how the gouernour departed from pacaha to quigaute, and to coligoa, and came to cayas.

the gouernour rested in pacaha fortie daies. in all which time the two caciques serued him with great store of fish, mantles and skinnes, and stroue who should doe him greatest seruice. at the time of his departure, the cacique of pacaha gaue him two of his sisters, saying that in signe of loue that hee might remember him, he should take them for his wiues: the ones name was macanoche, and the others mochila; they were well proportioned, tall of bodie, and well fleshed. macanoche was of a good countenance, and in her shape and physiognimie looked like a ladie; the other was strongly made. the casiqui of casqui commanded the bridge to be repaired, and the gouernour returned through his country, and lodged in a field neere his towne, whither hee came with great store of fish, and two women, which hee exchanged with two christians for shirts. he gaue vs a guide and men for carriages. the gouernour lodged at a towne of his, and the next day at another neere a riuer, whither he caused canoes to be brought for him to passe ouer, and with his leaue returned. the gouernour tooke his iourney toward quigaute. the fourth of august, he came to the towne, where the cacique vsed to keepe his residencie: on the way he sent him a present of many mantles and skinnes, and not daring to stay for him in the towne, he absented himselfe. the towne was the greatest that was seene in florida. the gouernour and his people lodged in the one halfe of it; and within few daies, seeing the indians became liars, he commanded the other halfe to be burned, because it should not bee a shelter for them, if they came to assault him by night, nor an hindrance to his horsemen for the resisting of them. there came an indian very well accompanied with many indians, saying, that he was the cacique. he deliuered him ouer to the men of his guard to look vnto him. there went and came many indians, and brought mantles and skinnes. the counterfeit cacique, seeing so little opportunitie to execute his euill thought, as hee went one day abroad talking with the gouernour, he shewed him such a paire of heeles, that there was no christian that could ouertake him, and he leaped into the riuer, which was a crossebow shot from the towne: and assoone as hee was on the other side, many indians that were thereabout making a great crie began to shoote. coligoa neere to certaine mountaines northwest. the gouernour passed presently ouer to them with horsemen and footemen, but they durst not tarrie for him. going forward on his way, hee came to a towne where the people were fled, and a little further to a lake, where the horses could not passe, and on the otherside were many women. the footemen passed, and tooke many of them, and much spoile. the gouernour came to the camp: and that night was a spie of the indians taken by them of the watch. the gouernour asked him, whether he would bring him where the cacique was? he said, he would. and he went presently to seeke him with twentie horsemen, and fiftie footemen: and after he had sought him a day, and an halfe, hee found him in a strong wood: and a souldiour not knowing him, gaue him a wound on the head; and he cried out, that he should not kill him, saying, that he was the cacique: so he was taken, and an hundred and fortie of his men with him. the gouernour came againe to quigaute, and willed him to cause his men to come to serue the christians: and staying some daies for their comming, and seeing they came not, he sent two captaines, euery one his way on both sides of the riuer with horsemen and footemen. they tooke many men and women. now seeing the hurt which they sustained for their rebellion, they came to see what the gouernour would command them, and passed to and fro many times, and brought presents of cloth and fish. the cacique and his two wiues were in the lodging of the gouernour loose, and the halbardiers of his guard did keepe them. the gouernour asked them which way the countrie was most inhabited? they said, that toward the south downe the riuer, were great townes and caciques, which commanded great countries, and much people: and that toward the northwest there was a prouince neere to certaine mountaines, that was called coligoa. the gouernour and all the rest thought good to goe first to coligoa: saying, that peraduenture the mountains would make some difference of soile, and that beyond them there might be some gold or siluer: as for quigaute, casqui, and pacaha, they were plaine countries, fat grounds, and full of good medowes on the riuers, where the indians sowed large fields of maiz. from tascaluca to rio grande, or the great riuer, is about 300. leagues: it is a very low countrie, and hath many lakes. from pacaha to quigaute may bee an hundred leagues. the gouernour left the cacique of quigaute in his owne towne: and an indian, which was his guide, led him through great woods without any way seuen daies iournie through a desert, where, at euery lodging, they lodged in lakes and pooles in verie shold water; there were such store of fish, that they killed them with cudgils; and the indians which they carried in chaines, with the mud troubled the waters, and the fish being therewith, as it were astonied, came to the top of the water, and they tooke as much as they listed. the indians of coligoa had no knowledge of the christians, and when they came so neere the towne, that the indians saw them, they fled vp a riuer, which passed neere the towne, and some leaped into it; but the christians went on both sides of the riuer, and tooke them. there were many men and women taken, and the cacique with them. and by his commandement within three daies came many indians with a present of mantles and deeres skinnes, and two oxe hides: and they reported, that 5. or 6. leagues from thence toward the north, there were many of these oxen, and that because the countrie was cold, it was euill inhabited. that the best countrie which they knew, the most plentifull, and most inhabited, was a prouince called cayas, lying toward the south. from quiguate to coligoa may be 40. leagues. this towne of coligoa stood at the foote of an hill, on the bank of a meane riuer, of the bignesse of cayas, the riuer that passeth by estremadura. it was a fat soile and so plentifull of maiz, that they cast out the old, to bring in the new. there was also great plentie of french beanes and pompions. the french beanes were greater, and better than those of spaine, and likewise the pompions, and being roasted, they haue almost the taste of chesnuts. the cacique of coligoa gaue a guide to cayas, and staied behind in his owne towne. wee trauelled fiue daies, and came to the prouince of palisema. the house of the cacique was found couered with deeres skinnes of diuers colours and works drawne in them, and with the same in manner of carpets was the ground of the house couered. the cacique left it so, that the gouernour might lodge in it, in token that he sought peace and his friendship. but hee durst not tarrie his comming. the gouernour, seeing he had absented himselfe, sent a captaine with horsemen and footemen to seeke him. hee found much people, but by reason of the roughnesse of the countrie, he tooke none saue a few women and children. the towne was little and scattering, and had very little maiz. for which cause the gouernour speedilie departed from thence. hee came to another towne called tatalicoya, hee carried with him the cacique thereof, which guided him to cayas. from tatalicoya are foure daies iournie to cayas. when hee came to cayas, and saw the towne scattered; hee thought they had told him a lie, and that it was not the prouince of cayas, because they had informed him that it was well inhabited: he threatned the cacique, charging him to tell him where hee was: and he and other indians which were taken neere about that place, affirmed that this was the towne of cayas, and the best that was in that countrie, and that though the houses were distant the one from the other, yet the ground that was inhabited was great, and that there was great store of people, and many fields of maiz. the towne was called tanico: he pitched his campe in the best part of it neere vnto a riuer. the same day that the gouernour came thither, he went a league farther with certaine horsemen, and without finding any people, hee found many skinnes in a pathway, which the cacique had left there, that they might bee found, in token of peace. for so is the custome in that countrie.