how the gouernour departed from apalache to seeke yupaha, and of that which happened vnto him.
on wednesday the third of march, of the yeere 1540. the gouernor departed from anaica apalache to seeke yupaha. he commanded his men to goe prouided with maiz for sixtie leagues of desert. the horsemen carried their maiz on their horses, and the footemen at their sides; because the indians that were for seruice, with their miserable life that they lead that winter, being naked and in chaines, died for the most part. within foure daies iournie they came to a great riuer: and they made a piragua or ferrie bote, and because of the great current, they made a cable with chaines, which they fastened on both sides of the riuer; and the ferrie bote went along by it; and the horses swam ouer, being drawne with capstans. hauing passed the riuer, in a day and an halfe, they came to a towne called capachiqui. vpon friday the 11. of march, they found indians in armes. the next day fiue christians went to seeke morters, which the indians haue to beate their maiz, and they went to certaine houses on the backside of the campe enuironed with a wood: and within the wood were many indians which came to spie vs; of the which came other fiue and set vpon vs. one of the christians came running away, giuing an alarme vnto the campe. those which were most readie answered the alarme. they found one christian dead, and three sore wounded. the indians fled vnto a lake adioyning neere a very thicke wood, where the horses could not enter. the gouernour departed from capachiqui, and passed through a desert. on wednesday the 21. of the moneth he came to a towne called toalli. and from thence forward there was a difference in the houses. for those which were behind vs were thatched with straw, and those of toalli were couered with reeds in manner of tiles. these houses are verie cleanly. some of them had walles daubed with clay, which shewed like a mudwall. in all the cold countrie the indians haue euery one a house for the winter daubed with clay within and without, and the doore is very little: they shut it by night, and make fire within; so that they are in it as warme as in a stoue: and so it continueth all night that they need not clothes: and besides these, they haue others for summer; and their kitchins neere them, where they make fire and bake their bread: and they haue barbacoas wherein they keepe their maiz; which is an house set vp in the aire vpon foure stakes, boorded about like a chamber, and the floore of it is of cane hurdles. the difference which lords or principall mens houses haue from the rest, besides they be greater, is, that they haue great galleries in their fronts, and vnder them seates made of canes in manner of benches: and round about them they haue many lofts, wherein they lay vp that which the indians doe giue them for tribute, which is maiz, deeres skins, and mantles of the countrie, which are like blankets: they make them of the inner rinde of the barke of trees, and some of a kind of grasse like vnto nettles, which being beaten, is like vnto flaxe. the women couer themselues with these mantles; they put one about them from the wast downeward; and another ouer their shoulder, with their right arme out, like vnto the egyptians. the men weare but one mantle vpon their shoulders after the same manner: and haue their secrets hid with a deeres skin, made like a linen breech, which was wont to be vsed in spaine. the skins are well corried, and they giue them what colour they list, so perfect, that if it be red, it seemeth a very fine cloath in graine, and the blacke is most fine: and of the same leather they make shooes; and they die their mantles in the same colours. the gouernour departed from toalli the 24. of march: he came on thursday at euening to a small riuer, where a bridge was made whereon the people passed, and benit fernandez a portugall fell off from it, and was drowned. assoone as the gouernour had passed the riuer, a little distance thence he found a towne called achese. the indians had no notice of the christians: they leaped into a riuer: some men and women were taken; among which was one that vnderstood the youth which guided the gouernour to yupaha: whereby that which he had reported was more confirmed. for they passed through countries of diuers languages, and some which he vnderstood not. the gouernour sent by one of the indians that were taken to call the cacique, which was on the other side of the riuer. hee came and made this speech following:
right high, right mightie, and excellent lord, those things which seldome happen doe cause admiration. what then may the sight of your lordship, and your people doe to mee and mine, whom we neuer saw? especially being mounted on such fierce beasts as your horses are, entring with such violence and furie into my countrie, without my knowledge of your comming. it was a thing so strange, and caused such feare and terrour in our mindes, that it was not in our power to stay and receiue your lordship with the solemnitie due to so high and renowmed a prince, as your lordship is. and trusting in your greatnesse and singular vertues, i doe not onely hope to be freed from blame, but also to receiue fauours: and the first which i demand of your lordship is, that you will vse me, my countrie, and subiects as your owne; and the second, that you will tell mee who you are, and whence you come, and whither you goe, and what you seeke, that i the better may serue you therein.
