abundance, and cheered by fruits, flowers, and 
 bird-songs, the Spanish army again commenced its 
 march in the wild and apparently senseless search 
 for gold. 
 
 The Cacique, Casquin, was about fifty years of 
 age. He begged permission to accompany De Soto 
 to the next province, with his whole army in its best 
 military array, and with a numerous band of attend- 
 
3l6 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 ants to carry provisions and to gather wood and fod- 
 der for the encampments. De Soto cheerfully accept- 
 ed this friendly offer. But he soon found that it was 
 hatred, not love, which was the impelling motive ; 
 that the chief was incited by a desire to make war, not 
 to cultivate peace. The chief of the next province 
 was a redoubtable warrior named Capaha. His ter- 
 ritories were extensive ; his subjects numerous and 
 martial. Time out of mind there had been warfare 
 between these two provinces, the subjects of each 
 hating each other implacably. 
 
 Capaha had in recent conflicts been quite the vic- 
 tor, and Casquin thought this a good opportunity, 
 with the Spaniards for his powerful allies, to take 
 signal vengeance upon his foe. Of this De Soto, at 
 the time, knew nothing. 
 
 The army commenced its march. There were 
 five thousand native warriors who accompanied him, 
 plumed, painted, and armed in the highest style of 
 savage art. There were three thousand attendants, 
 who bore the supplies, and who were also armed with 
 bows and arrows. Casquin, with his troops, took the 
 lead ; wishing, as he said, to clear the road of any 
 obstructions, to drive off any lurking foes, and to 
 prepare at night the ground for the comfortable en- 
 campment of the Spaniards. His troops were in a 
 good state of military discipline, and marched in well 
 
VAGRANT WANDERINGS. 317 
 
 organized array about a mile and a half in advance 
 of the Spaniards. 
 
 Thus they travelled for three uneventful days, 
 until they reached an immense swamp, extending 
 back unknown miles from the Mississippi. This was 
 the frontier line which bordered the hostile provinces 
 of Casquin and Capaha. Crossing it with much diffi- 
 culty, they encamped upon a beautiful prairie upon 
 the northern side. A journey of two days through a 
 sparsely inhabited country brought them to the more 
 fertile and populous region of the new province. 
 Here they found the capital of the Cacique. It was 
 a well fortified town of about five hundred large 
 houses, situated upon elevated land, which com- 
 manded an extensive view of the country around. 
 One portion of the town was protected by a deep 
 ditch, one hundred and fifty feet broad. The higher 
 portion was defended by a strong palisade. The 
 ditch, or canal, connected with the Mississippi river, 
 which was nine miles distant. 
 
 Capaha, hearing suddenly of the arrival of so 
 formidable a force, fled down the canal in a curve, to 
 an island in the river, where he summoned his war- 
 riors to meet him as speedily as possible. Casquin, 
 marching as usual a mile and a half in advance, find- 
 ing the town unprotected, and almost abandoned, 
 entered and immediately commenced all the ravages 
 
3t8 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 of savage warfare. One hundred men, women and 
 children, caught in the place, were immediately seiz- 
 ed, the men killed and scalped, the women and boys 
 made captives. To gratify their vengeance, they 
 broke into the mausoleum, held so sacred by the In- 
 dians, where the remains of all the great men of the 
 tribe had been deposited. They broke open the cof- 
 fins, scattered the remains over the floor and tramp- 
 led them beneath their feet. 
 
 It is said that Casquin, would have set fire to the 
 mausoleum, and laid it and the whole village in ashes, 
 but that he feared that he might thus incur the an- 
 ger of De Soto. When the Governor arrived and saw 
 what ravages had been committed by those who had 
 come as his companions, friends and allies, he was 
 greatly distressed. Immediately he sent envoys to 
 Capaha on the island, assuring him of his regret in 
 view of the outrages ; that neither he, nor his sol- 
 diers, had in the slightest degree participated in them, 
 and that he sought only friendly relations with the 
 Cacique. 
 
 Capaha, who was a proud warrior, and who had 
 retired but for a little time that he might marshal 
 his armies to take vengeance on the invaders, return- 
 ed an indignant and defiant answer ; declaring that 
 he sought no peace, but that he would wage war to 
 the last extremity. 
 
VAGRANT WANDERINGS. 319 
 
 * 
 
 Again De Soto found himself in what maybe call- 
 ed a false position. The chief Capaha and his people 
 were exasperated against him in the highest degree. 
 The nation was one of the most numerous and pow- 
 erful oh the Mississippi. Should the eight thousand 
 allies, who had accompanied him from Kaska, and 
 who had plunged him into these difficulties, with- 
 draw, he would be left entirely at the mercy of these 
 fierce warriors. From- ten to twenty thousand might 
 rush upon his little band, now numbering but about 
 four hundred, and their utter extermination could 
 hardly be doubtful. Under these circumstances he 
 decided to attempt to conquer a peace. Still he 
 made other efforts, but in vain, to conciliate the just- 
 ly enraged chieftain. He then prepared for war. 
 However severely he may be censured for this decis- 
 ion, it is the duty of the impartial historian to state 
 those facts which may in some degree modify the se- 
 verity of judgment. 
 
 A large number of canoes were prepared, in 
 which two hundred Spaniards and three thousand 
 Indians embarked to attack Capaha upon his island, 
 before he had time to collect a resistless force of war- 
 riors. They found the island covered with a dense 
 forest, and the chief and his troops strongly intrench- 
 ed. The battle was fought with great fury, the Span- 
 ish soldiers performing marvellous feats of bravery. 
 
