.ib.De Soto Expedition Th Flor 
 
 by 
 
 Lewis. 
 
 
 Pepper Collection 
 
 
Til] 
 
 VOL. XXII. NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER, 1900. No. 6. 
 
 THE DE SOTO EXPEDITION -^THROUGH FLORIDA. 
 
 BY T?Hff 
 
 [PREFATORY NOTE. There have been three accounts of this expedi 
 tion published in the English language, and there yet remains, in the original 
 Spanish, another, of which John G. Shea writes: 
 
 "Still another account of the expedition is the official report which 
 Rodrigo Ranjel, the secretary of Soto, based upon his diary kept on the 
 march. It was written after reaching Mexico, whence he transmitted it to 
 the Spanish government. It remained unpublished in that part ot Oviedo's 
 History which was preserved in manuscript till Amador de los Rios issued 
 his edition of Oviedo in 1851. Oviedo seems to have begun to give the text 
 of Ranjel as he found it; but later in the progress of the story he abridged 
 it greatly, and two chapters at least are missing, which must have given the 
 wanderings of Soto from Autiamque, with his death, and the adventures of 
 the survivors under Moscoso. The original text of Ranjel is not known."] 
 
 following is an abridged translation, giving the ethnol- 
 ogy, topography, and itinerary of the narrative: 
 
 Sunday, May iSth, 1539, De Soto and his army left Havana 
 with a fine fleet of nine ships, five full rigged, two caravels, 
 and two vergantines. On the 2^th day of the same month, 
 which was the day of Pasque ot the Espiritu Sancto, they came 
 in sight of land on the northern coast of the province of 
 Florida, and the fleet came to anchor, two leagues from land, 
 in four fathoms depth, or less. The governor, with Anasco, 
 and the principal pilot, Alonso Martin, departed in a vergantine 
 in order to find out what land it was; being in doubt as to the 
 location and identity of the port. Not being able to satisfy 
 themselves on the matter, and seeing night was approaching, 
 they desired to return to the ships; but the contrary winds pre 
 vented them. They, therefore, anchored close to land, leaped 
 upon it, and discovered signs of many Indians; also a large 
 building and some smaller ones. They afterwards learned that 
 it was Ocita. The port 1 was now, examined, and the governor 
 ordered the vergantine and the caravel to lie opposite each 
 other in the channel as signals, so the other ships could pass 
 
352 THE AMERICAN ANTIQUARIAN 
 
 between. The latter, which were tour or five leagues off, began 
 to" set sail, and it was necessary for the governor to show them 
 the way, as the chief pilot was in the vergantine, and because 
 there were many inlets; and yet with all that two ships touched 
 bottom, but as it was sandy they received no damage. The 
 ships entered the port, sounding line in hand, and some touched 
 bottom, and, as it was mud, passed on ahead. Thus they went 
 on for five days without landing, except that some of the force 
 scrambled to land to get water and grass for the horses. But 
 the bays did not cease until the loaded ships arrived at where 
 the town 2 stood, and they anchored four leagues beyond. And 
 it came to pass it was on May 3<Dth that they began to land the 
 horses. The country where they landed is ten leagues to the 
 west of the bay of Johan Ponce, and the cacique or lord of it 
 is called O^ita. Sunday, June 1st, of the same year, the army 
 journeyed inward by land towards the town. Having trouble with 
 the interpreters, the governor went ahead with some cavalry. 
 They went twelve leagues to opposite the town, "having the 
 bay between, in such a way that they could not double it." Dur 
 ing the week the ships proceeded to the town, and little by little, 
 were unloaded by means of boats of all the goods and provi 
 sions they contained. Tuesday, June 3rd, the governor took 
 possession of the country. The next day he sent Gallegos to 
 look for some people, town, or house in the direction of the 
 setting sun, and on this occasion they met Juan Ortiz. On 
 Friday, June 2Oth, Gallegos was sent to Orriparagi with 80 
 cavalry and 100 footmen. And he also sent on the same day 
 Anasco in the ships' boats by the seacoast, with a number of 
 footmen, to disperse, if necessary, a rumored assembly of 
 Indians, and with whom upon their arrival they had a skirmish 
 on an island. 
 
