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 UNIVERSITY : 1868-1883 
 
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 E 125.S7J76 
 Hernando de Soto.The adventures encounte 
 
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 3 1924 020 421 289 
 
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'/I®, 
 
 Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of tiiis book is in 
 tine Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924020421289 
 
With the Compliments of 
 
 Charles C, Jones, Jr. 
 
 AUGUSTA, GA. 
 
HEPvNANDO DE SOTO, 
 
 Exigraved for the Bradford. Chih New York 1355 
 
HERNANDO DE SOTO. 
 
 THE ADVENTIIRES ENCOUNTERED AND THE ROUTE PURSUED BY THE ADELANTADO 
 
 DURING HIS MARCH THROUGH THE TERRITORY EMBRACED WITHIN 
 
 THE PRESENT GEOGRAPHICAL LIMITS OF THE 
 
 STATE OF GEORGIA. 
 
 CHARLES C. JONES, JR. 
 
 [READ BEFORE THE GEORGIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY.] 
 
 PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR. 
 
 J. H. ESTILL, 
 
 MORNING NEWS STEAM PRINTING HOUSE. 
 
 SAVANNAH, GA., 1880. 
 
 50 ^^ 
 
 
f\lpi5sn 
 
TO 
 
 THE HONORABLE 
 
 CHARLES JONES JENKINS, 
 
 OF 
 
 Augusta, Georgia, 
 
 THIS TRACT IS AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED, 
 
DE SOTO IN GEORGIA. 
 
 Flushed witli the distinction lie had won as a Captain in 
 Nicaragua, enriched by spoils gathered while a Lieutenant 
 General in the conquest of Peru, envious of the greater fame 
 of Pizarro, anxious to achieve victories grander and more 
 startling, and thirsting for booty more abundant, Hernando 
 De Soto sought and obtained from the Spanish Crown a 
 concession to subdue and settle all the region from the river 
 Palmas eastwardly to the "Island of Florida," including the 
 Tierra nueva adjoining it on the ocean. Northwardly this 
 domain was without specific hmit, and might be indefinitely 
 enlarged by discovery and occupancy. Over it he was to 
 preside as Governor and Captain General, with the dignity 
 of Adelantado for life, and High Sheriff in perpetuity to 
 his heirs. 
 
 "For the purpose," — -so wrote the king, — "you will take 
 from these our kingdoms, and our said Indias, five hundred 
 men, with the necessary arms, horses, munitions, and military 
 stores ; and that you wOl go hence, from these our kingdoms, 
 to make the said conquest and settlement within a year first 
 following, to be reckoned from the day of the date of these 
 articles of authorization; and that when you shall leave the 
 Island of Cuba to go upon that enterprise, you will take the 
 necessary subsistence for all that people during eighteen 
 months, — rather over than under that time, — entirely at your 
 cost and charges." * * * 
 
 As great gain was anticipated, the Crown was careful to 
 reserve to itself, for the first six years, one-tenth of all gold 
 which should be realized from mines : and of that precious 
 
metal, obtained by barter or as spoil during incursions, one- 
 fifth was to be paid into the royal treasury. 
 
 Remembering the treasure trove in Peru, his Majesty was 
 further pleased to enjoin that to his tribunal and exchequer 
 should belong one-half of the gold, silver, stones, pearls, and 
 other articles of value which might be taken from the graves, 
 sepulchres, ocues, temples, reHgious precincts, public places, 
 or private hoards of the natives. 
 
 To facilitate him in the subjugation and retention of this 
 possession, and that he might the more easily command a 
 convenient base of operations and supplies in the conduct 
 of this great undertaking, De Soto was commissioned by the 
 King, his master. Governor of Cuba. 
 
 Having, with much deliberation, selected and enlisted six 
 hundred men, competent in every respect and thoroughly 
 equipped, in April, 1538, the Adelantado set sail upon his 
 mission. Passing over the bar of Sanlucar on Sunday, — the 
 morning of Saint Lazarus,- he sought the open sea amid 
 the braying of trumpets, the thunders of artillery, and the 
 shouts of thousands. The expedition presented the aspect 
 of a hoUday excursion. Every heart on board was imbued 
 with the spirit of adventure, confident of success, and per- 
 suaded that the Land of Flowers would yield greater riches 
 than the homes of the Incas. So general was the belief, 
 entertained in Spain, of the wealth of the region, that the 
 proudest of the land craved permission to be represented in 
 the adventure either in person or by proxy. In the compo- 
 sition of this band we find explanation of the spirit of en- 
 durance and wonderful courage which characterized it 
 during its eventful career. 
 
 On Pentecost De Soto arrived with his command in the 
 harbor of Santiago, in Cuba of the Antilles, and thence pro- 
 ceeded to Havana. Here he remained, perfecting his ar- 
 rangements, untU Sunday, the 18th of Maj, 1539; when, 
 
with a fleet of nine vessels, — five of them ships, two caravels, 
 and two pinnaces, — he sailed for Florida. Delayed by con- 
 trary winds, it was not until the 25th, being the festival of 
 Espiritu Santo, that land was descried and anchor cast a 
 league from the shelving shore. On Friday, the 30th, the 
 army debarked at a point two leagues from the town of the 
 Indian chief Ucita Two hundred and thirteen horses were 
 set on shore, the royal standard was elevated, and formal 
 possession taken of Terra Florida in the name of Charles V. 
 The camp was pitched upon the sands of Tampa Bay. 
 
 This was the most brilhant, enthusiastic, and warlike as- 
 semblage which, up to that period, had ever been seen this 
 side the Atlantic. Herrera says De Soto had, of his private 
 fortune, contributed one hundred thousand ducats for the 
 equipment of this expedition. This little army was com- 
 posed of men accustomed to wars, of personal daring, skilled 
 in the use of weapons, and inured to hardships. Scarcely a 
 gray head appeared among them. Their arms were strong, 
 and their breasts filled with visions of glory and wealth. It 
 was confidently believed that this new and unexplored King- 
 dom of Florida would exceed in riches the realms of Atahu- 
 alpa, during the conquest of which De Soto had received, as 
 his individual share of the spoils, the enormous sum of one 
 hundred and eighty thousand crowns of gold. 
 
 Many of the young cavaliers who now rallied around this 
 standard carried in their veins the best blood of Spain. 
 Their equipment was superb and their enthusiasm un- 
 bounded. It was a strange sight, on the lonely shores of 
 this new world, this convocation of soldiery in rich armor 
 and costly dresses, of attending slaves, caparisoned horses, 
 and burthen-bearing mules, — this assemblage of fleet grey- 
 hounds, savage blood-hounds, and grunting swine, — this ac- 
 cumulation of artillery, weapons, hand-cuffs, chains, neck- 
 
8 
 
 collars, crucibles for refining gold, tools, instruments, and 
 material of every needed sort. 
 
 A valuable expexience, acquired during the invasions of 
 Nicaragua and Peru, was utilized on the present occasion ; 
 and the ample preparations made encouraged in the hearts, 
 of all hope of success more astounding than that which had 
 characterized both those expeditions. 
 
 Twelve priests, eight clergymen of inferior rank, and four 
 monks, accompanied the army. In the thirst for conquest 
 and gold the conversion of the Aborigines was not forgotten. 
 Men of letters, who were to perpetuate the events of the 
 march, were also present. 
 
 With the wanderings of De Soto and his followers within 
 the territorial limits of Florida, with the narrative of their bat- 
 tles with the natives, with the difficulties encountered in the 
 crossing of rivers and the passage of perplexing morasses, 
 with the sore disappointment experienced in the quest for 
 gold and precious stones in this low-lying semi-tropical 
 region, and with the accounts of the privations endured, we 
 have now no special concern, as our inquiry is limited to a 
 recital of what transpired within the confines of the present 
 State of Georgia. 
 
 It may be stated, however, that after wintering at An- 
 hayca, which was probably in the neighborhood of the 
 modern town of Tallahassee,* De Soto, allured by a report 
 of the existence of gold to the northward, determined to pro- 
 ceed in that direction in search for that much-coveted pre- 
 cious metal. Receiving an intimation that his march would 
 extend for many leagues through a sparsely populated 
 region, the Governor ordered his command to carry the 
 
 * Portions of Spanish armor have been exhumed in a. field adjacent to this 
 city, and other European relics have been found in this vicinity under circum- 
 stances confirming the suggestion here made. 
 
9 
 
 largest allowance of maize. The cavalrymen packed a lib- 
 eral supply of this grain on their horses, and the foot- 
 soldiers conveyed as much as they could conveniently bear 
 upon their backs. This store had been pillaged from the 
 native villages, and the Indians, whom the Spaniards had 
 forced to act as burden bearers during their previous wan- 
 derings and about the winter cantonment, had, in nakedness 
 and chains, perished from hard usage. Sad is the record of 
 the inhuman treatment meted out to the Aborigines by these 
 Christian adventurers. Such was the utter contempt enter- 
 tained for them by the Spaniards, that they hesitated not to 
 subject them to every form of cruelty, humiliation, and pri- 
 vation. The men were condemned to the oiiice of beasts of 
 burden. The women were misued and driven from their 
 habitations. Supplies of all sorts were ruthlessly appro- 
 priated. Even sepulchres were ransacked in the greedy 
 search for pearls and hidden treasures. The path of the in- 
 vader was marked on every hand by death, ruin, and desola- 
 tion. The demoralizing influences exerted upon this abo- 
 riginal population by the inroads of the Spaniards cannot be 
 overestimated. 
 