320 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 strength and endurance. The warriors of Capaha, 
 who fought with courage equal to that of the Span- 
 iards, and str-uck such dismay into the more timid 
 troops of Casquin, that they abandoned their allies 
 and fled tumultuously to their canoes, and swiftly 
 paddled away. 
 
 De Soto, thus left to bear the whole brunt of the 
 hostile army, was also compelled to retreat. He did 
 this in good order, axid might have suffered terribly 
 in the retreat but for the singular and, at the time, 
 unaccountable fact that Capaha withdrew his war- 
 riors and allowed the Spaniards to embark unmolest- 
 ed. It would seem that the sagacious chieftain, im- 
 pressed by the wonderful martial prowess displayed 
 by the Spaniards, and by the reiterated proffers of 
 peace and friendship which had been made to him, 
 and despising the pusillanimity of the troops of Cas- 
 quin, whom he had always been in the habit of con- 
 quering, thought that by detaching the Spaniards 
 from them he could convert De Soto and his barKl 
 into friends and allies. Then he could fall upon the 
 Indian army, and glut his vengeance, by repaying 
 them tenfold for all the outrages they had commit- 
 ted. 
 
 Accordingly, the next morning, four ambassadors 
 of highest rank visited the Spanish encampment. 
 De Soto and Casquin were together. The ambassa- 
 
VAGRANT WANDERINGS. 32 1 
 
 dors bowed to De Soto with profound reverence, but 
 disdainfully took no notice whatever of Casquin. 
 The speaker then said, — 
 
 "We have come, in the name of our chief, to im- 
 plore the oblivion of the past and to offer to you his 
 friendship and homage." 
 
 De Soto was greatly relieved by the prospect of 
 this termination of the difficulties in which he had 
 found himself involved. He treated the envoys with 
 great affability, reciprocated all their friendly utter- 
 ances, and they returned to Capaha highly pleased 
 with their reception. 
 
 Casquin was very indignant. He did everything 
 in his power to excite the hostility of De Soto 
 against Capaha, but all was in vain. The Governor 
 was highly displeased with the trick Casquin had 
 played upon him, in setting out on a military expe- 
 dition under the guise of an honorary escort. He 
 despised the cowardice which Casquin's troops had 
 evinced in the battle, and he respected the courage 
 which Capaha had exhibited, and the frankness and 
 magnanimity of his conduct. He therefore issued 
 orders to his own and the native army that no one 
 should inflict any injury whatever, either upon the 
 persons or the property of the natives of the prov- 
 ince. He allowed Casquin to remain in his camp and 
 
 under his protection for a few days, but compelled 
 14* 
 
322 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 him to send immedietcly home the whole body of 
 his followers, retaining merely enough vassals for his 
 personal service. 
 
 The next morning Capaha himself, accompanied 
 by a train of one hundred of his warriors, fearlessly 
 returned to his village. He must have had great 
 confidence in the integrity of De Soto, for by this 
 act he placed himself quite in the power of the Span- 
 iards. Immediately upon entering the village, he 
 visited the desecrated mausoleum of his ancestors, 
 and in silent indignation repaired, as far as possible, 
 the injury which had been done. He then proceeded 
 to the headquarters of De Soto. The Spanish Gov- 
 ernor and Casquin were seated together. 
 
 Capaha was about twenty-six years of age, of very 
 fine person and of frank and winning manners. With 
 great cordiality he approached De Soto, reiterating 
 his proffers of friendship, and his earnest desire that 
 kindly feelings should be cherished between them. 
 Casquin he -treated with utter disdain, paying no 
 more attention to him than if he had not been pres- 
 ent. For some time the Indian Cacique and the 
 Spanish Governor conversed together with perfect 
 frankness and cordiality. A slight pause occurring in 
 their discourse, Capaha fixed his eyes sternly for a 
 moment upon Casquin and said, in tones of strong 
 indignation, — 
 
VAGRANT WANDERINGS. 323 
 
 " You, Casquin, undoubtedly exult in the thought 
 that you have revenged your past defeats. This you 
 never could have done through your own strength. 
 You are indebted to these strangers for what you 
 have accomplished. Soon they will go on their way. 
 But we shall be left in this country as we were be- 
 fore. We shall then meet again. Pray to the gods 
 that they may send us good weather." 
 
 De Soto humanely did everything in his power 
 to promote reconciliation between the "hostile chief- 
 tains. But all was in vain. Though they treated 
 each other with civility, he observed frequent inter- 
 changes of angry glances. 
 
 The Spaniards found, in this town, a great variety 
 of valuable skins of deer, panthers, buffalo and bears. 
 Taught by the Indians, the Spaniards made them- 
 selves very comfortable moccasons of deerskin, and 
 also strong bucklers, impervious to arrows, of buffalo 
 hide. 
 
 After making minute and anxious inquiries for 
 gold, and ascertaining that there was none to be 
 found in that direction, De Soto turned his despond- 
 ing steps backwards to Kaska. Here he remained 
 for four days, preparing for a march to the south- 
 ward. He then continued his progress nine days 
 down the western bank of the river, until, on the 
 fourth of August, he reached a province called Qui- 
 
324 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 gate. His path had led him through a populous 
 country, but the Indians made no attempt to molest 
 his movements. It is supposed that Quigate must 
 have been on the White river, about forty or fifty 
 miles from its mouth. Here De Soto learned that, 
 faraway in the northwest there was a range of moun- 
 tains, and there he thought might perhaps be the 
 gold region of which he had so long been in search. 
 
 Immediately he put his soldiers in motion, led by 
 a hope which was probably rejected by every mind 
 in the army, except his own. A single Indian guide 
 led them on a weary tramp for many days, through 
 dreary morasses and tangled forests. They at length 
 came to a village called Coligoa, which is supposed 
 to have been upon the banks of White river. The 
 natives at firs* fled in terror at their approach, but as 
 no hostility was manifested by the Spaniards, they 
 soon gained confidence, and returned with kind 
 words and presents. But there was no gold there, 
 and no visions of gold in the distance. 
 
