how the gouernour came to caliquen, and carrying from thence the cacique with him went to napetuca, where the indians sought to haue taken him from him, and in an assault many of them were slaine, and taken prisoners.

the 11. day of august 1539, the gouernour departed from cale: hee lodged in a little town called ytara, and the next day in another called potano, and the third day at vtinama, and came to another towne, which they named the towne of euil peace; because an indian came in peace, saying, that he was the cacique, and that he with his people would serue the gouernour, and that if he would set free 28. persons, men and women, which his men had taken the night before, he would command prouision to be brought him, and would giue him a guide to instruct him in his way: the gouernour commanded them to be set at libertie, and to keepe him in safegard. the next day in the morning there came many indians, and set themselues round about the towne neere to a wood. the indian wished them to carrie him neere them; and that he would speake vnto them, and assure them, and that they would doe whatsoeuer hee commanded them. and when he saw himselfe neere vnto them he brake from them, and ran away so swiftly from the christians, that there was none that could ouertake him, and all of them fled into the woods. the gouernour commanded to loose a grayhound, which was alreadie fleshed on them, which passing by many other indians, caught the counterfait cacique, which had escaped from the christians, and held him till they came to take him. from thence the gouernour lodged at a towne called cholupaha: and because it had store of maiz in it, they named it villa farta. beyond the same there was a riuer, on which he made a bridge of timber, and trauelled two daies through a desert. the 17. of august, he came to caliquen, where he was informed of the prouince of apalache: they told him that there pamphilo de naruaez had bin there, and that hee tooke shipping, because hee could find no way to goe forward: that there was none other towne at al; but that on both sides was all water. the whole companie were very sad for these newes: and counselled the gouernour to goe backe to the port de spirito santo, and to abandon the countrie of florida, lest hee should perish as naruaez had done: declaring, that if he went forward, he could not returne backe when he would, and that the indians would gather vp that small quantitie of maiz which was left. whereunto the gouernour answered, that he would not go backe, till he had seene with his eies that which they reported: saying, that he could not beleeue it, and that wee should be put out of doubt before it were long. and he sent to luys de moscoso to come presently from cale, and that he tarried for him here. luys de moscoso and many others thought, that from apalache they should returne backe; and in cale they buried their yron tooles, and diuers other things. they came to caliquen with great trouble; because the countrie, which the gouernour had passed by, was spoiled and destitute of maiz. after all the people were come together, hee commanded a bridge to bee made ouer a riuer that passed neere the towne. hee departed from caliquen the 10. of september, and carried the cacique with him. after hee had trauelled three daies, there came indians peaceably, to visit their lord, and euery day met vs on the way playing vpon flutes: which is a token that they vse, that men may know that they come in peace. they said, that in our way before there was a cacique, whose name was vzachil, a kinseman of the cacique of caliquen their lord, waiting for him with many presents, and they desired the gouernour that he would loose the cacique. but he would not, fearing that they would rise, and would not giue him any guides, and sent them away from day to day with good words. he trauelled fiue daies, he passed by some smal townes, he came to a towne called napetuca, the 15. day of september. thither came 14. or 15. indians, and besought the gouernor to let loose the cacique of caliquen their lord. he answered them that he held him not in prison, but that hee would haue him to accompanie him to vzachil. the gouernour had notice by iohn ortiz, that an indian told him how they determined to gather themselues together, and come vpon him, and giue him battell, and take away the cacique from him. the day that it was agreed vpon, the gouernour commanded his men to bee in a readines, and that the horsemen should bee readie armed and on horsebacke euery one in his lodging, because the indians might not see them, and so more confidently come to the towne. there came four hundred indians in sight of the campe, with their bowes and arrowes, and placed themselues in a wood, and sent two indians to bid the gouernour to deliuer them the cacique. the gouernour with sixe footemen leading the cacique by the hand, and talking with him, to secure the indians, went toward the place where they were: and seeing a fit time, commanded to sound a trumpet: and presently those that were in the towne in the houses, both horse and foot, set vpon the indians, which were so suddenly assaulted, that the greatest care they had was which way they should flee: they killed two horses; one was the gouernours, and hee was presently horsed againe vpon another. there were 30. or 40. indians slaine. the rest fled to two very great lakes, that were somewhat distant the one from the other: there they were swimming, and the christians round about them. the caliuermen and crossebowmen shot at them from the banke: but the distance being great and shooting afarre off, they did them no hurt. the gouernour commanded that the same night they should compasse one of the lakes, because they were so great, that there were not men enow to compasse them both: being beset, assoone as night shut in, the indians, with determination to runne away, came swimming very softly to the banke; and to hide themselues, they put a water lillie leafe on their heads. the horsemen assoone as they perceiued it to stirre, ran into the water to the horses breasts, and the indians fled againe into the lake. so this night passed without any rest on both sides, iohn ortiz perswaded them, that seeing they could not escape, they should yeeld themselues to the gouernour: which they did, enforced thereunto by the coldnes of the water; and one by one, hee first whom the cold did first ouercome, cried to iohn ortiz desiring that they would not kill him, for he came to put himselfe into the hands of the gouernour. by the morning watch they made an end of yeelding themselues: only 12. principall men, being more honorable and valorous then the rest, resolued rather to die then to come into his hands. and the indians of paracossi, which were now loosed out of chaines, went swimming to them, and pulled them out by the haire of their heads, and they were all put in chaines; and the next day were diuided among the christians for their seruice. being thus in captiuitie, they determined to rebell; and gaue in charge a new conspiracie. to an indian, which was interpretour, and held to be valiant, that assoone as the goueruour did come to speak with him, hee should cast his hands about his necke, and choke him: who, when he saw opportunitie, laid hands on the gouernour, and before he cast his hands about his necke, he gaue him such a blow on the nostrils, that hee made them gush out with blood, and presently all the rest did rise. he that could get any weapons at hand, or the handle wherewith he did grind the maiz, sought to kill his master, or the first hee met before him: and hee that could get a lance or sword at hand, bestirred himselfe in such sort with it, as though he had vsed it all his life time. one indian in the market place enclosed betweene 15. or 20. footemen, made a way like a bull with a sword in his hand, till certaine halbardiers of the gouernour came, which killed him. another gat vp with a lance to a left made of canes, which they build to keep their maiz in, which they call a barbacoa, and there hee made such a noise, as though tenne men had been there defending the doore: they slew him with a partisan. two hundred indians taken. the indians were in all about two hundred men. they were all subdued. and some of the youngest the gouernour gaue to them which had good chaines, and were carefull to looke to them that they gat not away. al the rest he commanded to be put to death, being tied to a stake in the midst of the market place: and the indians of the paracossi did shoote them to death.