of the death of the adelantado fernando de soto: and how aluarado was elected gouernour in his stead.
the gouernour felt in himselfe that the houre approched, wherein hee was to leaue this present life, and called for the kings officers, captaines and principall persons, to whom he made a speech, saying:
that now he was to goe to giue an account before the presence of god of all his life past: and since it pleased him to take him in such a time, and that the time was come that he knew his death, that he his most vnworthie seruant did yeeld him many thankes therefore; and desired all that were present and absent (whom he confessed himselfe to be much beholding vnto for their singular vertues, loue and loyaltie, which himselfe had well tried in the trauels, which they had suffered, which alwaies in his mind he did hope to satisfie and reward, when it should please god to giue him rest, with more prosperitie of his estate,) that they would pray to god for him, that for his mercie he would forgiue him his sinnes, and receiue his soule into eternall glorie: and that they would quit and free him of the charge which hee had ouer them, and ought vnto them all, and that they would pardon him for some wrongs which they might haue receiued of him: and to auoid some diuision, which vpon his death might fall out vpon the choice of his successour, he requested them to elect a principall person, and able to gouerne, of whom all should like well; and when he was elected, they should sweare before him to obey him: and that he would thanke them very much in so doing; because the griefe that he had, would somewhat be asswaged, and the paine that he felt, because he left them in so great confusion, to wit, in leauing them in a strange countrie, where they knew not where they were.
baltasar de gallegos answered in the name of all the rest: and first of all comforting him, he set before his eies how short the life of this world was, and with how many troubles and miseries it is accompanied, and how god shewed him a singular fauor which soonest left it: telling him many other things fit for such a time. and for the last point, that since it pleased god to take him to himselfe, although his death did justly grieue them much, yet as wel he, as al the rest, ought of necessitie to conforme themselues to the will of god. and touching the gouernour which he commanded they should elect, he besought him, that it would please his lordship to name him which he thought fit, and him they would obey. and presently he named luys de moscoso de aluarado his captaine generall. and presently he was sworne by all that were present and elected for gouernour. the death of don ferdinando de soto the 21. of may, 1542 at guacoya. the next day, being the 21. of may, 1542. departed out of this life, the valorous, virtuous, and valiant captaine, don fernando de soto, gouernour of cuba, and adelantado of florida: whom fortune aduanced, as it vseth to doe others, that hee might haue the higher fal. he departed in such a place, and at such time, as in his sicknesse he had but little comfort; and the danger wherein all his people were of perishing in that countrie, which appeared before their eies, was cause sufficient, why euery one of them had need of comfort, and why they did not visit nor accompanie him as they ought to haue done. luys de moscoso determined to conceale his death from the indians, because ferdinando de soto had made them beleeue, that the christians were immortall; and also because they tooke him to be hardie, wise, and valiant: and if they should know that he was dead, they would bee bold to set vpon the christians, though they liued peaceablie by them. a wittie stratagem. in regard of their disposition, and because they were nothing constant, and beleeued all that was tolde them, the adelantado made them beleeue, that he knew some things that passed in secret among themselues, without their knowledge, how, or in what manner he came by them: and that the figure which appeared in a glasse, which he shewed them, did tell him whatsoeuer they practised and went about: and therefore neither in word nor deed durst they attempt any thing that might bee preiudiciall vnto him.
assoone as he was dead, luis de moscoso commanded to put him secretly in an house, where hee remained three daies: and remoouing him from thence, commanded him to bee buried in the night at one of the gates of the towne within the wall. and as the indians had seene him sick, and missed him, so did they suspect what might bee. and passing by the place where hee was buried, seeing the earth mooued, they looked and spake one to another. luys de moscoso vnderstanding of it, commanded him to be taken vp, by night, and to cast a great deale of sand into the mantles, wherein he was winded vp, wherein hee was carried in a canoe, and throwne into the middest of the riuer. the cacique of guachoya inquired for him, demanding what was become of his brother and lord, the gouernour: luys de moscoso told him, that hee was gon to heauen, as many other times hee did: and because hee was to stay there certaine daies hee had left him in his place. the cacique thought with himselfe that he was dead; and commanded two young and well proportioned indians to be brought thither; this is also the costome of the old tartars. and said, that the vse of that countrie was, when any lord died, to kill indians to wait vpon him, and serue him by the way: and for that purpose by his commandement were those come thither: and prayed luys de moscoso to command them to be beheaded, that they might attend and serue his lord and brother. luys de moscoso told him, that the gouernour was not dead, but gone to heauen, and that of his owne christian souldiers, he had taken such as he needed, to serue him, and praied him to command those indians to be loosed and not to vse any such bad custome from thencefoorth: straightway hee commanded them to be loosed, and to get them home to their houses. and one of them would not goe; saying, that hee would not serue him, that without desert had judged him to death, but that hee would serue him as long as hee liued, which had saued his life. seven hundred hogges. luys de moscoso caused all the goods of the gouernor to be sold at an outcrie: to wit, two men slaues, and two women slaues, and three horses, and 700. hogges. for euery slaue or horse, they gaue two or three thousand ducats: which were to be paied at the first melting of gold or siluer, or at the diuision of their portion of inheritance. and they entered into bonds, though in the countrie there was not wherewith, to pay it within a yeere after, and put in sureties for the same. such as in spaine had no goods to bind, gaue two hundred ducats for an hog, giuing assurance after the same maner. those which had any goods in spaine, bought with more feare, and bought the lesse. from that time forward, most of the companie had swine, and brought them vp, and fed vpon them; and obserued fridaies and saturdaies, and the euenings of feasts, which before they did not. for sometimes in two or three moneths they did eate no flesh, and whensoeuer they could come by it, they did eate it.