 On Wednesday, the 3d of March, 1540, the army moved 
 northward, its objective point being Yupaha, governed by a 
 woman, whose chief city was reported to be of astonishing 
 size. Of some Indians captured in Napetuca, the treasurer, 
 Juan Gaytan, had brought to camp a lad who spoke know- 
 ingly of this queen, of neighboring chiefs tributary to her, 
 and of the clothing and gold with which they supplied her. 
 So exactly did he describe the process of taking this metal 
 from the earth, melting, and refining it, that the Spaniards 
 came to the conclusion either that he had seen the whole 
 affair with his own eyes, or that he had been taught of the 
 Devil. Expectation was on tip-toe, and the belief was uni- 
 versal that the land of gold was at hand. 
 
8 
 
 collars, crucibles for refining gold, tools, instruments, and 
 material of every needed sort. 
 
 A valuarble experience, acquired during the invasions of 
 Nicaragua and Peru, was utilized on the present occasion ; 
 and the ample preparations made encouraged in the hearts, 
 of all hope of success more astounding than that which had 
 characterized both those expeditions. 
 
 Twelve priests, eight clergymen of inferior rank, and four 
 monks, accompanied the army. In the thirst for conquest 
 and gold the conversion of the Aborigines was not forgotten. 
 Men of letters, who were to perpetuate the events of the 
 march, were also present. 
 
 With the wanderings of De Soto and his followers within 
 the territorial limits of Florida, with the narrative of their bat- 
 tles with the natives, with the difficulties encountered in the 
 crossing of rivers and the passage of perplexing morasses, 
 with the sore disappointment experienced in the quest for 
 gold and precious stones in this low-lying semi-tropical 
 region, and with the accounts of the privations endured, we 
 have now no special concern, as our inquiry is limited to a 
 recital of what transpired within the confines of the present 
 State of Georgia. 
 
 It may be stated, however, that after wintering at An- 
 hayca, which was probably in the neighborhood of the 
 modern town of Tallahassee,* De Soto, allured by a report 
 of the existence of gold to the northward, determined to pro- 
 ceed in that direction in search for that much-coveted pre- 
 cious metal. Eeceiving an intimation that his march would 
 extend for many leagues through a sparsely populated 
 region, the Governor ordered his command to carry the 
 
 * Portions of Spanish armor have been exhumed in a field adjacent to this 
 city, and other European relics have been found in this vicinity under circum- 
 stances confirming the suggestion here made. 
 
9 
 
 largest allowance of maize. The cavalrymen packed a lib- 
 eral supply of this grain on their horses, and the foot- 
 soldiers conveyed as much as they could conveniently bear 
 upon their backs. This store had been pillaged from the 
 native villages, and the Indians, whom the Spaniards had 
 forced to act as burden bearers during their previous wan- 
 derings and about the winter cantonment, had, in nakedness 
 and chains, perished from hard usage. Sad is the record of 
 the inhuman treatment meted out to the Aborigines by these 
 Christian adventurers. Such was the utter contempt enter- 
 tained for them by the Spaniards, that they hesitated not to 
 subject them to every form of cruelty, humiliation, and pri- 
 vation. The men were condemned to the office of beasts of 
 burden. The women were misued and driven from their 
 habitations. Supplies of all sorts were ruthlessly appro- 
 priated. Even sepulchres were ransacked in the greedy 
 search for pearls and hidden treasures. The path of the in- 
 vader was marked on every hand by death, ruin, and desola- 
 tion. The demoralizing influences exerted upon this abo- 
 riginal population by the inroads of the Spaniards cannot be 
 overestimated. 
 
 On Wednesday, the 3d of March, 1540, the army moved 
 northward, its objective point being Yupaha, governed by a 
 woman, whose chief city was reported to be of astonishing 
 size. Of some Indians captured in Napetuca, the treasurer, 
 Juan Gaytan, had brought to camp a lad who spoke know- 
 ingly of this queen, of neighboring chiefs tributary to her, 
 and of the clothing and gold with which they supplied her. 
 So exactly did he describe the process of taking this metal 
 from the earth, melting, and refining it, that the Spaniards 
 came to the conclusion either that he had seen the whole 
 affair with his own eyes, or that he had been taught of the 
 Devil. Expectation was on tip-toe, and the belief was uni- 
 versal that the land of gold was at hand. 
 
10 
 
 On the fourth day of its march the army encountered a 
 deep river, for the passage of which it became necessary to 
 construct a periagua. So swift was the current that a chain 
 was stretched from bank to bank for the guidance of this 
 craft. By this means the soldiers and the baggage were 
 crossed, and the horses directed in swimming the stream. 
 We believe this to have been the Ocklockony river. De 
 Soto had now arrived, or very nearly so, at the southwest 
 boundary of Georgia. Within the next forty-eight hours the 
 Indian village of Oapachiqui was reached. At the approach 
 of the Spaniards the natives fled ; but when five of the 
 Christians visited some Indian cabins, surrounded by a 
 thicket, in rear of the encampment, they were set upon by 
 Indians, lurking near, by whom one was killed and three 
 others were badly wounded. Pursued by a detachment from 
 the camp, the natives fled into a sheet of water filled with 
 forest trees, whither the cavalry could not follow them. 
 Thus does the Gentleman of Elvas record the death of the 
 first Spaniard who fell upon what is now the soil of Georgia. 
 
 Departing from Oapachiqui on the 11th, and traversing a 
 desert, the expedition had, on the 21st, penetrated as far as 
 Toalli. This region, which the historian designates as a 
 desert, was doubtless a dreary pine barren, devoid of popu- 
 lation and but little frequented by any animal life. The site 
 of Toalli or Otoa cannot now be definitely ascertained; but, 
 as it was near Achese, or Ochis, (which, according to Mr. 
 Gallatin, is the Muskhoge name of the Ocmulgee river,) we 
 may not greatly err in locating it somewhere in Irwin, or 
 Ooffee county. 
 
 Of the peculiarities of this place the Gentleman of Elvas, 
 whose narrative, in the main, we adopt, has perpetuated the 
 following impressions : The houses of this town were differ- 
 ent from those behind, which were covered with dry grass. 
 Thenceforward they were roofed with cane after the fashion 
 
11 
 
 of tile. They are kept very clean. Some have their sides 
 so made of clay as to look like tapia. Throughout the cold 
 country every Indian has a winter house plastered inside 
 and out, with a very small door which is closed at dark, and, 
 a fire being made within, it remains heated like an oven, so 
 that clothing is not needed during the night time. He has 
 likewise a house for summer, and near it a kitchen where 
 fire is made and bread baked. Maize is kept in barbacoa, 
 which is a house with wooden sides, like a room, raised aloft 
 on four posts. It has a floor of cane. The houses of the 
 principal men, besides being larger than those of the com- 
 mon people, had deep balconies in front, furnished with 
 benches made of the swamp cane. Adjacent were large bar- 
 bacoas in which were collected maize, the skins of deer, and 
 the blankets of the country, offered as tribute by the popu- 
 lace. These blankets resembled shawls, and were fashioned 
 from the inner bark of trees, and from a certain grass which, 
 when beaten, yielded a flax-like fibre.* They were used by 
 the women as coverings. One was worn about the body 
 from the waist downward. Another was thrown over the 
 shoulders, leaving the right arm free after the manner of the 
 Gypsies. The men were content with one, which was car- 
 ried in Uke manner over the shoulders. The loins were cov- 
 ered with a bragueiro of deer skin, after the fashion of the 
 woolen breech-cloth once customary in Spain. These blan- 
 kets were colored either vermilion or black. Garments of 
 well-dressed deer skin were also in vogue, and shoes made 
 of the same material. 
 
 Three days were spent at Toalli : and, on Saturday, the 
 24th of March, the expedition moved onward. Thursday 
 evening, while crossing a small stream over which a bridge 
 had been thrown for the passage of the command, Benito 
 Fernandes, a Portuguese, was drowned. A short distance 
 
 * This was evidently the tough silk grass of the region. 
 
12 
 
 beyond tliis stream was located the village of Achese, whose 
 inhabitants, upon the approach of the Europeans, plunged 
 into the river and made their escape. Among some captives 
 taken was found one who understood the language spoken 
 by the Indian who had acted in the capacity of guide to 
 Tupaha. By him the Governor sent a message to the chief, 
 dwelling on the further side of the river, desiring an inter- 
 view with him. Responding to the invitation, the Cacique 
 appeared with words of courtesy and an avowal of friend- 
 ship. Frankly thanking him for his good will, De Soto in- 
 formed him that he was the child of the Sun,* coming from 
 his abode, and that he was seeking the greatest prince and 
 the richest province. The Chief replied that further on 
 there reigned a powerful King whose territory was called 
 Ocute. A guide, who understood the language of this pro- 
 vince, having been furnished, the captives were set at liberty. 
 Before leaving Toalli a high wooden cross was erected in the 
 middle of the town-yard, and some effort made to instruct 
 the natives in the doctrines of Christianity. 
 