 The army left the town and port of Spiritu Sancto Tuesday, 
 July 1 5th, 1539, and slept the same day at the river of Mococo, 
 and built two bridges to cross the river. The next day they 
 came to the Laguna of Conejo, which they called from a rab 
 bit that had started up in the camp and stampeded their 
 horses. After recovering their horses, they reached on the 
 next day the Lake of San Johan, and the next day, under a 
 scorching sun, came to a savanna. On the next day they came 
 to the cabin of Guagoco, where they got some green corn. 
 The next day, early, they came to Luca, a pretty good town, 
 and here Gallegos' forces came up, and the governor sent a 
 messenger to Urriparacoxi; but no reply came. On Wednes 
 day, July 23rd, the governor and army left, and came to Vicela, 
 and went to sleep beyond. On Wednesday they slept at 
 another pueblo, called Tpcaste,3 which was on an island in a 
 great lake. The same day the governor, with 26 cavalry, went 
 ahead on the road to Ocale, and ordered 30 cavalry to follow, 
 and sent Ranjel back for them. The next day, Friday, the camp 
 was moved on the track of the governor, but word was received 
 to turn back to the camp again. The next day, Saturday, the 
 
THE DE SOTO EXPEDITION THROUGH FLORIDA. 353 
 
 governor found the roads broader, and a good lay of the land, 
 and sent word for the army to move up in his rear, and for 39 
 more cavalry, who were sent under Tovar, as ordered. The 
 governor, with his 26 cavalry, arrived on the day of Sancta Ana 
 (July 26) at the river or marsh of Cale, 4 which was broad and 
 had a swift current, and crossed it with much difficulty. Nuno 
 de Tovar and his 30 cavalry crossed it the following Sunday; 
 the governor and his people having arrived at the first town in 
 the province of Ocale, which was called Uqueten, and they had 
 not arrived in a bad time, because they found an abundance of 
 provisions, and sent some back to those behind at the swamp. 
 The following Tuesday all the rest of the army came up to 
 where the governor was, and they all went to Ocale, a town 
 with a good supply of maize; then for subsistence to Acuera. 5 
 
 On August nth the governor left Ocale, with 50 cavalry 
 and 100 footmen, to hunt for Apalache, which was said to be 
 very populous. Moscoso remained behind with the rest, to 
 see how the advance force would succeed. They arrived that 
 day at Itaraholata, a good town with plenty of maize. The 
 next day they came to Potano, and the next day, Wednesday, 
 to Utinamo-chara, and then to the town of Mala Paz (ill place), 
 so named by them. The next day they came to a pretty good 
 town, 6 where there were plenty of provisions. Then they came 
 to a river they called Rio de las Discordias (river of the dis 
 putes), and the next day made a pine bridge, as many trees 
 grew there, and the day after, Sunday, crossed the river with 
 as much or more trouble than that of Ocale. On the next day, 
 Monday, they arrived at Aguacaleyquen.? On August 22nd 
 they met many Indians and a well-provisioned country, so the 
 governor sent word to Moscoso to bring up the army from 
 Ocale; and it arrived on September 4th. On September pth 
 they left Aguacaleyquen and made a pine bridge with which to 
 cross the river of Aguacaleyquen, and slept at a small town. 
 On the next day, Friday (sic), they came to Uriutina, 8 a large 
 town of cheerful appearance and well provisioned. There 
 was in the center of it a great lodge, in the center of which was 
 a large court. On Friday, September I2th, they arrived at a 
 town which they called Muchas Aguas, because it rained so that 
 they could not stir out on Saturday or Sunday, and were only 
 able to leave the following Monday, the I5th. After leaving 
 Aguacaleyquen a messenger came from Ucachile. They left 
 Muchas Aguas, Monday, the 1 5th, and came across a bad swamp, 
 and all the roads were very bad; and they slept at Napituca, 9 
 which was a cheerful town, on a pleasant site, and well pro 
 visioned. (Next comes the battle by the savanna and the two 
 lakes.) 
 
 Tuesday, September 23rd, they left Napituca, and arrived 
 at the Rio de los Venados (deer river), so called by them. To 
 cross it they made a bridge of three great pines in length, and 
 four in breadth, and crossed on the 25th. The same day they 
 passed two small towns and one very big one called Apalu, and 
 
354 THE AMERICAN ANTIQUARIAN. 
 
 arrived to sleep at Ucachile. They left there the following 
 .Monday, the 29th, and, having passed through a great forest, 
 slept in a pine grove. The next day, Tuesday, September 30th, 
 they came to Agile, subject to Apalache. Wednesday, October 
 1st, they left there, and came to the swamp or river of Ivitachuco, 
 and made a bridge, and finished crossing over it on the follow 
 ing Friday at noon, and slept at Ivitachuco, which they found 
 on fire. Sunday, October 5th, they came to Calahuchi, I0 and on 
 the next day to Iviahica. 11 It was eight leagues to the place 
 where Narvaez had embarked. 12 The province of Apalache is 
 very fertile and abounds in supplies, maize, French beans, 
 pumpkins, divers fruits, plenty of deer, a great variety of birds, 
 and near the sea there are plenty of good fish. This is a fine 
 country in spite ot its swamps, which, however, are hard be 
 cause they lie over sand. 
 