 The chief informed De Soto that there was a very 
 rich and populous province about thirty miles to the 
 south, where the inhabitants were in the enjoyment 
 of a great abundance of the good things of life. 
 Again the Spaniards took up their line of march in 
 that direction. They found a fertile and quite thick- 
 ly inhabited country on their route. The Indians 
 
VAGRANT WANDERINGS. 325 
 
 were friendly, and seemed to have attained a degree 
 of civilization superior to that of most of the tribes 
 they had as yet visited. The walls of the better 
 class of houses were hung with deer-skins, so softly 
 tanned and colored that they resembled beautiful 
 tapestry. The floors were also neatly carpeted with 
 richly decorated skins. 
 
 The Spaniards seem to have travelled very slowly, 
 for nine days were occupied in reaching Tanico, in 
 the Cayas country, which was situated probably up- 
 on Saline river, a branch of the Washita. Here they 
 found some salt springs, and remained several days 
 to obtain a supply of salt, of which they were greatly 
 in need. Turning their steps towards the west, still 
 groping blindly, hunting for gold, they journeyed 
 four days through a barren and uninhabited region, 
 when suddenly they emerged upon a wide and 
 blooming prairie. 
 
 In the centre, at the distance of about a couple 
 of miles, between two pleasant streams, they saw 
 quite a large village. It was midday, and the Gov- 
 ernor encamped his army in the edge of the grove, 
 on the borders of the plain. In the afternoon, with a 
 strong party of horse and foot, he set out upon a re- 
 connoitering excursion. As he approached the vil- 
 lage the inhabitants, men and women, sallied forth 
 and attacked him with great ferocity. De Soto was 
 
326 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 not a man ever to turn his back upon his assailants. 
 The Spaniards drew their sabres, and, all being in 
 armor, and led by charges of the horsemen, soon put 
 the tumultuous savages to flight, and pursued them 
 pell-mell into the village. 
 
 The natives fought like tigers from doors, win- 
 dows, and housetops. The exasperated Spaniards, 
 smarting with their wounds, and seeing many of their 
 comrades already slain, cut down their foes remorse- 
 lessly. The women fell before their blows as well as 
 the men, for the women fought with unrelenting 
 fierceness which the Spaniards had never seen sur- 
 passed. Night came on while the battle still raged, 
 with no prospect of its termination. De Soto with- 
 drew his troops from the village, much vexed at hav- 
 ing allowed himself to be drawn into so useless a 
 conflict, where there was nothing to be gained, and 
 where he had lost several valuable men in killed, 
 while many more were wounded. 
 
 The next morning De Soto put his whole army 
 in motion and advanced upon the village. They 
 found it utterly abandoned. Strong parties were 
 sent out in all directions to capture some of the 
 natives, that De Soto might endeavor to enter into 
 friendly relations with them. But it seemed impossi- 
 ble to take any one alive. They were as untamable 
 and as savage as bears and wolves, fighting against 
 
VAGRANT WANDERINGS. 32/ 
 
 any odds to the last gasp. Both women and men were 
 exceedingly ill-looking, with shapeless heads, which 
 were said to have been deformed by the compression 
 of bandages in infancy. The province was called 
 Tula, and the village was situated, it is supposed, be- 
 tween the waters of the upper Wachita and the little 
 Missouri. 
 
 The Spaniards remained in the village four days, 
 when suddenly, in the darkness of midnight, the war- 
 whoop resounded from three different directions, and 
 three large bands of native warriors, who had so 
 stealthily approached as to elude the vigilance of the 
 sentinels, plunged into the village in a simultaneous 
 attack. Egyptian darkness enveloped the combat- 
 ants, and great was the confusion, for it was almost 
 impossible to distinguish friend from foe. The Span- 
 iards, to avoid wounding ea^ other, incessantly 
 shouted the name of the Virgin. The savages were 
 armed with bows and arrows and with javelins, 
 heavy, sharp-pointed, and nine or ten feet in length, 
 which could be used either as clubs or pikes. Wield- 
 ed by their sinewy arms, in a hand-to-hand fight, the 
 javelin proved a very formidable weapon. 
 
 The battle raged with unintermitted fury till the 
 dawn of the morning. The savages then, at a given 
 signal, fled simultaneously to the woods. The Span 
 iards did not pursue them. Thoroughly armored as 
 
328 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 they were, but four of their number were killed, but 
 many were severely wounded. It was nearly twenty 
 days before the wounded were so far convalescent 
 that the army could resume its march. The follow- 
 ing incident illustrates the almost unexampled ferocity 
 of these barbaric warriors: 
 
 The morning after the battle a large number of 
 the Spanish soldiers, thoroughly armed, were explor- 
 ing the fields around the village, on foot and on 
 horseback. Three foot soldiers and two mounted 
 men were in company. One of them saw in a thicket 
 an Indian raise his head and immediately conceal it. 
 The foot soldier ran up to kill him. The savage 
 rose, and with a ponderous battle-axe which he had 
 won from the Spaniards the day before, struck the 
 shield of the Spaniard with such force as to cut it in 
 two, at the same tifhe severely wounding his arm. 
 The blow was so violent and the wound so severe, 
 that the soldier was rendered helpless. The savage 
 then rushed upon another of the foot soldiers, and in 
 the same way effectually disabled him. 
 