 Resuming his march on the first of April, De Soto moved 
 along a river whose shores were thickly populated. On the 
 fourth day he passed through the town of Altamaea, and on 
 the tenth arrived at Ocute. If we are correct in our impres- 
 sion, the march of the expedition had been in a northeast- 
 erly direction, and the Spaniards were now probably in 
 Laurens county. In the word Altamaea [or AUapaha as it 
 is written by Biedma and also by Garcilasso de la Vega] we 
 recognize one of the prominent rivers in Southern Georgia, 
 and the many traces of early constructive skill, ancient relic 
 beds, and old Indian fields along the line of that, and of the 
 Oconee river, give ample token that in former times the abo- 
 
 *This announcement, if credited, was calculated to make a profound impres- 
 sion upon the natives, as the Florida Tribes, in the sixteenth century, were 
 nearly all Sun-worshippers. 
 
13 
 
 riginal population cormorant here was by no means incon- 
 siderable. 
 
 While approaching Ocute, De Soto's command was met 
 by two thousand Indians bearing, as a present from 
 the Chief, many conies, partridges, bread made of maize, 
 dogs, and two turkeys. Such was the scarcity of meat that 
 the Spaniards welcomed this offering of dogs as heartily as 
 if it had been a gift of fat sheep. In the language of the 
 narrative from which we have quoted so freely : "Of flesh 
 meat and salt in many places and many times there had 
 been great need ; and they were so scarse that if a man fell 
 sicke there was nothing to cherish him withall ; and with a 
 sicknesse that in another place easilie might have been rem- 
 edied, he consumed away till nothing but skinne and bones 
 vas left : and they died of pure weaknes, some of them say- 
 ing ; ' If I had a shce of meate or a few cornes of salt, I 
 slould not die.' " 
 
 The sufferings of these Spaniards were grievous and 
 almost without interruption. On more than one occasion 
 they were on the point of starving when relieved by the 
 gen^ous offerings of the natives. Surely these primitive 
 inhabitants were hospitable peoples. In view of the harsh 
 treatment dealt out to them by the whites we are little less 
 thanamazed at such exhibitions of charity and good will. 
 
 Wiile the Indians, through the apt use of their bows and 
 arroTO, supplied themselves abundantly with game, the 
 Spanards, less expert with their clumsy weapons, and on the 
 march not daring to straggle, so craved meat that upon their 
 entrarce into a native village they at once set about killing 
 every dog in sight. Should the private soldier, who had 
 been si fortunate as to secure one of these animals, omit to 
 send lis Captain a quarter, he would surely be visited with 
 displeBure and extra duty. 
 
 Hav Qg obtained from the Cacique of Ocute four hundred 
 
14 
 
 tamemes, or burden bearers, the Governor, on the twelfth of 
 April, took his departure. Passing through Cofaqui he jour- 
 neyed to Patofa, by the Mico of which he was hospitably 
 entreated. 
 
 While here the Indian youth, who had accompanied De 
 Soto as his guide and interpreter, "began to froth at the 
 mouth, and threw himself on the ground as if he were pos- 
 sessed of the Devil." An exorcism having been said over 
 him, however, the fit went off : at least so runs the story. 
 
 Upon the Cacique of Patofa a contribution was levied of 
 seven hundred tamemes and a four days' supply of maize. 
 Thus aided, the expedition started, apparently in a north- 
 easterly direction, following a path which gradually grew less 
 and less distinct, until, at the end of the sixth day, all trace 
 was lost in the midst of a wide-spreading pine barren. For 
 three days more vainly seeking to acquire some valuable ir- 
 formation, and having marched continuously, the Governor 
 called a halt and went into camp among the pine trees. 
 During these nine days he had with difficulty forded two 
 rivers, [sources of the Great Ogeechee ?] and swam anotter. 
 [Briar Creek ?] 
 
 Accompanied by some cavalry and infantry, De Soto nade 
 a detour of some five or six leagues, looking for a path. He 
 returned at night, having failed to find any inhabitants, quite 
 dejected and sore perplexed. His command was in a sorry 
 pKght. The circumjacent country was a barren. N« sign 
 of human habitation appeared. The maize which hs sol- 
 diers had brought from Patofa was utterly consumed. Both 
 beasts and men were lean and hungry. In this enfeebled 
 condition resistance, in the event of an attack, seenfid im- 
 possible. Starvation and annihilation stared the expdition 
 in the face. Unable longer to subsist the burthen rearers 
 from Patofa, they were dismissed to make their way jack to 
 their homes as best they could. 
 
15 
 
 The next day, intent upon extricating himself from this 
 perilous situation, the Governor sent out four expeditions, — 
 each consisting of a captain and eight cavalrymen, — with 
 instructions to scour the country and find some source of 
 relief, some avenue of escape. The day was consumed in a 
 fruitless search, and they all came into camp at night-fall 
 leading their broken-down horses, or driving them before 
 them. On the following day, having selected the best 
 horses, and soldiers who could swim, he organized four 
 bands, each containing eight mounted men. Baltasar de 
 Gallegos, who commanded one, was directed to move up the 
 river. Juan de Anasco, with another, was to move down- 
 wards. Alfonso Romo and Juan Kodrigues Lobillo, with 
 the other two, were ordered to strike into the country. 
 
 The thirteen sows which had been brought from Cuba had 
 so multiplied during the progress of the expedition, that 
 there were now three hundred swine in camp. During this 
 season of privation these animals were killed and a ration of 
 a half pound of fresh pork was issued, per diem, to each 
 man. This, supplemented by such native herbs as could be 
 collected and boiled, constituted the only subsistence of the 
 soldiery. Upon the rough grass, leaves, and the tops of pal- 
 mettos, did the horses feed. The entire command was in an 
 enfeebled, dispirited, and almost perishing condition. 
 
 On Sunday afternoon [April 25th] Juan de Anasco, who 
 was in charge of one of these reconnoitering parties, re- 
 turned, bringing a woman and a youth whom he had cap- 
 tured. He reported that at a remove of some twelve or 
 thirteen leagues he had found a small town. At this intelli- 
 gence, says the Gentleman of Elvas, the Governor and his 
 people were as much delighted as if they had been raised 
 fi'om death to life. 
 
 Without awaiting the incoming of the other detachments, 
 De Soto set out for this village, which the Indians called 
 
16 
 
 Aymay, and to which the Spaniards gave the name of So- 
 corro.* At the foot of a tree in the camp was buried a letter 
 stating in what direction the command would march. That 
 the attention of the absentees on their return might be 
 called to it, on the bark of the tree were cut, with a hatchet, 
 these words : " Dig here : at the foot of this pine you will 
 find a letter." 
 
 Following the road which Anasco had made while passing 
 through the woods, the Governor set out on the morning of 
 the 26th of April, taking with him his troopers who were 
 best mounted, and moved as rapidly as he could in the direc- 
 tion of Aymay. That village he reached before night-fall. 
 The army followed, as best it could in its enfeebled condi- 
 tion, straggling all the way. At this town a barbacoa of 
 parched nieal and maize was found, the contents of which 
 were immediately issued to the starving command. 
 
 Four Indians were captured who refused to give any in- 
 formation touching the existence of any adjacent native 
 villages. One of them having been burnt, another stated 
 that at a remove of two days' journey was the province of 
 Cutifachiqui. 
 
 Two days afterward the three captains arrived with their 
 detachments. On returning to camp they found the buried 
 letter and followed on in the trail left by the army. Two 
 soldiers remained behind, and they belonged to the detach- 
 ment of Juan Eodriguez. Their horses had entirely given 
 out and they lagged with them. After a severe reprimand 
 from the Governor, this officer was dispatched to hurry up 
 these loiterers. Without tarrying for their coming, De Soto 
 advanced in the direction of Cutifachiqui. On his journey 
 thitherward three Indians were taken who informed the 
 Spaniards that the Queen of that province had been advised 
 of the approach of the army and, in her chief town, was 
 
 ♦village of Good Relief. 
 
17 
 
 awaiting tlie arriTal of the strangers. One of them was im- 
 mediately dispatched with a message of friendship from the 
 Governor to the Oacica, and the announcement that he 
 would speedily visit her. Upon the Governor's arrival at the 
 river, four canoes approached from the opposite bank. In 
 one of these was a kinswoman of the Oacica who had been 
 by her deputed to extend an invitation to the Spaniards to 
 cross over and partake of the hospitalities of the town. She 
 excused the absence of the Oacica on the ground that she 
 was engaged in giving directions for the reception of such ' 
 distinguished guests. She returned with the thanks of the 
 Governor. Soon after the Oacica came out of the village, 
 seated in a chair of state,* which was borne by some of the 
 principal men to the water's edge. Thence alighting, she 
 entered a canoe, the stern of which was sheltered by an awn- 
 ing. Oushions lay extended in the bottom, and upon these 
 she reclined. In her passage across the river she was ac- 
 companied by her chief men and other subjects in canoes. 
 Having landed, she approached the spot where De Soto 
 awaited her, and addressed him with courteous words of 
 welcome. Drawing from over her head a long string of 
 pearls she suspended it about the Governor's neck in 
 token of amity. She also presented him with many shawls 
 and dressed skins, constituting the clothing of her country. 
 Finely formed, with great beauty of countenance, and pos- 
 sessing much native grace and dignity, the Spaniards were 
 impressed by her appearance and queenly conduct. During 
 her interview with the Governor she sat upon a stool carried 
 by one of her attendants. Her subjects preserved an un- 
 broken silence and most respectful demeanor. She was the 
 
 * In Plate xxxvii. of the " Brevis Narratio " we have a spirited illustration 
 of the litter, or palanquin, in which the queens of these primitive peoples were 
 conveyed. 
 
