how we departed from hauana, and ariued in florida, and of such things as happened vnto vs.
before our departure, the gouernour depriued nunno de touar of the office of captaine generall, and gaue it to porcallo de figueroa, an inhabitant of cuba, which was a meane that the shippes were well furnished with victuals: for he gaue a great many loads of casabe bread, and manie hogges. the gouernour tooke away this office from nonno de touar, because he had fallen in loue with the daughter of the earle of gomera, donna isabellas waighting maid, who, though his office were taken from him, (to returne againe to the gouernours fauour) though she were with child by him, yet tooke her to his wife, and went with soto into florida. the gouernour left donna isabella in hauana; and with her remained the wife of don carlos, and the wiues of baltasar de gallégos, and of nonno de touar. and hee left for his lieutenant a gentleman of hauana, called iohn de roias, for the gouernment of the island.
on sunday the 18. of may, in the yeere of our lord, 1539. the adelantado or president departed from hauana in cuba with his fleete, which were nine vessels, fiue great ships, two carauels, and two brigantines: they sailed seuen daies with a prosperous wind. the 25. day of may, the day de pasco de spirito santo, (which we call whitson sonday,) they saw the land of florida; and because of the shoalds, they came to an anchor a league from the shore. this place was called baya de sirito sancto, being on the west side of florida, in 29 degrees. 1/2. on friday the 30. of may they landed in florida, two leagues from a towne of an indian lord, called vcita. they set on land two hundred and thirteene horses, which they brought with them, to vnburden the shippes, that they might draw the lesse water. hee landed all his men, and only the sea men remained in the shippes, which in eight daies, going vp with the tide euery day a little, brought them vp vnto the towne. the ships came vp to the towne of vcita. assoone as the people were come on shore, hee pitched his campe on the sea side, hard vpon the bay which went vp vnto the towne. and presently the captaine generall vasques porcallo with other 7. horsemen foraged the countrie halfe a league round about, and found sixe indians, which resisted him with their arrowes, which are the weapons which they vse to fight withall: the horsemen killed two of them, and the other foure escaped; because the countrie is cumbersome with woods and bogs, where the horses stacke fast, and fell with their riders, because they were weake with trauelling vpon the sea. the same night following the gouernour with an hundred men in the brigantines lighted vpon a towne, which he found without people, because, that assoone as the christians had sight of land, they were descried, and saw along the coast many smokes, which the indians had made to giue aduice the one to the other. the next day luys de moscoso, master of the campe set the men in order, the horsemen in three squadrons, the vantgard, the batallion, and the rerewarde: and so they marched that day, and the day following, compassing great creekes which came out of the bay: they came to the towne of vcita, where the gouernour was, on sunday the first of iune, being trinitie sunday. the towne was of seuen or eight houses. the lordes house stoode neere the shore vpon a very hie mount, made by hand for strength. at another ende of the towne stood the church, and on the top of it stood a fowle made of wood with gilded eies. heere were found some pearles of small valew, spoiled with the fire, which the indians do pierce and string them like beades, and weare them about their neckes and hand wrists, and they esteeme them very much. the houses were made of timber, and couered with palme leaues. the gouernour lodged himselfe in the lords houses, and with him vasques porcallo, and luys de moscoso: and in others that were in the middest of the towne, was the chiefe alcalde or iustice, baltasar de gallégos lodged; and in the same houses was set in a place by it selfe, al the prouision that came in the ships: the other houses and the church were broken down, and euery three or foure souldiers made a little cabin wherein they lodged. the countrie round about was very fennie, and encombred with great and hie trees. the gouernor commanded to fel the woods a crossebow shot round about the towne, that the horses might runne, and the christians might haue the aduantage of the indians, if by chance they should set vpon them by night. in the waies and places conuenient, they had their centinelles of footemen by two and two in euery stand, which did watch by turnes, and the horsemen did visit them, and were readie to assist them, if there were any alarme. the gouernour made foure captaines of the horsemen, and two of the footemen. the captaines of the horsemen were, one of them andrew de vasconcelos, and another pedro calderan de badaioz: and the other two were his kinsemen, to wit, arias tinoco, and alfonso romo, borne likewise in badaioz. the captaines of the footemen, the one was francisco maldonado of salamanca, and the other iuan rodriguez lobillo. while wee were in this towne of vcita, the two indians, which iohn danusco had taken on that coast, and the gouernor caried along with him for guides and interpretours, through carelessnes of two men, which had the charge of them, escaped away one night. for which the gouernour and all the rest were very sorie, for they had alreadie made some roades, and no indians could bee taken, because the countrie was full of marish grounds, and in many places full of very hie and thicke woods.