 The departure from Iviahica, to go to Capachequi, took 
 place Wednesday, March 3rd, 1540, and they camped at the 
 river of Guacuca,^ and from thence to the river of Capachequi,^ 
 which they reached early next Friday. They made a pirogue 
 to cross it, using chains. On Wednesday, March gth (sic), they 
 had all crossed over, and set out, and slept in a pine grove that 
 night. The next day, Thursday, they reached the first town in 
 the province of Capachequi, which was well supplied with food, 
 and had many groves around it. There was another town be 
 yond it. They struck a bad swamp close to the town, with a 
 strong current, and before reaching it they had to pass through 
 a great stretch of water, the men clinging to the girths and 
 pummels of the saddles; but they could not succeed that day 
 in getting all the force over. On March I7th they left Ca 
 pachequi, and slept at the Fuente Blanca (white fountain). 1 * 
 This is a very handsome spring, and has a very copious flow of 
 good water, with fish in it. The following day they slept at the 
 river of Toa. 16 They twice made a bridge of pines, but the 
 strong current carried them away, and they made another one 
 in a peculiar form which Nuno de Tova advised. It served the 
 purpose well, and the whole camp had crossed over by Mon 
 day, and they went and slept in a pine grove, though badly 
 scattered and disorganized. On Tuesday, early, they arrived 
 at Toa, a large town. Wednesday night of the 23rd and 24th 
 the governor left Toa secretly, and travelled all the next day 
 till nighttime, when they reached a bad crossing of deep water; 
 but, notwithstanding it was night, they got safely over, having 
 travelled that day twelve leagues from Toa. Next day, which 
 was Holy Thursday (the 26th) of the supper, in the morning, 
 they reached the territory of Chisi, and crossed the arm 1 ? of a 
 very broad and great river safely on foot, and quite a part by 
 swimming, and came to a town which was situated on an island 
 of the river, where they found people and got something to eat. 
 They proceeded to other towns and had a bad time crossing a 
 swamp of running water, where one of their men fell off a 
 beam that crossed the current, and was drowned. That day 
 
THE DE SOTO EXPEDITION THROUGH FLORIDA. 355 
 
 they arrived at a town when there came leading men, ambas 
 sadors from Ichisi. On Monday, March 2gth, they left there 
 for Ichisi. It rained so hard, and a little river swelled so much, 
 that, if they had not crossed in a hurry, they would all have 
 been lost. That day they came to a town of a cacique subject 
 to Ichisi, which was a pretty good town and sufficiently pro 
 visioned. They rested there Tuesday, and on Wednesday, the 
 last of March, the governor and his army came to the Rio 
 Grande, 18 where they found many canoes, in which they crossed 
 the river, and arrived at the town of the lord that was one-eyed, 
 who supplied their wants. They stayed here Thursday, April 
 ist, and set up a cross on a hill of the town, anc sermonized the 
 natives. On Friday, April 2nd, they left, and slept in a field; 
 and the next day -they came to a nice river, where they found 
 deserted cabins, and here messengers arrived from Altamaha, 
 who took them to a town where they found plenty to eat. The 
 next day they crossed the river easily in canoes. The cacique 
 Camumo sent word that he was continually under arms, as it 
 was the frontier of another cacique called Cofitachequi, his 
 enemy, and he could not come without his arms. This Camumo 
 and the others were subjects of a great cacique called Ocute. 
 Then word was sent to Ocute, who came there to see De Soto. 
 The governor placed a cross in Altamaha, and was well 
 received. The next day, Thursday, April 8th, the governor 
 and his army left there, and slept at some huts; and the next 
 day, Friday, they arrived at the town of Ocute, where they set 
 up another cross. Monday, April nth, they left Ocute, and 
 came to Cofaqui. Here the cacique Tatofa and another lead 
 ing man came to see them. On Thursday, the 1 5th, Perico, the 
 guide, went crazy, so Tatofa gave them guides to go to Cofit 
 achequi, through an unpeopled country of nine or ten days' 
 travel. On Friday, the i6th, they slept at a small river road in 
 Cofitachiqui, and the next day they crossed a very great river, 
 which was divided into two arms, but broader than an arquebus 
 shot, had many bad fords, and a very strong current, so that no 
 cavalryman dared to take up a foot soldier behind him. They 
 got over, and slept in the woods beyond it. The next day, 
 Sunday, they again halted in the woods, and the next day, 
 Monday, they travelled without any track, and crossed another 
 very great river, and on Tuesday slept by a rivulet, and on 
 Wednesday they came to another very great river,^ which was 
 divided into two arms, difficult to enter and worse to get out. 
 They crossed this river with very much trouble, and arrived at 
 some camping places of fishermen or hunters. In perplexity 
 as to their best way now, on Friday, April 23rd, the governor 
 sent out to search for roads or towns in this way: Gallegos was 
 sent along the river in the direction of the northwest; Anasco 
 along the river to the southeast. Each party took with them 
 ten horses and ten days' provisions. On Saturday he sent 
 Lobillo, with four horses, to the north, wij:h rations, also, for 
 ter lays. On Sunday, April 25th, Anasco came and said he 
 