 See also Jones' Antiquities of the Southern Indians, p. 72. New York. 1873. 
 •I 
 
18 
 
 first female raler whom De Soto had met during all his wan- 
 derings. The Governor was sensibly moved by her generous 
 salutation and pleasing behavior. In acknowledgment of 
 her beautiful gift, and as a pledge of peace and friendship, 
 De Soto, drawing from his finger a ring of gold set with a 
 ruby, gently placed it upon one of her fingers. The hospital- 
 ities of her town were generously extended. She promised 
 to share her store of maize with the strangers, and said that 
 she would send canoes for their conveyance to the other 
 side of the river. This ceremony of welcome ended, the 
 Cacica returned to her home. On the following day, in 
 canoes and upon rafts furnished by the natives, the army 
 crossed to the further shore and found food and rest in wig- 
 wams shaded by luxuriant mulberry trees. Four horses 
 were drowned in the passage of the river. So soon as De 
 Soto was lodged in the village many wild turkeys were sent 
 to him, and during his sojourn in this place he and his men 
 were entertained with every mark of hospitality. To be 
 thus rested and feasted was most joyous to this band, foot- 
 sore and weary, diappointed, dejected, and well nigh over- 
 borne by the difficulties and privations of the journey. 
 
 The inhabitants, well proportioned and of a good counte- 
 nance, were more civilized than all other peoples seen in the 
 wide-extended territory of Florida. They wore clothing and 
 shoes. The country, in that early spring time, was beautiful, 
 and gave every indication of fertility. The temperature was 
 delightful, and the woods were most attractive. The Span- 
 iards were particularly gratified with the profusion of walnut 
 and mulberry trees. To all, save the Governor, it seemed good 
 to form a permanent settlement here. The point appeared 
 favorable for raising supplies ; and, as the natives stated it 
 was only two days' journey from the coast, it was thought 
 that ships from New Spain, Peru, Sancta Marta, and Tierra- 
 Firme, going to Spain, might be induced to stop here and 
 
19 
 
 refresh their crews. Thus ignorant were these strangers of 
 their true geographical position. 
 
 In the vicinity of Catifachiqui were large, vacant towns 
 overgrown with grass. It was ascertained that two years 
 before there had been a pest in the land ; and, in order to 
 escape its ravages, multitudes of the inhabitants had re- 
 moved to other localities. 
 
 In the barbacoas were found " large quantities of clothing, 
 shawls of thread made from the bark of trees, and others of 
 feathers, white, gray, vermilion, and yellow, rich and proper 
 for winter. There were also many well-dressed deer-skinSj^i 
 of colors drawn over with designs, of which had been made 
 shoes, stockings and hose." 
 
 Upon searching the sepulchres in the town three hundred 
 and fifty weight of pearls, and figures of babies and birds 
 made from iridescent shells, were taken from them. The 
 suggestion of the Spanish narrators is that this quest was 
 undertaken by permission of the Caeica, who observed how 
 highly the Christians valued these gems of the water. When 
 we remember, however, how ardently attached these primi- 
 tive peoples were to the graves of their dead, how carefully 
 they deposited in them the treasures of the deceased, how 
 tenderly they watched over and sacredly guarded the last 
 resting-places of their departed, we recognize in this proce- 
 dure not the voluntary intervention of the native, but the 
 cupidity, the violence, and the outrage of the foreigner. 
 
 In the town were found a dirk and beads of European 
 manufacture. From the best information which could be 
 gathered touching their origin and the manner in which the 
 Indians became possessed of them, it was believed that they 
 had been obtained from some members of the unfortunate 
 expedition of the Governor-licentiate Ayllon. Biedma says, 
 in alluding to these relics, " We found buried two wood axes 
 of Castilian make, a rosary of jet beads, and some false 
 
20 
 
 pearls such as are taken from this country [Spain] to traffic 
 with the Indians, all of which we supposed they got in ex- 
 change made with those who followed the Licentiate Ay lion. 
 From the information given by the Indians, the sea should 
 be about thirty leagues distant. We knew that the people 
 who came with Ayllon hardly entered the country at all : 
 that they remained continually on the coast until his sick- 
 ness and death. In strife for command, they then com- 
 menced to kill each other, while others of them died of 
 hunger; for one, whose lot it was to have been among them, 
 told us that of six hundred men who landed, only fifty-seven 
 escaped, — a loss caused to a great extent by the wreck of a 
 big ship they had brought, laden with stores." 
 
 Learning that the mother of the Cacica resided about 
 twelve leagues down the river, and that she was a widow, 
 De Soto expressed a strong desire to see her. This wish 
 was doubtless born of the fact that she was reported to be 
 the owner of many valuable pearls. Upon intimating his 
 pleasure, the Cacica of Cutifachiqui dispatched twelve of her 
 prominent subjects to entreat her mother to come and see 
 the wonderful strangers and the remarkable animals they 
 had brought with them. To these messengers the widow 
 administered a severe rebuke, declined to accompany them, 
 arid returned to her daughter words condemnatory of her 
 conduct. Still intent upon his object, De Soto dispatched 
 Juan de Anasoo, with thirty companions, to secure the 
 presence of the queen mother. They were accompanied by 
 a youthful warrior whom the Cacica selected as a guide. 
 He was a near relative of the widow and had been reared by 
 her. It was supposed that he of all others could best secure 
 for the expedition a favorable reception. In the blush of 
 early manhood he possessed handsome features, and a 
 graceful, vigorous form. '' His head was decorated with lofty 
 plumes of different colored feathers ; he wore a mantle of 
 
21 
 
 dtessed deer-skin ; in Ms hand he bore a beautiful bow so 
 highly Tarnished as to appear as if finely enameled ; and at 
 his shoulder hung a quiver full of arrows. With a light, and 
 elastic step, and an animated and gallant air, his whole ap- 
 pearance was that of an ambassador worthy of the young 
 and beautiful princess whom he served." 
 
 What next befell the Spanish captain and his Indian guide 
 we relate in the language of Theodore Irving, quoting from 
 Herrera. 
 
 "Juan de Anasco and his comrades having proceeded 
 nearly three leagues, stopped to make their mid-day meal, 
 and take their repose beneath the shade of some wide- 
 spreading trees, as the heat was oppressive. The Indian 
 guide had proved a cheerful and joyous companion, enter- 
 taining them all the way with accounts of the surrounding 
 country and the adjacent provinces. On a sudden, after 
 they had halted he became moody and thoughtful, and, 
 leaning his cheek upon his hand, fell into a reverie, uttering 
 repeated and deep-drawn sighs. The Spaniards noticed his 
 dejection, but, fearing to increase it, forebore to demand the 
 cause. 
 
 "After a time he quietly took off his quiver, and placing 
 it before him, drew out the arrows slowly one by one. They 
 were admirable for the skill and elegance with which they 
 were formed. Their shafts were reeds. Some were tipped 
 with buck's horn, wrought with four corners Uke a diamond ; 
 some were pointed with the bones of fishes, curiously fash- 
 ioned ; others with barbs of the palm and other hard woods ; 
 and some were three pronged. They were feathered in a 
 triangular manner, to render their flight of greater accuracy. 
 The Spaniards could not sufliciently admire their beauty ; 
 they took them up and passed them from hand to hand, ex- 
 amining and praising their workmanship and extolling the 
 skill of their owner. The youthful Indian continued 
 
22 
 
 though tfully emptying his quiver, until, almost at the last, 
 he drew forth an arrow with a point of flint, long and sharp, 
 and shaped hke a dagger ; then, casting round a glance, and 
 seeing the Spaniards engaged in admiring his darts, he sud- 
 denly plungdd the weapon in his throat, and fell dead upon 
 the spot. 
 
 " Shocked at the circumstance, and grieved at not having 
 been able to prevent it, the Spaniards called to their Indian 
 attendants and demanded the reason of this melancholy act 
 in one who had, just before, been so joyous. 
 
 "The Indians broke into loud lamentations over the 
 corpse ; for the youth was tenderly beloved by them, and 
 they knew the grief his untimely fate would cause to both 
 their princesses. They could only account for his self- 
 destruction by supposing him perplexed and afflicted about 
 his embassy. He knew that his errand would be disagree- 
 able to the mother, and apprehended that the plan of the 
 Spaniards was to carry her off. He alone knew the place of 
 her concealment, and it appeared to his generous mind an 
 unworthy return for her love and confidence thus to betray 
 her to strangers. On the other hand he was aware, that 
 should he disobey the mandates of his young mistress, he 
 would lose her favor and fall into disgrace. Either of these 
 alternatives would be worse than death ; he had chosen 
 death, therefore, as the lesser evil, and as leaving to his 
 mistress a proof of his loyalty and devotion. 
 
 "Such was the conjecture of the Indians, to which the 
 Spaniards were inclined to give faith. Grieving over the 
 death of the high-minded youth they mournfully resumed 
 their journey. 
 
 " They now, however, found themselves at a loss about the 
 road. None of the Indians knew in what part of the country 
 the widow was concealed, — the young guide who had killed 
 himself being alone master of the secret. For the rest of 
 
23 
 
 tliat day and until the following noon they made a fruitless 
 search, taking prisoners some natives who all professed utter 
 ignorance on the subject. Juan de Anasco being a fleshy 
 man and somewhat choleric, was almost in a fever with the 
 vexation of his spirit, the weight of his armor, and the heat 
 of the day ; he was obliged, however, to give up the quest 
 after the widow, and to return to the camp much mortified 
 at having for once failed in an enterprise." 
 