 One of the horsemen, seeing his companions thus 
 roughly handled, put spurs to his 5teed and charged 
 upon the Indian. The savage sprang to the trunk 
 of an oak tree, whose low hanging branches pre- 
 vented the near approach of the trooper. Watch- 
 ing his opportunity, he sprang forth and. struck the 
 
VAGRANT WANDERINGS, 329 
 
 horse such a terrible blow with his axe as to render 
 the animal utterly incapable of moving. Just at this 
 moment the gallant Gonsalvo Sylvestre came up. 
 The Indian rushed upon him, swinging his battle-axe 
 in both hands ; but Sylvestre warded the blow so 
 that the axe glanced over his shield and buried its 
 edge deeply in the ground. 
 
 Instantly the keen sabre of Sylvestre fell upon 
 the savage, laying open his face and breast with a 
 fearful gash, and so severing his right hand from the 
 arm that it hung only by the skin. The desperate 
 Indian, seizing the axe between the bleeding stump 
 arnd the other hand, attempted to strike another 
 blow. Again Sylvestre warded off the axe with his 
 shield, and with one blow of his sword upon the 
 waist of the naked Indian so nearly cut his body in 
 two that he fell dead at his feet. 
 
 During the time the Spaniards tarried in Tula 
 many foraging excursions were sent out to various 
 parts of the province. The region was populous and 
 fertile, but it was found impossible to conciliate in 
 any degree the hostile inhabitants. 
 
 Again the soldiers were in motion. They direct- 
 ed their steps towards the northwest, towards a pro- 
 vince named Utiangue, which was said to be situated 
 on the borders of a great lake, at the distance of 
 about two hundred and forty miles. They hoped 
 
330 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 that this lake might prove an arm of the sea, through 
 which they could open communications with their 
 friends in Cuba, and return to them by water. The 
 journey was melancholy in the extreme, through a 
 desolate country occupied by wandering bands of 
 ferocious savages, who were constantly assailing them 
 from ambuscades by day and by night. 
 
 At length they reached the village of Utiangue, 
 the capital of the province. It was pleasantly situ- 
 ated on a fine plain upon the banks of a river, 
 which was probably the Arkansas. Upon the ap- 
 proach of the Spaniards the inhabitants had aban- 
 doned the place, leaving their granaries well stocked 
 with corn, beans, nuts, and plums. The meadows 
 surrounding the town offered excellent pasturage for 
 the horses. As the season was far advanced, De 
 Soto decided to take up his winter quarters here. 
 He fortified the place, surrounding it with strong 
 palisades. To lay in ample stores for the whole win- 
 ter, foraging parties were sent out, who returned 
 laden with dried fruits, corn, and other grain. 
 
 Deer ranged the forests in such numbers that 
 large quantities of venison were obtained. Rabbits 
 also were in abundance. The Cacique, who k-ept 
 himself aloof, sent several messengers to De Soto, 
 but they so manifestly came merely as spies, and 
 always in the night, that De Soto gave orders that 
 
VAGRANT WANDERINGS. 33 1 
 
 none should be admitted save in the day-time. One 
 persisting to enter was killed by a sentinel. This put 
 an end to all intercourse between De Soto and the 
 chief; but the Spaniards were assaulted whenever 
 the natives could take any advantage of them on 
 their foraging expeditions. 
 
 Here the Spaniards enjoyed on the whole, the 
 most comfortable winter they had experienced since 
 they entered Florida. Secure from attack in their 
 fortified town, sheltered from the weather in their 
 comfortable dwellings, and with a sufficient supply of 
 food, they were almost happy, as they contrasted the 
 comforts they then enjoyed with the frightful suffer- 
 ings they had hitherto experienced. During the win- 
 ter, the expedition met with a great loss from the 
 death of its intelligent interpreter, Juan Ortiz. In 
 reference to his services, Mr. Pickett says : 
 
 '' Understanding only the Floridian language, he 
 conducted conversations through the Indians of dif- 
 ferent tribes who understood each other and who at- 
 tended the expedition. In conversing with the 
 Chickasaws, for instance, he commenced with the 
 Floridian, who carried the word to a Georgian, the 
 Georgian to the Coosa, the Coosa to the Mobilian, 
 and the latter to the Chickasaw. In the same tedi- 
 ous manner the reply was conveyed to him and re- 
 ported to De Soto.'' 
 
332 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 During the winter at Utiangue, the views and 
 feehngs of the Governor apparently experienced quite 
 a change. His hopes of finding gold seem all to have 
 vanished. He was far away in unknown wilds, hav- 
 ing lost half his troops and nearly all his horses. The 
 few horses that remained, were many of them lame, 
 not having been shod for more than a year. He 
 did not hesitate to confess, confidentially to his 
 friends, his regret that he had not joined the ships at 
 Pensacola. He now despairingly decided to abandon 
 these weary and ruinous wanderings, and to return to 
 the Mississippi river. Here he would establish a 
 fortified colony, build a couple of brigantines, send 
 them to Cuba with tidings of safety to his wife, and 
 procure reinforcements and supplies. It seems that 
 his pride would not allow him to return himself a 
 ruined man to his friends. 
 
 With the early spring he broke up his canton- 
 ment, and commenced a rapid march for the Missis- 
 sippi. He had heard of a village called Anilco, at 
 the mouth of a large stream emptying into that 
 majestic river. They followed down the south side 
 of the Arkansas river for ten days, when they crossed 
 on rafts to the north or east side. It was probably 
 the intention of De Soto to reach the Mississippi 
 nearly at the point at which they had crossed it be- 
 fore. 
 