356 THE AMERICAN ANTIQUARIAN. 
 
 had found a town and provisions. Having left written instruc 
 tions, on Monday, April 26th, they all left for the ford and pro 
 visions that Anasco reported he had found. On the same day 
 the governor, with a few cavalry, arrived at the town, which 
 was called Hymahi, and the army stayed two leagues behind; 
 the horses being worn out. On the next day the main body 
 came up. On account of all the good things they found there 
 they called this town Socorro. On the next day Captain Romo 
 came in and brought some natives, but no other news. On the 
 next day, Wednesday, Gallegos came with some more natives. 
 On the next day Lobillo returned with news of roads. On Fri 
 day, the last of April, the governor, with some of the best 
 rested horses and the Indian woman guide GaUegos had brought, 
 set out for Cofitachequi, 20 and slept near a wide and deep river. 
 He sent Anasco to hunt canoes and interpreters to cross with; 
 and the next day the governor came to the passage opposite 
 the town where the lady caciqua lived, and they crossed over 
 in the canoes. Monday, May 3rd, all the rest of the force came 
 up, and part crossed over that day, and finished the next day, 
 Tuesday. 
 
 NOTES ON THE ITINERARY. 
 
 1 The landing place is generally accepted as being at Tampa Bav, but 
 the depth and numerous inlets as described do not conform thereto. Ponce 
 de Leon Bay is now believed to have been in Monroe county, on the west 
 side ot the southern point of Florida, and " ten leagues west " (really north) 
 would make the location among the Thousand Islands. Probably the real 
 location was Charlotte Harbor; they having entered it from the south end of 
 San Carlos Bay. Miakka river (Macaco on the old maps) enters the north 
 west arm of the harbor, and is probably the river of Mococo. It will also 
 be noted that twenty or twenty-five leagues of swamps and rivers were 
 traversed before reaching the higher country, which would be in the south 
 ern part of Polk county. 
 
 2 There seem to have been two towns on this bay, one on the point 
 near the sea, and the other some four leagues above, which the Inca calls 
 Hirrihigua. The caciques in this vicinity, and not named in the other nar 
 ratives, are Neguarete, Capaloey, and Orriygua. 
 
 aTocaste was on the island in the marsh at the first crossing of the 
 "great marsh," so graphically described by the Inca. 
 
 4 The river or marsh of Cale is the Inch's second crossing of the great 
 marsh. 
 
 s Evidently only a minor expedition was sent, as the army remained at 
 Ocale, from which point the governor advanced towards Apalache. 
 
 6 This was Cholupaha, according to the Knight of Elvas. 
 
 7Caliquen, of the Elvas. 
 
 8 Ochile, according to the Inca. 
 
 9 The Inca states that the battle of Napituca occurred at Vitachuco. 
 
 'oThis name is also spelled Calahuci, and is the town of Uzela, of the 
 Elvas; and the modern name may be Chattahooche. 
 
 "The Creek tradition is that the camp (or town) was at a place known 
 to them as " Spanna Wakka," which was near Ochese, on the Apalachicola 
 river. Their name for De Soto was "Tustanugga Hutke," meaning white 
 warrior. 
 
THE DE SOTO EXPEDITION THROUGH FLORIDA. 357 
 
 12 The bay where N"arvaez built his brigantines was known to the 
 Spaniards as Bahia de Caballos, or Horse Bay, from the remains of the 
 horses there slaughtered for food. The modern name on the maps is Bay 
 Ocklockonee. According to Elvas it was eight leagues from Iviahica (or 
 Apalache) to Ochete, the Aute of the Inca. 
 