 Three days afterward, upon the offer of an Indian to 
 guide him, by water, to the point where the widow had se- 
 creted herself, Anasco, with twenty companions, departed in 
 two canoes for the purpose of capturing her. At the end of 
 six days he returned vexed and chagrined at the failure of 
 his expedition. Thus did the queen's mother avoid the 
 Spaniards and preserve her pearls. 
 
 Still intent upon his quest for gold, in response to his in- 
 quiries De Soto was told that there was here yellow, and 
 also white metal, similar to that shown by the Spaniards. 
 Natives were dispatched to bring samples of both. To the 
 sore disappointment of the Christians, however, the yellow 
 metal proved to be a copper ore, and the white metal ^ light 
 crumbling material like mica. 
 
 Turning his attention again to the pearls of the region, the 
 Governor visited Talomeco, the former chief town of the 
 province, distant about a league from the village of the Prin- 
 cess of Catifachiqui, where was a large mausoleum contain- 
 ing many dead and a large store of pears. On this occasion 
 he was accompanied by Anasco, — the contador, or royal ac- 
 countant of the expedition, — by the officers of the royal 
 revenue, and by a number of his principal officers and 
 soldiers. 
 
 The main edifice at Talomeco is described as being one 
 hundred paces in length, and forty in breadth, with lofty 
 roofs of reed. At its entrance were posted gigantic statues 
 
24 
 
 of wood, carved with no inconsiderable skill, the largest 
 being twelve feet high. Armed with various weapons, they 
 maintained threatening at.titudes and exhibited ferocious as- 
 pects. The interior of the temple was filled with statues of 
 various sizes and shapes, and with a great profusion of 
 conchs and different kinds of marine and fluviatile shells. 
 
 "Around the sepulchre were benches on which were 
 wooden chests, skillfully wrought, but without locks or 
 hinges. In these were the bodies of the departed caciques 
 and chieftains of Cutifachiqui left to their natural decay. * 
 * * Besides these chests there were smaller ones, and 
 baskets wrought of cane, which were filled with valuable 
 furs, and Indian robes of dressed skins, and mantles made 
 of the inner rind and bark of trees, and others of a species 
 of grass, which, when beaten, was not unlike flax. There 
 were others formed with feathers of various colors, which 
 the natives wore during the winter. But above all, they 
 contained pearls of every size and in incredible quantities, 
 together with the figures of children and birds made of 
 pearl. The Portuguese narrator says they obtained fourteen 
 bushel^ of pearls, and that the female Cacique assured them 
 that if they searched the neighboring villages they might 
 find enough to load all the horses of the army. Nor is the 
 Inca less extravagant in his account." Biedma says : " We 
 took from it " [the mosque] " a quantity of pearls of the 
 weight of as many as six arrobas and a half, or seven, 
 though they were injured from lying in the earth and in the 
 adipose substance of the dead." 
 
 While the existence of pearls upon the persons and in the 
 graves of the natives of this region may not be questioned, 
 it is highly probable that the accounts of the quantities of 
 these glistening beads here found are exaggerated. The 
 treasures of the New World were greatly magnified by these 
 adventurers, who dealt largely in the marvelous, and sought, 
 
25 
 
 by glowing descriptions, to excite the wonder and enlist the 
 sympathies of their friends at home. 
 
 Shell heaps, — stUl extant along the line of southern rivers, 
 upon the shores of ponds and lakes, and on the sea coast, — 
 are not infrequent. Upon the animals which they contained 
 did the Aborigines depend in no small degree for food, and 
 the pearls thence obtained were industriously gathered and 
 perforated to be worn as ornaments. Through aboriginal 
 trade relations constant supplies were also procured from 
 margatiferous shells of the Gulf of Mexico.* 
 
 It was the purpose of the intendants of the revenue, who 
 accompanied the expedition, to collect and preserve all the 
 pearls found in these temples and graves, but upon a sug- 
 gestion by the Governor that they could not conveniently be 
 carried, and that at present they were simply engaged in an 
 expedition for discovery, it was resolved that specimens only 
 should be taken for exhibition in Havana, and that the rest 
 should remain until such time as they might return and 
 possess the land. Handfuls of large pearls were distributed 
 among the officers, with an exhortation from De Soto that 
 they make rosaries of them, and the Crown officers were 
 allowed to retain quite a quantity which they had already 
 weighed out. 
 
 Adjacent to the great sepulchre were several buildings 
 which served as armories. In them were deposited weapons 
 of various kinds. They were under the charge of attendants 
 who carefully watched and kept them in admirable order. 
 
 So pleased were the soldiers with this goodly land, with 
 its fruits and stores of pearls, that they urged upon the 
 Governor the propriety of forming here a permanent settle- 
 ment. But, in the language of the Gentleman of Elvas, 
 
 * In further proof of the general use of pearls, as ornaments, among the 
 Southern Tribes, see Jones' Antiquities of the Southern Indians, etc. Chapter 
 XXI. New York. 1873. 
 
26 
 
 " The Governor, since his intent was to seeke another treas- 
 ure like that of Atabalipa, lord of Peru, was not contented 
 with a good countrie, nor with pearles, though many of them 
 were worth their weight in gold. And if the countrie had 
 been divided among the Christians, those which the Indians 
 had fished for afterward would have been of more value ; for 
 those which they had, because they burned them in the fire, 
 did leese their colour. The Governour answered them that 
 urged him to inhabit, that in all the countrie there were not 
 victuals to sustains his men one moneth, and that it was 
 needfuU to resort to the port of Ocus, where Maldonado was 
 to stay for them ; and that if no richer countrie were found, 
 they might returne againe to that whensoever they would ; 
 and in the meantime the Indians would sow their fields, and 
 it would be better furnished with maiz. 
 
 " He inquired of the Indians whether they had notice of 
 any great lord farther into the land. They told him that 
 twelve dales journie from thence there was a province called 
 Chiaha, subject to the lord of Co9a. Presently the Gover- 
 nour determined to seeke that land. And being a sterne 
 man, and of few words, though he was glad to sifb and know 
 the opinion of all men, yet after hee had delivered his owne 
 hee would not be contraried, and alwaies did what liked 
 himselfe, and so all men did condescend unto his will. And 
 though it seemed an errour to leave that countrie (for others 
 might have been sought round about, where the people 
 might have been sustained untill the harvest had been 
 readie there, and the maiz gathered), yet there was none 
 that would say anything against him after they knew his 
 resolution." 
 
 We have thus traced the progress of the expedition from 
 the southern confines of Georgia to the mulberry shaded 
 town of Cutifachiqui. The general trend of the march was 
 northeast, with manifestly many deflections which we have 
 
27 
 
 found it impossible to pursue with any degree of accuracy.* 
 From Anhayca to the point where the army is now resting 
 the route has been, in our judgment, nearly parallel with the 
 Atlantic coast. We beheve the location of Cutifachiqui to 
 have been identical with that of Silver Bluff, on the left 
 bank of the Savannah river, about twenty-five miles by water 
 below the city of Augusta. The river here impinges against 
 a bold bluff, rising some thirty-five feet above the level of 
 the adjacent swamp, and extending along the line of the 
 stream, with an unbroken front, for the distance of nearly a 
 mile. Bounding this high ground on the west is Hollow 
 Creek. Stretching to the north is fertile upland. At this 
 place were extensive Indian fields when the region was first 
 visited and settled by Europeans. Three mUes below, in a 
 direct line, is another bluff upon the same side of the Savan- 
 nah river, — not quite as bold as that where we now stand, — 
 with an adjacent expanse of rich upland, which we suppose 
 to be the site of Talomeco. Here also were old Indian 
 fields, and manifest tokens of primitive occupancy. 
 
 When, one hundred and three years ago, [April, 1776,] 
 WUUam Bartram visited Silver Bluff,t — then owned by 
 
 * That the progress of the expedition was necessarily slow will be freely ad- 
 mitted when it is remembered that it was traversing the depths of an unbroken, 
 pathless forest permeated at irregular inlervals by rivers, streams and swamps,— 
 that its baggage and supplies were transported upon the baclcs of the soldiers 
 and of Indian burthen-bearers, and that a drove of hogs kept pace with the 
 march. 
 
 f Four years afterward [1780], to the history of this somewhat famous 
 locality was added a chapter whose incidents furnish a bright illustration of 
 those partizan adventures and patriotic exploits which characterized the conduct 
 of the Southern campaign during the war of the Revolution. 
 
 The annual royal present for the Indians, consisting of powder, ball, small 
 arms, liquor, salt, blankets and other articles of which the impoverished Conti- 
 nentals stood sadly in need was, in May of that year, on deposit here, awaiting 
 distribution. Two companies of infantry, detached from Colonel Brown's forces 
 in Augusta, were then stationed in the stockade fort at this point, known as 
 Fort Galphin, to guard this present. Made aware of this fact through the vigi- 
 lance of his scouts, carefully concealing his movement, and leaving his artillery 
 
28 
 
 George Galphin, the famous Indian trader, — there were still 
 extant " various monuments and vestiges of the residence of 
 the ancients : as Indian conical mounts, terraces, areas, etc., 
 as well as remains or traces of fortresses of regular forma- 
 tion, as if constructed after the modes of European military 
 architects, which are supposed to be ancient camps of the 
 Spaniards who formerly fixed themselves at this place in 
 hopes of finding silver." 
 