VAGRANT WANDERINGS. 333 
 
 Continuing his journey through morasses and 
 miry grounds, where the horses often waded up to 
 their girths in water, where there were few inhabi- 
 tants, and little food to be obtained, he at length 
 reached the village of Anilco, and found it to be on the 
 northern bank of the Arkansas river. Here he learn- 
 ed that, at the distance of some leagues to the south, 
 there was a populous and fertile country such as he 
 thought would be suitable for the establishment of 
 his colony. Again he crossed the Arkansas river to 
 the south side, and moving in a southerly direction 
 reached the Mississippi at a village called Guachoya, 
 about twenty miles below the mouth of the Arkan- 
 sas river. 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 Death of De Soto. 
 
 Ascent of the Mississippi. — Revenge of Guachoya. — Sickness of De So- 
 to. — Affecting Leave-taking. — His Death and Burial. — The March 
 for Mexico. — Return to tlie Mississippi. — Descent of the River. — 
 Dispersion of tlie Expedition. — Death of Isabella. 
 
 The village of Guachoya was situated on a bluff 
 on the western bank of the Mississippi, and was 
 strongly fortified with palisades. De Soto succeeded 
 in establishing friendly relations with the chief, and 
 was hospitably entertained within the town. The 
 Cacique and Governor ate at the same table, and 
 were served by Indian attendants. Still, for some un- 
 explained reason, the Cacique with his warriors retir- 
 ed at sunset in their canoes, to the eastern side of 
 the Mississippi, and did not return till after sunrise 
 the next morning. 
 
 De Soto's great anxiety now was to get access 
 to the ocean. But he could not learn that the Ca- 
 cique had ever heard of such a body of water. He 
 then sent Juan de Anasco with eight horsemen to fol- 
 low down the banks of the river in search of the sea. 
 They returned in eight days, having explored but 
 
DEATH OF DE SOTO. 335 
 
 about fifty miles, in consequence of the windings of 
 the stream and the swamps which bordered its banks. 
 Upon this discouraging information, the Governor de- 
 cided to build two brigantines at Guachoya, and to 
 estabHsh his colony upon some fertile fields which he 
 had passed between Anilco and that place. This 
 rendered it very important for him to secure abiding 
 friendly relations with the chiefs of both of these 
 provinces. 
 
 The territory indeed upon which he intended to 
 settle, was within the province of Anilco, and on the 
 north bank of the Arkansas. The chief Guachoya, 
 very kindly offered to supply De Soto with eighty 
 large and many small canoes with which a portion 
 of his force with the baggage could ascend the Mis- 
 sissippi, twenty-one miles to the mouth of the Ar- 
 kansas, and then ascending that stream about forty 
 miles would reach the point selected for the settle- 
 ment. The Governor and the chief, with united mili- 
 tary force in light marching order, would proceed by 
 land so as to reach the spot about the same time as 
 the canoes. 
 
 Four thousand Indian warriors embarked in these 
 canoes, and in three days accomplished the voy- 
 age. At the same time, the land forces commenced 
 their march. The Cacique led two thousand war- 
 riors, besides the attendants. Mr. Irving writes : 
 
33^ FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 " The two expeditions arrived safely at the time 
 opposite the village. The chief of Anilco was ab- 
 sent, but the inhabitants of the place made a stand 
 at the pass of the river. Nufio Toba fell furiously 
 upon them with a party of horse. Eager for the 
 fight, they charged so heedlessly that each trooper 
 found himself surrounded by a band of Indians. 
 The poor savages, however, were so panic-stricken 
 that they turned their backs upon the village, and 
 fled in wild disorder to the forests, amid the shouts 
 of the pursuers, and the shrieks and cries of the 
 women and children. 
 
 " On entering the conquered village, they massa- 
 cred all they met, being chiefly old men, women and 
 children, inflicting the most horrible barbarities. 
 
 " In all this they acted in such fury and haste, 
 that the mischief was effected almost before De Soto 
 was aware of it. He put an end to the carnage as 
 speedily as possible, reprimanded the Cacique se- 
 verely, forbade any one to set fire to a house, or in- 
 jure an Indian under pain of death, and hastened to 
 leave the village, taking care that the Indian allies 
 should be the first to pass the river, and none re- 
 mained behind to do mischief." 
 
 From this untoward enterprise De Soto returned 
 to the village of Guachoya, renouncing all idea of es- 
 tablishing his colony in Anilco. He immediately 
 
DEATH OF DE SOTO. 337 
 
 commenced with all energy building his two brigan- 
 tines, while he looked anxiously about in search of 
 some region of fertility and abundance, where his 
 army could repose till the envoys should bring back 
 a sufficient fleet to transport those to Cuba who 
 should wish to return there, and could also bring 
 those reinforcements and supplies essential to the 
 establishment of the colony. The river at this point 
 was about a mile and a half in width. The country 
 on both sides was rich in fertility, and thickly inhab- 
 ited. 
 
 Upon the eastern bank there was a province call- 
 ed Quigualtanqui, of which De Soto heard such 
 glowing reports that he sent an exploring party to 
 examine the country. By fastening four canoes to- 
 gether, he succeeded in transporting the horses 
 across the stream. To his disappointment he found 
 the Cacique deadly hostile. He sent word to De 
 Soto that he would wage a war of utter extermina- 
 tion against him and his people, should they attempt 
 to invade his territories. 
 
 Care, fatigue and sorrow now began to show their 
 traces upon the Governor. He could not disguise 
 the deep despondency which oppressed him. His 
 step became feeble, his form emaciate, his counten- 
 ance haggard. A' weary, grief-worn pilgrim, he was 
 
 in a mood to welcome death, as life presented him 
 15 
 
338 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 nothing more to hope for. A slow fever aggravated 
 by the climate, placed him upon a sick bed. Here, 
 the victim of the most profound melancholy, he was 
 informed that the powerful chief, Ouigualtanqui, was 
 forming a league of all the neighboring tribes for the 
 extermination of the Spaniards. De Soto's arm was 
 paralyzed and his heart was broken. He had fought 
 his last battle. His words were few ; his despon- 
 dency oppressed all who approached his bedside. 
 Day after day the malady increased until the fever 
 rose so high, that it was manifest to De Soto, and to 
 all his companions, that his last hour was at hand. 
 