the gouernour answered him that hee thanked him as much for his offer and good will, as if hee had receiued it, and as if hee had offered him a great treasure; and told him that he was the sonne of the sun, and came from those parts where he dwelt, and trauelled through that countrie, and sought the greatest lord, and richest prouince that was in it. the cacique told him; that farther forward dwelt a great lord, and that his dominion was called ocute. he gaue him a guide, and an interpretour for that prouince. the gouernour commanded his indians to bee set free, and trauelled through his countrie vp a riuer very well inhabited. he departed from his towne the first of aprill; and left a very high crosse of wood set vp in the middest of the market place: and because the time gaue no more leasure, hee declared to him onely, that that crosse was a memorie of the same, whereon christ, which was god and man, and created the heauens and the earth, suffered for our saluation: therefore he exhorted them that they should reuerence it: and they made shew as though they would doe so. the fourth of aprill the gouernour passed by a towne called altamaca, and the 10. of the moneth he came to ocute. the cacique sent him two thousand indians with a present, to wit, many conies, and partridges, bread of maiz, two hens, and many dogs: which among the christians were esteemed as if they had been fat wethers, because of the great want of flesh meate and salt, and hereof in many places, and many times was 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 haue been remedied, he consumed away till nothing but skinne and bones were left: and they died of pure weaknes, some of them saying, if i had a slice of meate, or a few cornes of salt, i should not die. the indians want no fleshmeat; for they kill with their arrowes many deere, hennes, conies, and other wild fowle: for they are very cunning at it: which skill the christians had not: and though they had it, they had no leasure to vse it: for the most of the time they spent in trauell, and durst not presume to straggle aside. and because they were thus scanted of flesh, when sixe hundred men that went with soto, came to any towne, and found 30. or 40. dogs, he that could get one and kill it, thought himselfe no small man: and he that killed it, and gaue not his captaine one quarter, if he knew it, he frowned on him, and made him feele it, in the watches, or in any other matter of labour that was offered, wherein hee might doe him a displeasure. on monday the 12. of aprill, the gouernour departed from ocute. cosaqui. patofa. the cacique gaue him two hundred tamenes, to wit, indians to carrie burdens: hee passed through a towne, the lord whereof was named cofaqui, and came to a prouince of an indian lord, called patofa, who, because he was in peace with the lord of ocute, and with the other bordering lords, had many daies before notice of the gouernour, and desired to see him: he came to visit him, and made this speech following.
mightie lord, now with good reason i will craue of fortune to requite this my so great prosperitie with some small aduersitie; and i will count my selfe verie rich, seeing i haue obtained that, which in this world i most desired, which is, to see, and bee able to doe your lordship some seruice. and although the tongue bee the image of that which is in the heart, and that the contentment which i feele in my heart i cannot dissemble, yet is it not sufficient wholly to manifest the same. where did this your countrie, which i doe gouerne, deserue to be visited of so soueraigne, and so excellent a prince, whom all the rest of the world ought to obey and serue? and those which inhabite it being so base, what shall be the issue of such happines, if their memorie doe not represent vnto them some aduersitie that may betide them, according to the order of fortune? if from this day forward we may be capable of this benefit, that your lordship will hold vs for your owne, we cannot faile to be fauoured and maintained in true iustice and reason, and to haue the name of men. for such as are void of reason and iustice, may be compared to brute beastes. for mine owne part, from my very heart with reuerence due to such a prince, i offer my selfe vnto your lordship, and beseech you; that in reward of this my true good will, you will vouchsafe to make vse of mine owne person, my countrie and subiects.
the gouernour answered him, that his offers and good wil declared by the effect, did highly please him, whereof he would alwaies be mindfull to honour and fauour him as his brother. this countrie, from the first peaceable cacique, vnto the prouince of patofa, which were fiftie leagues, is a fat countrie, beautifull, and very fruitfull, and very well watered, and full of good riuers. and from thence to the port de spirito santo, where wee first arriued in the land of florida, (which may bee 350. leagues little more or lesse) is a barren land, and the most of it groues of wild pine-trees, low and full of lakes, and in some places very hie and thicke groues, whither the indians that were in armes fled, so that no man could finde them, neither could any horses enter into them. which was an inconuenience to the christians, in regard of the victuals which they found conueied away: and of the trouble which they had in seeking of indians to bee their guides.