 These proofs of early constructive skill have, however, all 
 disappeared. They have been obliterated by the plough- 
 share and the changing seasons, and the most marked of 
 them, occupying positions near the edge of the bluff, have 
 been swept away by the encroaching tides of the tawny-hued 
 
 and the tired of his battalion under the command of Colonel Eaton, Lieutenant 
 Colonel Henry Lee determined to press forward at once and secure these much 
 coveted supplies for the American camp. Mounting a detachment of infantry 
 behind his dragoons, by a forced march and unperceived by the enemy, on the 
 2ist of May, 1780, he halted his panting squadrons beneath the pines which 
 skirted the field in which Fort Galphin stood. The day was excessively sultry, 
 and men and animals were so oppressed by heat and overcome by thirst that his 
 little column was for the time incapable of further exertion. 
 
 After a short rest Colonel Lee directed his dismounted militiamen to make, 
 unobserved, the circuit of the fort, and to attack it from a point opposite to that 
 which he then occupied. This strategy was invoked under the impression that 
 the garrison would be enticed from the fort in their pursuit, and that thus the 
 capture of the post by a rapid assault under his immediate supervision would be 
 ensured beyond peradventure. As was anticipated, so soon as the militiamen 
 debouched from the woods the garrison flew to arms and, rushing from the fort, 
 proceeded to drive them away. Feebly resisting at first, they quickly retired 
 before their pursuers, their retreat being covered by some cavalry previously dis- 
 posed for that purpose. At this juncture a rapid advance under Captain 
 Rudolph was ordered, and the assaulting column easily gained possession q£ 
 the fort. "' 
 
 In the language of the author of the " Memoirs of the War in the Southern 
 Department,"* " the garrison, with the valuable deposit in its safe keeping, gave 
 a rich reward for our toils and sufferings." 
 
 The foundations of the old brick house which formed the residence of George 
 Galphin, and which witnessed the prowess of the gallant Colonel of Cavalry 
 and his brave troopers on that sultry May morning, may still be seen. 
 
 * Vol. IL, p. 89 et seq. 
 
 See also Jones' "Antiquities of the Southern Indians," p. 151 et seq. 
 
29 
 
 Savannah. During the memory of an old inhabitant, more 
 than one hundred feet in breadth of this bluff have been 
 eaten away and dissipated by the insatiate currents of this 
 river. That the Spaniards were once here, was generally 
 believed at the period of Bartram's visit, and the tradition 
 has been handed down to the present day. But our intelli- 
 gent traveller was manifestly at fault in ascribing some of 
 these earthworks to the agency of Europeans. So far as we 
 can discover, De Soto fortified no camps within the present 
 limits of Georgia and left no enduring proofs of his occu- 
 pancy. 
 
 The presence of pyrites and of sulphurous nodules in the 
 face of the bluff, and frequent particles and flakes of mica 
 still attest the sources from which the Indians, in the davs 
 of De Soto, attempted to satisfy the Spanish craving for 
 gold and silver. While it may be true that nuggets of native 
 silver have been here found, as is stoutly asserted by some, 
 the suggestion that this bluff derived its name from this cir- 
 cumstance we deem quite improbable. We would rather 
 ascribe the name to the tradition, derived from the Indians, 
 and dominant here at the period of primal settlement, that 
 many years before a band of white men had here come and, 
 in the bed of the river and elsewhere in the neighborhood, 
 made search for this metal. 
 
 Those who have studied the route of De Soto are not 
 agreed as to the precise location of Cutifachiqui. Thus, Dr. 
 Monette places it on the peninsula formed by the confluence 
 of the Broad and Savannah rivers. Dr. McCuUoh thinks it 
 was on the Ocmulgee river, in Monroe county. William 
 Bartram, Colonel Albert James Pickett, Mr. Albert Gallatin, 
 Mr. WiUiam B. Eye, Mr. Buckingham Smith, and Mr. J. 
 Carson Brevoort aU incline to the belief that at Silver Bluff 
 we behold the site of the ancient village of Cutifachiqui. 
 In this impression we sympathize. Mr. Theodore Irving, 
 
30 
 
 too, appears to yield to this persuasion, while freely confes- 
 sing how perplexing it is to "make out the route in con- 
 formity to modern landmarks." 
 
 During the latter portion of the Spanish sojourn at Cuti- 
 fachiqui the Queen had become so much incensed at the 
 outrages perpetrated by the Christians upon her subjects, 
 that when advised by De Soto of his contemplated depar- 
 parture, she utterly refused to furnish him with guides and 
 tamemes. The Governor thereupon placed her under guard ; 
 and, upon commencing his journey northward on the third 
 day of May, he compelled her, on foot, escorted by her 
 female attendants, to accompany him. Commenting upon 
 this conduct of De Soto the Gentleman of Elvas remarks : 
 This was not " so good usage as she deserved for the good 
 wil she shewed and good entertainement that she had made 
 him. And he verified that old proverb which saith : ' For 
 weldoing I receive evil.' " The present objective point of 
 the expedition was Guaxule, situated near the northerly or 
 northwesterly confines of the territory ruled over by the 
 Cacica of Cutifachiqui. As her domains were quite exten- 
 sive, De Soto trusted, through her presence and influence, to 
 control the natives along the line of his march. In this ex- 
 pectation he was not disappointed. "In all the townes 
 where the Governour passed, the ladie commanded the 
 Indians to come and carrie the burdens from one towne to 
 another. We passed through her countrie an hundred 
 leagues, in which, as we saw, she was much obeyed. For 
 the Indians did all that she commanded them with great 
 efficacie and' diligence." Before departing from Cutifa- 
 chiqui the army was organized into two divisions, the one 
 commanded by the Adelantado in person, and the other 
 under the guidance of Baltazar de Gallegos. Upon the 
 second day the Spaniards encountered a storm of wind, 
 lightning, and hail, so severe that, had they not sought the 
 
31 
 
 close protection of the forest trees, many of them would 
 have perished. The hail-stones were as large as pigeon's 
 eggs.* 
 
 After a march of seven days the Province of Ohelaque was 
 reached. In this name, with but slight alteration, we recog- 
 nize the land of the Cherokees. According to Adair and 
 others the national name was derived from Chee-ra — "^re." 
 Hence Cherakees, — Chelakees, Cherokees. 
 
 The route had thus far, if we understand it aright, been 
 upward and along the right bank of the Savannah river. De 
 Soto was now, we think, within the confines of the present 
 county of Franklin. The country was described as "the 
 poorest oS for maize " of any which had thus far been seen 
 in Florida. The inhabitants were domestic, slight of form, 
 and, at that season, quite naked. Upon the roots of plants 
 dug in the forests, and upon the animals destroyed with 
 their arrows, did they chiefly subsist. One of the chiefs 
 presented the Governor with two deer-skins as a mark of 
 friendship. Turkeys abounded. In one village seven hun- 
 dred of these birds were given to the Spaniards ; and there 
 was no scarcity of them in other localities. 
 
 Five days were occupied in passing from this province to 
 Xualla. The chief town of this last named province bore 
 the same name, and was located on the flanks of a mountain 
 with a small but rapid river flowing near. We venture the 
 suggestion that this village was situated in Nacoochee valley, 
 Habersham county, and that the mountain referred to was 
 Yonah. In this vaUey physical proofs of primitive occu- 
 pancy are still extant, and metallic fragments of European 
 manufacture have there been found confirmatory of the fact 
 that many years prior to the settlement of this region by the 
 whites, it had been visited by kindred peoples. We do not 
 now allude to the remains of an ancient village, — the cabins 
 
 * Herrera. 
 
32 
 
 of which were made of logs hewn and notched by means of 
 chopping axes, — unearthed by Colonels Merriwether and 
 Lumsden in Duke's Creek valley in 1834, or to the traces of 
 early mining in Valley Eiver valley, and adjacent localities, 
 where deep shafts passing through gneiss rock, — their sides 
 scarred by the impression of sharp tools, — and windlasses 
 of post-oak with cranks and gudgeon holes were observed, — 
 the trees growing above this old settlement and springing 
 from the mouths and sides of these abandoned pits being 
 not less than two hundred years old. These are to be 
 re 'erred to the labors of Tristan de Luna, who, in 1560, at 
 the command of Louis de Velasco, came with three hundred 
 Spanish soldiers into this region, and spent the summer in 
 eager and laborious search for gold. This expedition moved 
 up from Pensacola, and was dispatched on the faith of the 
 representations, made by returned soldiers from De Soto's 
 command, of the presence of the precious metal among these 
 mountains. We are informed by the Greriuan traveller, 
 Johannes Lederer, that as late as 1669 and 1670 the Span- 
 iards were emploj ed in working gold and silver mines in the 
 Appalachian mountains. 
 
 Although little grain was found at Xualla, the Adelantado 
 rested there two days that he might refresh his weary 
 soldiers and recuperate his horses which were lean and 
 sadly jaded. 
 