 Calmly and with the piety of a devout Catholic, 
 he prepared for death. Luis De Moscoso was ap- 
 pointed his successor in command of the army, and 
 also the successor of whatever authority and titles 
 De Soto might possess, as Governor of Florida. He 
 called together the officers and most prominent sol- 
 diers, and with the trembling voice of a dying man 
 administered to them the oath of obedience to Mus- 
 coso. He then called to his bedside, in groups of 
 three persons, the cavaliers who had so faithfully fol- 
 lowed him through his long and perilous adventures, 
 and took an affectionate leave of them. The com- 
 mon soldiers were then, in groups of about twenty, 
 brought into the death chamber, and tenderly he 
 bade them adieu. 
 
DEATH OF DE SOTO. 339 
 
 These war-worn veterans wept bitterly in taking 
 leave of their beloved chief. It is worthy of record 
 that he urged them to do all in their power to con- 
 vert the natives to the Christian religion ; that he im- 
 plored the forgiveness of all whom he had in any 
 way offended ; and entreated them to live as broth- 
 ers, loving and helping one another. On the seventh 
 day after he was attacked by the fever, he expired. 
 
 " He died " writes the Inca, " like a Catholic Chris- 
 tian, imploring mercy of the most Holy Trinity, rely- 
 ing on the protection of the blood of Jesus Christ 
 our Lord, and the intercession of the Virgin and of 
 all the celestial court, and in the faith of the Roman 
 church. With these words repeated many times, he 
 resigned his soul to God ; this magnanimous and 
 never-conquered cavalier, worthy of great dignities 
 and titles, and deserving a better historian than a 
 rude Indian." 
 
 Thus perished De Soto, in the forty-second year 
 of his age. His life, almost from the cradle to the 
 grave, had been filled with care, disappointment and 
 sorrow. When we consider the age in which he 
 lived, the influences by which he was surrounded, 
 and the temptations to which he was exposed, it 
 must be admitted that he developed many noble 
 traits of character, and that great allowances should 
 be made for his defects. 
 
340 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 The Governor had won the confidence and affec- 
 tion of his army to an extraordinary degree. He was 
 ever courteous in his demeanor, and kind in his treat- 
 ment. He shared all the hardships of his soldiers, 
 placed himself in the front in the hour of peril, and 
 was endowed with that wonderful muscular strength 
 and energy which enabled him by his achievements 
 often to win the admiration of all his troops. His 
 death overwhelmed the army with grief. They 
 feared to have it known by the natives, for his re- 
 nown as a soldier was such as to hold them in awe. 
 
 It was apprehended that should his death be 
 known, the natives would be encouraged to revolt, 
 and to fall with exterminating fury upon the handful 
 of Spaniards now left in the land. They therefore 
 " buried him silently at dead of night." Sentinels 
 were carefully posted to prevent the approach of any 
 of the natives. A few torches lighted the procession 
 to a sandy plain near the encampment, where his 
 body was interred, with no salute fired over his grave 
 or even any dirge chanted by the attendant priests. 
 The ground was carefully smoothed over so as to ob- 
 literate as far as possible all traces of the burial. 
 
 The better to conceal his death, word was given 
 out the next morning that he was much better, and 
 a joyous festival was arranged in honor of his con- 
 valescence. Still the natives were not deceived. 
 
DEATH OF DE SOTO. 34I 
 
 They suspected that he was dead, and even guessed 
 the place of his burial. This was indicated by the 
 fact that they frequently visited the spot, looking 
 around with great interest, and talking together 
 with much volubility. 
 
 One mode of revenge adopted by the natives 
 was to disinter the body of an enemy and expose 
 the remains to every species of insult. It was 
 feared that as soon as the Spaniards should have 
 withdrawn from the region, the body of De Soto 
 might be found and exposed to similar outrages. 
 It was therefore decided to take up the remains and 
 sink it in the depths of the river. 
 
 In the night, Juan De Anasco, with one or two 
 companions, embarked in a canoe, and, by sound- 
 ing, found a place in the channel of the river nearly 
 a hundred and twenty feet deep. They cut down 
 an evergreen oak, whose wood is almost as solid 
 and heavy as lead, gouged out a place in it suffi- 
 ciently large to receive the body, and nailed over 
 the top a massive plank. The body, thus placed in 
 its final coffin, was taken at midnight to the cen- 
 tre of the river, where it immediately sank to its 
 deep burial. The utmost silence was preserved, and 
 every precaution adopted to conceal the movement 
 from all but those engaged in the enterprise. 
 
 " The discoverer of the Mississippi," writes the 
 
342 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 Inca, " slept beneath its waters. He had crossed a 
 large part of the continent in search of gold, and 
 found nothing so remarkable as his burial-place." 
 
 Upon the death of De Soto, a council of war was 
 held to decide what to do in the new attitude of 
 affairs. In their exhausted state, and with their 
 diminished numbers, they could not think of at- 
 tempting a march back for hundreds of leagues 
 through hostile nations, to Tampa Bay. It would 
 take a long time to build their brigantines and to 
 await an arrival from Cuba. In the meantime there 
 was great danger that they might be attacked and 
 destroyed by the powerful league then forming 
 against them. 
 