 J 3 Probably the Ocklockonee river. 
 
 ^This was probably the Flint river. 
 
 x s Blue Spring, four miles south of Albany, Dougherty countv, is the 
 only one in southern Georgia that corresponds to the White Fountain, so 
 far as I can learn. 
 
 16 This may have been the second crossing^of the Flint river, for it is a 
 well-known fact that different parts of a river sometimes have different 
 names given them by the Indians. 
 
 J 7The Ocmulgee river, the Creek name for which is " Ochisi-hatchi." 
 Biedma says: " Here we found a river that had a course, not southerly, like 
 the rest we had passed, but eastwardly to the sea." 
 
 18 The Rio Grande is probably the Altamaha, or it may have been the 
 Ocmulgee or the Oconee, near the junction of the two streams. The Elvas 
 gives the former name as Altamaca, and Biedma and the Inca as Altapaha. 
 According to the Elvas they went up this river. 
 
 T 9 Between Altamaha and 1 atofa no river u as crossed, but after leaving 
 the latter place they crossed three great rivers and stopped on the east bank 
 of the last one. I take the two great rivers to be the Cannouchee and 
 Ogeechee, and the third the Savannah. 
 
 20 Evidently Cofitachequi is located too far up the Savannah river by the 
 commentators, although it could be placed well up, provided the army 
 turned northward afttr crossing the Altamaha (Rio Grande), and then 
 turned eastward from the Oconee. It is also doubtful on which side of the 
 river the town was on, for, if they crossed at Hymahi (which seems evident 
 from the wording of the narrative), it would have been on the eastern side, 
 otherwise on the western side. The Creek tradition is that the Spaniards 
 did not go east of the Oconee river. 
 
 [To be Continued.] 
 
 St. Paul, Minx., September, igoo. 
 
CIVILIZATION AND THE ETHICAL STANDARD. 
 
 BY CHARLES W. SUPER. 
 
 WHEN one looks upon the remains of ancient civilization 
 as they lie scattered over the plains of Mesopotamia, or 
 along the Nile, and tries to interpret their meaning, he 
 can scarcely prevent his mind from harboring melancholy 
 reflections. No wonder that Professor Huxley felt constrained 
 to say, " I know no study which is so unutterably saddening as 
 the evolution of humanity, as set forth in the annals of history. 
 Out of the darkness of prehistoric ages man emerges with the 
 marks of his lowly origin upon him. He is a brute, only more 
 intelligent than other brutes; a blind prey to impulses, which 
 so often lead him to destruction; a victim to endless illusions 
 which make his mental existence a terror and a burden and fill 
 his physical life with barren toil and battle. He attains a cer 
 tain degree of comfort and develops a more or less workable 
 theory of life in such favorable situations as the plains of 
 Mesopotamia, or of Egypt, and then for thousands of years 
 struggles with varying fortunes, attended by infinite wicked 
 ness, bloodshed, and misery, to maintain himself at this point 
 against the greed and ambition of his fellow-men." 
 
 Mephistophiles in Faust is less compassionate, and adopts 
 a more flippant tone, but his verdict is not more favorable: 
 
 " Better he might have fared, poor wight, 
 Had'st them not given him a gleam of heavenly light, 
 Reason he names it, and doth so 
 Use it, than brutes more brutish still to grow. 
 With deference to your grace, he seems to me 
 Like any long- legged grasshopper to be 
 Which ever flies, and flying springs, 
 And in the grass its ancient ditty sings. 
 Would he but always in the grass repose ! 
 In every heap of dung he thrusts his nose." 
 
 In striking contrast to this sentiment are the words of 
 "What a piece of work is man! how noble in 
 reason ! how infinite in faculties! in form and moving, how 
 expressive and admirable! in action, how like an angel! in 
 apprehension, how like a god! the beauty of the world! the 
 paragon of animals ! " 
 
 With all his shortcomings; in spite of his fearful lapses 
 from a standard of virtuous living; notwithstanding his flippant 
 disregard of what is highest and holiest, I can not but hold man 
 as an inherently ethical being. In this he differs from all other 
 creatures. The mere fact of his living in communities does not 
 make him what he is not by nature. Communal life may 
 strengthen his moral qualities; it can not engender them. Of 
 the sub-animals, many exhibit a relatively high degree of intelli-