 Apparently inclining his route westwardly, De Soto set out 
 for Gruaxule, which marked the furthest confines, in that direc- 
 tion, of the dominion of the Qaeen of Cutifachiqui. During 
 this stage of the journey the Qaeen succeeded in making her 
 escape into the forests. So thoroughly did she conceal herself, 
 that efforts for her recapture proved fruitless. We are told by 
 the Fidalgo of Elvas that she took with her a cane box, like 
 a small trunk, called petaca, full of unbored pearls of great 
 value. Up to the moment of her flight this precious box 
 
33 
 
 had been borne by one of her female attendants. The 
 Governor permitted this, hoping that when he reached 
 Guaxule, — at which point he was minded to liberate her, — 
 he would be able to beg these pearls of her. In her return 
 homewards she was accompanied by three slaves who de- 
 serted from the camp. A horseman, named Alimamos, who 
 had been left behind sick of a fever, came upon these slaves 
 and persuaded two of them to abandon their evil design. 
 The third, however,— a slave of Andre de Vasconeelos, — 
 remained with the Cacica. When Alimamos last saw them, 
 they were living together as man and wife, and were together 
 to return to Cutifachiqui. Such is the last glimpse we have 
 of this Indian Queen whose welcome of and association with ■ 
 De Soto form one of the marked episodes in the nebulous 
 story of this wonderful expedition. 
 
 The country traversed during the five days consumed in 
 marching from Xualla to Guaxule was mountainous, with 
 intervening valleys " rich in pasturage and irrigated by clear 
 and rapid streams." Much fatigue was encountered, and 
 one day a foot-soldier, calling to a horseman who was his 
 friend, drew forth from his wallet a linen bag in which were 
 six pounds of pearls, probably filched from one of the Indian 
 sepulchres. These he offered as a gift to his comrade, being 
 heartily tired of carrying Ihem on his back, though he had a 
 pair of broad shoulders capable of bearing the burden of 
 a mule. The horseman refused to accept so thoughtless 
 an offer. " Keep them yourself," said he, " you have most 
 need of them. The Governor intends shortly to send mes- 
 sengers to Havana ; you can forward these presents and have 
 them sold, and three or four horses and mules purchased for 
 you with the proceeds, so that you need no longer go on 
 foot." 
 
 Juan Terron was piqued at having his offer refused. 
 3 
 
34 
 
 "Well," said he, "if you will not have them, I swear I will 
 not carry them, and they shall remain here." So saying, he 
 untied the bag, and, whirling around, as if he were sowing 
 seed, scattered the pearls in all directions among the 
 thickets and herbage. Then putting up the bag in his 
 wallet, as if it were more valuable than the pearls, he 
 marched on, leaving his comrades and the other by-standers 
 astonished at his folly. 
 
 The soldiers made a hasty search for the scattered pearls 
 and recovered thirty of them. When they beheld their 
 great size and beauty, none of them being bored and discol- 
 ored, they lamented that so many of them had been lost ; 
 for the whole would have sold in Spain for more than six 
 thousand ducats. This egregious folly gave rise to a 
 common proverb in the army, that " There are no pearls for 
 Juan Terron." The poor fellow himself became an object 
 of constant jest and ridicule. Until, at last, made sensible of 
 his absurd conduct, he implored them never to banter him 
 further on the subject. 
 
 After a march of five days the army reached Guaxule. 
 Upon the route, both men and horses had suffered from an 
 insufficient supply of maize and of meat. When within half 
 a league of the chief town of the province, De Soto was met 
 by the Cacique or King, escorted by a band of five hundred 
 warriors attired in decorated mantles of various skins, and 
 adorned with feathers of brilUant hues. The interview was 
 entirely amicable ; and by him and his train was the Gov- 
 ernor conducted to the village consisting of three hundred 
 houses. It occupied a pleasant situation and was well 
 watered by streams taking their rise in the adjacent 
 mountains. The Adelantado was hospitably entertained at 
 the dwelling of the Mico, which stood upon the top of an 
 artificial elevation "surrounded by a terrace wide enough 
 
35 
 
 for six men to go abreast." The site of Guaxule we believe 
 to be identical, or very nearly so, with Coosawattee Old 
 Town, in the southeastern corner of Murray county. 
 
 Perceiving that the Christians were killing and eating the 
 village dogs, the native King collected and presented three 
 hundred of them to the Spaniards. This animal was not 
 used as an article of food by the Aborigines. On the con- 
 trary, it was held in special regard. The constant com- 
 panion of its master in his journeys through the forests, and 
 in hunting and fishing, — a trusted guard about his camp- 
 fires and at the door of the home lodge, — not infrequently 
 were accorded to it rites of sepulture akin to those with 
 which the owner was complimented. We wonder therefore 
 at this gift, and are inclined to interpret it rather as a 
 euphemistic statement that these dogs were appropriated by 
 the strangers. 
 
 Four days were here passed by the command. An Indian 
 was dispatched with a message to the Chief of Chiaha re- 
 questing that he would concentrate maize at that place, as it 
 was the purpose of the Governor to tarry some time in that 
 village. 
 
 After two days' travel the town of Canasagua was reached. 
 There is no good reason why we should not recognize in this 
 name the original of that borne at the present day by the 
 river Connasauga. This stage in the journey of De Soto we 
 locate at or near the junction of the Connasauga and Coo- 
 sawattee rivers, in originally Cass, now Gordon county. 
 Before reaching this town he was met by twenty men from 
 the village, each bearing a basket of mulberries. This fruit 
 was here abundant and well flavored. Plums and walnut 
 trees were growing luxuriantly throughout the country, at- 
 taining a size and beauty, without planting or pruning, 
 which could not be surpassed in the irrigated and well culti- 
 vated gardens of Spain. 
 
36 
 
 Following the course of the Oostanaula, and inarching 
 well nigh parallel with its left bank, the army moved in the 
 direction of Chiaha [Yohiaha, Ichiaha, China]. On the 
 fifth day, when within two leagues of that town, fifteen 
 Indians, bearing presents of maize, met the Adelantado. 
 They conveyed the salutations of the Cacique, and a 
 message that he was in his village awaiting the arrival of the 
 strangers. They further assured the Governor that twenty 
 barbacoas, full of maize, were there subject to his orders. 
 Chiaha was entered by the Spaniards on the fifth of June. 
 Cordially was De Soto welcomed by the Cacique, who 
 resigned to him the use and occupancy of his residence. 
 Into his mouth the Gentleman of Elvas puts the following 
 address : 
 
 " Powerful and Excellent Master : 
 
 "Fortunate am I that you will make use of my services. 
 Nothing could happen that would give me so great content- 
 ment, or which I should value more. From Guaxule you 
 sent to have maize for you in readiness to last two months : 
 you have in this town twenty barbacoas full of the choicest 
 and best to be found in all this country. If the reception I 
 give is not worthy so great a prince, consider my youth, 
 which will relieve me of blame, and receive my good will 
 which, with true loyalty and pure, shall ever be shown in all 
 things that concern your welfare." 
 
 To these words the Governor responded feelingly, assuring 
 the young Chief that he was greatly pleased with his gifts 
 and kindness, and that he would always regard him as a 
 brother. 
 
 De Soto had now reached the confluence of the Etowah 
 and the Oostenaula rivers. The ancient village of Chiaha 
 has been supplanted by the modern city of Eome. The 
 town is described as situated between two arms of a river 
 
37 
 
 and seated near one of them. Both branches were then 
 fordable, and the meadow lands adjacent to their banks were 
 rich. Maize fields appeared on every hand. There was 
 an abundance of lard in calabashes, which the inhabitants 
 said was prepared from bear's fat. Oil of walnuts, " clear 
 and of good taste," was found in the possession of the 
 natives. They also had a honey-comb which the Christians 
 had never seen before. It was a pleasant and hospitable 
 region, and the army here rested for thirty days. The 
 horses had become so jaded by rough and continuous 
 marches, and so enfeebled from lack of substantial food, 
 that it was absolutely necessary to indulge them in a season 
 of quiet. When they arrived at Chiaha they were so worn 
 out that they could not carry their riders. They were ac- 
 cordingly turned out to graze. So amiable were the natives, 
 that although greatly exposed, the Spaniards suffered no 
 molestation from them either in their persons or animals. 
 Had they, in their unguarded condition, seen fit to set upon 
 the Christians they would have been in a bad way to have 
 defended themselves. Contrary to the conduct of the 
 natives on similar occasions in other localities, the inhabi- 
 tants of Chiaha did not abandon their houses upon the 
 approach of the army, or during the sojourn of the Span- 
 iards. Consequently, the soldiers were quartered beneath 
 the trees : — the only house occupied by a European being 
 that of the Chief, in which the Governor lodged. 
 
 In response to his repeated inquiries in regard to gold, 
 De Soto was here informed that to the north, and in a 
 province called Chisca, were mines of copper, and of a 
 metal of like color, but finer and brighter. Encouraged by 
 this information, confirmatory of what he had been told at 
 Cutifachiqui, he dispatched Juan de Villalobos and Fran- 
 cisco de Silvera, — two brave soldiers who volunteered for 
 
38 
 
 the enterprise, — to proceed on foot and, if possible, locate 
 these mines. 
 