 A rumor had reached them that a large number 
 of Spaniards were in Mexico, not very far to the 
 westward ; that they were powerful in numbers, con- 
 quering all before them, and enriching themselves 
 with the spoils of a majestic empire. It was conse- 
 quently determined to march with all speed in that 
 direction, and join this Spanish army in its career of 
 Mexican conquest- 
 Early in the month of June they commenced 
 their march in a line due west. Their geographical 
 knowledge was so limited that they were not aware 
 that they were in a latitude far above the renowned 
 city of the Montezumas. 
 
DEATH OF DE SOTO. 343 
 
 Day after day the troops pressed on, through 
 many sufferings and weary marches. On the way, 
 one of their number, Diego De Guzman, a very am- 
 bitious young cavaher of high rank and wealthy con- 
 nections, fell so passionately in love with the beauti- 
 ful daughter of a Cacique that he deserted from the 
 army to remain with her. She was but eighteen 
 years of age, of very amiable spirit, and of unusual 
 gracefulness of form and loveliness of feature. Mos- 
 coso sent an embassy to the Cacique, demanding the 
 return of Guzman as a deserter, and threatening, in 
 case of refusal, to lay waste his territory with fire and 
 sword. The chief sent back the heroic reply — 
 
 " I have used no force to detain Diego De Guz- 
 man. I shall use no force to compel him to depart. 
 On the contrary I shall treat him as a son-in-law, 
 with all honor and kindness, and shall do the same 
 with any others of the strangers who may choose to 
 remain with me. If for thus doing my duty you 
 think proper to lay waste my lands and slay my peo- 
 ple, you can do so. The power is in your hands.'' 
 
 It would seem that this manly reply disarmed 
 Moscoso, for the Spanish army continued its journey, 
 leaving Guzman behind. Onward and still onward 
 the weary men pressed, wading morasses, forcing 
 their way through tangled forests, crossing rivers on 
 rafts ; now hungry and now thirsty, again enjoying 
 
344 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 abundance ; sometimes encountering hostility from 
 the natives, when they took fearful vengeance, apply- 
 ing the torch to their villages ; and again enjoying 
 the hospitality of the natives, until having traversed 
 a region of about three hundred miles in breadth, 
 they supposed they had reached the confines of 
 Mexico. 
 
 They had no suitable interpreters with them. 
 The most contrary impressions were received from 
 the attempts they made to obtain intelligence from 
 the Indians. Lured by false hopes, they wandered 
 about here and there, ever disappointed in their 
 hopes of finding the white men. Entering a vast 
 uninhabited region, they found their food exhausted, 
 and but for the roots and herbs they dug up, would 
 have perished from hunger. 
 
 The Spaniards were in despair. They were lost 
 in savage wilds, surrounded by a barbarous and hos- 
 tile people, with whom, for want of an interpreter, 
 they could hold no intelligible communication. They 
 had now been wandering in these bewildering mazes 
 for three months. Mountains were rising before 
 them ; dense forests were around. They had proba- 
 bly reached the hunting-grounds of the Pawnees and 
 Comanches. It was the month of October ; winter 
 would soon be upon them. A council of war was 
 called, and after much agitating debate, it was at 
 
DEATH OF DE SOTO. 345 
 
 length decided, as the only refuge from perishing in 
 the wilderness, to retrace their steps to the Missis- 
 sippi. 
 
 Forlorn, indeed, were their prospects now. They 
 had made no attempt to conciliate the natives 
 through whose provinces they had passed, and they 
 could expect to encounter only hostility upon every 
 step of their return. The country also, devastated in 
 their advance, could afford but little succor in their 
 retreat. Their worst fears were realized. Though 
 they made forced marches, often with weary feet, 
 late into the night, they were constantly falling into 
 ambuscades, and had an almost incessant battle to 
 fight. 
 
 Before they reached the Arkansas river the severe 
 weather of winter set in. They were drenched with 
 rains, pierced with freezing gales, and covered with 
 the mud through which they were always wading. 
 Their European clothing had long since vanished. 
 Their grotesque and uncomfortable dress consisted 
 principally of skins belted around their waists and 
 over their shoulders ; they were bare-legged. Many 
 of them had neither shoes nor sandals ; a few had 
 moccasons made of skins. In addition to all this, and 
 hardest to be borne, their spirits were all broken, and 
 they were sunk in despondency which led them to 
 the very verge of despair. 
 15* 
 
34^ FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 Every day some died. One day, seven dropped 
 by the wayside. The Spaniards could hardly stop to 
 give them burial, for hostile Indians were continually 
 rising before, behind, and on each side of them. At 
 length, early in December, they reached the banks 
 of the Mississippi near the mouth of the Arkansas. 
 
 The ncble army with which De Soto left Spain 
 but three and a half years before, had dwindled away 
 to about three hundred and fifty men ; and many of 
 these gained this refuge only to die. Fifty of these 
 wanderers, exhausted by hunger, toil and sorrow, 
 found repose in the grave. Soon the survivors com- 
 menced building seven brigantines to take them back 
 to Cuba. They had one ship-carpenter left, and sev- 
 eral other mechanics. Swords, stirrups, chains, cut- 
 lasses, and worn out fire-arms, were wrought into 
 spikes. Ropes were made from grass. The Indians 
 proved friendly, furnishing them with food, and aid- 
 ing them in their labors. 
 
 The hostile chief of whom we have before spok- 
 en, Quigualtanqui, on the eastern bank of the river, 
 began to renew his efforts to form a hostile league 
 against the Spaniards. He was continually sending 
 spies into the camp. Moscoso was a merciless man. 
 One day thirty Indians came into the town as spies, 
 but under pretence of bringing presents of food, and 
 messages of kindness from their Cacique. Moscoso 
 
DEATH OF DE SOTO. 347 
 
 thought he had ample evidence of their treachery. 
 Cruelly he ordered the right hand of every one of 
 these chiefs to be chopped off with a hatchet, and 
 thus mutilated, sent them back to the Cacique as a 
 warning to others. 
 