 After an absence of ten days they returned and reported 
 that they had been well received by the natives : that their 
 route lay partly through land excellent for grain and pastur- 
 age, and again over mountains so rugged that it would not 
 be practicable for the army to cross them : that they had 
 found among the natives a buffalo hide, an inch thick and 
 with hair as soft as sheep's wool ; and lastly, that they had 
 seen only a fine variety of copper, such as had already been 
 met with. From the appearance of the soil, however, they 
 thought it not improbable that both gold and silver werg 
 native to the region. 
 
 "While De Soto was awaiting the return of these soldiers, 
 the Cacique of Chiaha one day presented him with a string 
 of pearls two arms in length. These pearls were as large as 
 filberts ; and, had they not been perforated, would have been 
 of great value. Thankfully receiving them, De Soto com- 
 plimented the Indian with pieces of velvet and cloths of 
 various colors, and with other Spanish trifles held in much 
 esteem by the natives. Upon inquiry, he learned that these 
 pearls had been obtained in the neighborhood, and that in 
 the sepulchres of the ancestors of the Cacique many were 
 . stored. The Governor being curious to see in what manner . 
 these pearls were extracted from the shells, the Cacique dis- 
 patched forty canoes to fish for the oysters during the night. 
 "At an early hour next morning a quantity of wood was 
 gathered and piled up on the bants of the river, and being 
 set on fire was speedily reduced to glowing coals. As soon 
 as the canoes arrived, the coals were spread out and the 
 oysters were laid upon them. They soon opened with the 
 heat, and from some of the first thus opened, the Indians 
 obtained ten or twelve pearls as large as peas, which they 
 
39 
 
 brought to tlie Governor and Cacique, who were standing 
 together looking on. The pearls were of a fine quality, but 
 somewhat discolored by the fire and smoke. The Indians 
 were prone also to injure these pearls by boring them with a 
 heated copper instrument. 
 
 " De Soto having gratified his curiosity, returned to his 
 quarters to partake of the morning meal. "While eating, a 
 soldier entered with a large pearl in his hand. He had 
 stewed some oysters, and, in eating them, felt this pearl 
 between his teeth. Not having been injured by fire or 
 smoke, it retained its beautiful whiteness, and was so large 
 and perfect in its form that several Spaniards, who pre- 
 tended to be skilled in these matters, declared it would be 
 worth four hundred ducats in Spain. The soldier would 
 have given it to the Governor to present to his wife, — Dona 
 Isabel de Bobadilla, — but De Soto decHned the generous 
 offer, advising the soldier to preserve it until he got to Havana, 
 where he might purchase horses and many other things with 
 it ; moreover, in reward of his liberal disposition, De Soto 
 insisted upon paying the fifth of the value, due to the 
 Crown." 
 
 The mussel or oyster here alluded to was doubtless the 
 pearl-bearing unio still native to the Etowah and the Oosta- 
 naula, and to many other southern streams. At that early 
 period these shells were far more numerous than they are at 
 present. Artificial shell heaps still attest how industriously 
 in that olden time these margatiferous shells were collected 
 by primitive peoples, who valued them not only for their 
 flesh, but also for the glistening beads they contained, and 
 for their iridescent coverings from which various ornaments 
 were manufactured. When pounded they were kneaded 
 with clay and tended materially to give consistency and 
 strength to the pottery of the region. 
 
40 
 
 The denudation of the banks of these streams, and the 
 destruction of extensive forests in reducing wild lands to a 
 state of cultivation, have caused marked changes in the 
 animal life of the country. 
 
 " Before these fields were shorn and tilled, 
 Full to the brim our rivers flowed." 
 
 Limpid then, with constant volumes they pursued their 
 accustomed channels. Subsequently, becoming turbid with 
 the soil washed from the slopes of a hundred hills, and no 
 longer fed with regularity by well shaded and pure springs, 
 but at one time enfeebled by drought and at another en- 
 gorged by torrents, these streams have, for many years, been 
 liable to sudden and violent fluctuations. Multitudes of 
 margatiferous unios have consequently been torn from 
 their habitats by unruly currents, and imbedded beyond life 
 in sand bars and muddy deposits. The stable bottoms upon 
 which they rested and multiplied have been rendered both 
 uncertain and unwholesome ; and thus it has come to pass 
 that a marked extinction of such animal life has ensued. 
 
 A melancholy occurrence which took place while the army 
 was at Chiaha is thus narrated by Theodore Irving in his 
 " Conquest of Florida :" 
 
 "A cavalier, one Luis Bravo de Xeres, strolling, with lance 
 in hand, along a plain bordering on the river, saw a small 
 animal at a short distance, and launched his weapon at it. 
 The lance missed the mark ; but, slipping along the grass, 
 shot over the river bank. Luis Bravo ran to recover his 
 lance, but to his horror found it had killed a Spaniard who 
 had been fishing with a reed on the margin of the river at 
 the foot of the bank. The steel point of the lance had 
 entered one temple and come out at the other, a)id the poor 
 Spaniard had dropped dead on the spot. His name was 
 Juan Mateos ; he was the only one in the expedition that 
 
41 
 
 had gray hairs, from which circumstance he was universally 
 called father Mateos, and respected as such. His unfortu- 
 nate death was lamented by the whole army." 
 
 A month had well nigh elapsed since the arrival of the 
 Spaniards at Chiaha. The men were entirely rested and the 
 horses were again in good order. The Governor resolved to 
 take up the line of march for Co9a on the Coosa river. 
 Before leaving, yielding to the importunity of some in his 
 command "who wanted more than was in reason," he asked 
 from the Cacique thirty women, that he might take them 
 with him in the capacity of slaves. The Chief responded 
 that he would consult with his principal men. Informed of 
 the demand, and before answer had been made to it, the 
 inhabitants fled by night from the town, taking their women 
 and children with them. Although the Cacique professed 
 his regret at the course his people had pursued, and 
 acknowledged his inability to control them, the Governor, 
 with thirty mounted men and as many foot soldiers, went in 
 pursuit of the fugitives. In passing the towns of some of 
 the chiefs who had absconded, he cut down and destroyed 
 their maize fields. Proceeding along up the stream he 
 found the natives congregated upon an island in the river to 
 which his cavalry could not penetrate. By an Indian he 
 sent them word that if they would return and furnish him 
 with some tamemes, he would not disturb their women, 
 seeing iu what special affection they were held. Upon this 
 assurance they all came back to their homes. 
 
 Parting from the Cacique of Chiaha with kind words, and 
 having received from him some slaves as a gift, De Soto set 
 out with his companions down the valley of the Coosa, and 
 was soon, without further incident of moment, beyond the 
 confines of the present State of Georgia. He had entered 
 this territory early in March, 1540, and departed from it on 
 the second day of July in the same year. 
 
42 
 
 Thus did these mail-clad Spaniards, — the first Europeans 
 who traversed the soil of Georgia, beheld the primal 
 beauties of her forests, rivers, plains, and mountains, parti- 
 cipated in the hospitalities of her primitive peoples, and 
 sought but found not the treasures hidden within her 
 bosom, — disappointed, yet not despairing, pass onward in 
 quest of richer native lords and goodlier countries. 
 
 We may not follow them even until that near day when, 
 amid the smoke and thunder of battle at Mauvila, they 
 barely escaped destruction at the hands of the lion-hearted 
 Alibamons. It lies not within our purpose to accompany 
 them as, impeded by tangled brake, morass, and stream, 
 often pinched by hunger, frequently opposed by the Eed 
 Warriors, now buoyed up by hope, again oppressed by 
 apprehension, they painfully groped their way through vast 
 and unknown regions this side and even beyond the 
 Meschachepi. In the end, their golden visions vanished, 
 the body of their leader silently and in darkness entombed 
 in the Father of Waters, few in numbers and broken in 
 spirit, their munitions exhausted, the survivors of this 
 famous expedition fled from the land wherein they had gar- 
 nered a harvest only of privation, peril, sorrow, mortification 
 and death. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 Itinerary of Hernando De Soto, while marching through 
 THE Territory of the Modern State op Georgia, as 
 contained in the True Eelation given by a Fidalgo 
 OF Elvas. 
 
 March 3, 1540.— Left Anhaica [Tallahassee, Ela. ?] 
 March 7, 1540. — Crossed a deep river [Oclockony ? ] 
 March 9, 1540. — Arrived at Capachiqui. 
 March 21, 1540.— Came to Toalli. 
 March 24, 1540.— Left ToalU. 
 March 25, 1540. — Arrived at Achese. 
 April 1, 1540. — Departed from Achese. 
 April 4, 1540. — Passed through the town of Altamaca. 
 April 10, 1540.— Arrived at Ocute. 
 April 12, 1540.— Left Ocute. 
 
 Passed through a town whose lord was 
 called Cofaqui, and came to the pro- 
 vince of another lord named Patofa. 
 April 14, 1540.— Departed from Patofa. 
 April 20, 1540. — Lost in a pine barren. Six days con- 
 sumed in fording two rivers and in 
 the effort to find a way of escape. 
 April 26, 1540.— Set out for Aymay. 
 
 Reached Aymay before nightfall. 
 April 28, 1540.— Departed for Cutifachiqui. 
 May 3, 1540.— Left Cutifachiqui. 
 May 10, 1540.— Arrived at Chelaque. 
 May 15, 1540.— Ai-rived at Xualla. 
 May 20, 1540.— Arrived at Guaxule. 
 May 22, 1540. — Arrived at Canasagua. 
 June 5, 15iO.— Arrived at Chiaha. 
 July 1, 1540.— Departed from Chiaha. 
 

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