 Moscoso, conscious of the peril of his situation, 
 made the utmost haste to complete his fleet. It con- 
 sisted of seven large barques, open save at the bows 
 and stern. The bulwarks were mainly composed of 
 hides. Each barque had seven oars on a side. 
 This frail squadron was soon afloat, and the Governor 
 and his diminished bands embarked. 
 
 It was on the evening of the second of July, just 
 as the sun was setting, when they commenced their 
 descent of the majestic Mississippi, leading they 
 knew not where. They had succeeded in fabri- 
 cating sails of matting woven from grass. With 
 such sails and oars, they set out to voyage over un- 
 explored seas, without a chart, and without a com- 
 pass. The current of the river was swift and their 
 descent rapid. They occasionally landed to seize 
 provisions wherever they were to be found, and to 
 take signal vengeance on any who opposed them. 
 
 It seems that the Indians, during the winter, had 
 been collecting a fleet, manned with warriors, to cut 
 off the retreat of the Spaniards. This fleet consist- 
 ed of a large number of canoes, sufficiently capacious 
 
348 FERDINAND DE SOTO. • 
 
 to hold from thirty to seventy warriors, in addition 
 to from thirteen to twenty-four men with paddles. 
 They could move with great rapidity. 
 
 Two days after embarking, the Spaniards met 
 this formidable fleet. The natives attacked them 
 with great ferocity, circling around the cumbrous brig- 
 antines, discharging upon them showers of arrows, 
 and withdrawing at their pleasure. This assault, 
 which was continued almost without intermission 
 for seven days and nights, was attended by hideous 
 yells and war-songs. Though the Spaniards were 
 protected by their bulwarks and their shields, nearly 
 every one received some wound. All the horses but 
 eight were killed. 
 
 On the sixteenth day of the voyage four small 
 boats, containing in all fifty-five men, which had 
 pushed out a little distance from the brigantines, 
 were cut off by the natives, and all but seven perish- 
 ed. The natives now retired from pursuing their 
 foes, and with exultant yells of triumph turned their 
 bows up the river and soon disappeared from sight. 
 
 On the twentieth day they reached the Gulf. 
 Here they anchored their fleet to a low marshy island, 
 a mere sand bank, surrounded with a vast mass of 
 floating timber. Again a council was held to decide 
 what course was to be pursued. They had no nauti- 
 cal instruments, and they knew not in what direction 
 
DEATH OF DE SOTO. 349 
 
 to seek for Cuba. It was at length decided that as 
 their brigantines could not stand any rough usage of 
 a stormy sea, their only safety consisted in creeping 
 cautiously along the shore towards the west in search 
 of their companions in Mexico. They could thus run 
 into creeks and bays in case of storms, and could oc- 
 casionally land for supplies. 
 
 It was three o'clock in the afternoon when they 
 again made sail. There was much division of coun- 
 sel among them ; much diversity of opinion as to the 
 best course to be pursued ; and the authority of 
 Moscoso was but little regarded. They had many 
 adventures for fifty-three days, as they coasted slowly 
 along to the westward. Then a violent gale arose, a 
 norther, which blew with unabated fury for twenty- 
 six hours. In this gale the little fleet became sepa- 
 rated. The brigantines contained about fifty men 
 each. Five of them succeeded in running into a lit- 
 tle bay for shelter. Two were left far behind, and 
 finding it impossible to overtake their companions, as 
 the wind was directly ahead, and as there was danger 
 of their foundering during the night, though with 
 quarrels among themselves, they ran their two ves- 
 sels upon a sand beach and escaped to the shore. 
 
 Moscoso, with the five brigantines, had entered 
 the river Panuco, now called Tampico. Here he 
 found, to his great joy, that his countrymen had 
 
350 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 quite a flourishing colony, and that they had reared 
 quite a large town, called Panuco, at a few miles 
 up the stream. They kissed the very ground for 
 joy, and abandoning their storm-shattered brigan- 
 tines, commenced a tumultuous march towards the 
 town. • They were received with great hospitality. 
 The Mayor took Moscoso into his own house, and 
 the rest of the party were comfortably provided for. 
 
 It is worthy of note that one of their first acts 
 was to repair to the church to thank God for their 
 signal deliverance from so many perils. They were 
 soon joined by their shipwrecked comrades. They 
 numbered only three hundred, and they resembled 
 wild beasts rather than men, with uncut and un- 
 combed hair and beard, haggard with fatigue, black- 
 ened from exposure, and clad only in the skins of 
 bears, deer, buffaloes, and other animals. Here 
 their military organization ended. 
 
 For twenty-five days they remained at Panuco ; 
 a riotous band of disappointed and reckless men, 
 frequently engaging in sanguinary broils. Gradu- 
 ally they dispersed. Many of the common soldiers 
 found their way to the city of Mexico, where they 
 enlisted in the Mexican and Peruvian armies. Most 
 of the leaders found their way back to Spain, broken 
 in health and spirits. 
 
 Many months elapsed ere Isabella heard of the 
 
DEATH OF DE SOTO. ^51"^ 
 
 death of her husband, and of the utter ruin of the 
 magnificent enterprise in which he had engaged. 
 It was to her an overwhelming blow. Her heart 
 was broken ; she never smiled again, and soon fol- 
 lowed her husband to the grave. Sad, indeed, were 
 the earthly lives of Ferdinand De Soto and Isabella 
 De Bobadilla. We hope their redeemed spirits have 
 met in that better land where the weary are at rest. 
 
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