De Soto is said to have received great comfort,' at the news of this achievement; and, stimulated by the prospect of a golden fleece, he left one hundred men at Spirito Santo, where he had first landed, and took his way, with the remainder, for the province of Cale. Passing through several smaller towns, he came, at length, to the land of promise; but, so little is hope ever realized by fruition, that, instead of loading themselves with bags of gold, our adventurers could not find maize enough to satisfy their hunger. They devoured the stalks, while yet too young to bear the cob; and, whenever any old corn was discovered, they were obliged to triterate it, in rude mortars of wood, and sift the meal through their coats of mail.

On the 11th of August, 1539, the governor started from Cale; marched, that day, to Ytara; the 12th, to Potano; the 13th, to Utinama; the 14th, to a place, of which the name is not given; the 15th, to Cholupaha;

rendered so fashionable in Spain. In 1550, the question was disputed between the universities of Salamanca and Alcala, in a convention held at Valladolid. Lascasas was the champion of the Indians; and Sepulveda, of the Spaniards. A learned friar, of the name of Soto, presided as umpire; and gave his decision in favour of the former. But the doctrine of 'pious violence' was not confined to Spain. Even Hackluyt, an English prebendary, thus speaks of the mode, which should be adopted to convert the Indians. To handle them gently, while gentle courses may be found to serve, it will be without comparison the best: but if gentle polishing will not serve, then we shall not want hammerours and rough masons enow; I'mean our old soldiours trained up in the Netherlands, to square and prepare them to our preachers' hands.' Epist. Ded. to Soro's Exped.

and the 17th, to Caliquen. As the last was the residence of a confederate chief, he made a stay until the 10th of September; when he set out for Apalache, another golden region; and, after a journey of five days, arrived at a place called Napetuca. The king of Caliquen had been seized for practising a trick upon our travellers; and, when he made his escape from his keepers, the governor caught him with a grey-hound. His subjects flocked from all quarters to obtain his release; and, instead of bringing such rude drums as are used by the present Indians, they came playing upon an instrument, which is here called a flute. Finding, that music and entreaty made little impression, they determined to try the efficacy of bows and arrows. But these proved equally unsuccessful. The natives fled at the first onset; and such as were not killed, plunged into two large lakes, and swam beyond the reach of the crossbow. Men were stationed around the shore; and, in the course of the night, they detected the Indians swimming softly towards the bank, with water lillies upon their heads. No water lilly, therefore, was suf fered to come near shore; and, as their last device had failed, the Indians now appealed to the commisseration of John Ortez. They were taken; divided among the company; and put in irons. Some broke loose and killed their masters; and De Soto, to cut short

the possibility of future annoyance, ordered the greater part to be tied up and shot.

On the 23d of September, he left Napetuca; and, passing through the great town of Hapaluya, lodged, on the 24th, at Uzachil. Supplying himself with maize, which was here found in great quantities, he started for Apalache, on the 27th. Two days brought him to Axille; and, on St. Francis' day, he entered Vitachuco. The inhabitants now began to grow numerous; and the maize abundant. On the 23d of October, the governor lodged in Uzela; and, in two days, arrived at Apalache. This was the residence of a supreme chief; and overlooked many smaller towns, filled with maize, pompions, beans, and plums. The soldiers found sumptuous fare; and, in one of their predatory excursions, they encountered some of the natives, who displayed more gallantry than is commonly found in a modern Indian. They were gathering French beans, with a woman; and 'though they might have fled, yet because they would not leave the woman, who was one of their wives, they resolved to die fighting.'

The governor now sent back a party to Spirito Santo; and was obliged to wait nearly four months, for its return. He had been twice disappointed in the expectation of finding countries replete with gold and silver; but, where there is avarice, there can be

k

no incredulity; and the tale of one of the captives, who described the whole process of working mines, and refining the ores, induced De Soto to start on the 3d of March, 1540, for the rich country of Uupaha. On the 9th, he came to Capachiqui; and, on the 21st, to Toalli.

'From thence forward,' says the historian, 'there was a difference in the houses. For those which were behind us were thatched with straw; and those of Toalli were covered with reeds, in manner of tiles. These houses were very cleanly.* Some of them had walls daubed with clay, which showed like a mud wall. In all the cold countries, the Indians have every 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 have others for summer; and their kitchens near them, where they make their fire and bake their bread: and they have barbacoas wherein they keep their maize;

* The whole of this account bespeaks a state of improvement, much beyond that of the present Indians; and perhaps the difference will be remarked in nothing more than in the article of cleanliness. Ribaud, who sailed in 1562, has also mentioned a precaution, in this respect, which the lords of the forest would now disdain to take. He was invited to witness the feast of Toya; and, when he came to the spot, in which it was to be celebrated, he 'saw many women round about, which laboured by al meanes to make the place clean and neat.' HACK. Voy. vol. iii. p. 315.

which is an house set vp in the aire vpon four stakes, boorded like a chamber, and the floore of it is of cane hurdles. The difference which lords or principall mens houses have from the rest, besides they be greater, is, that they have great galleries in their fronts, and under them seates made of canes in manner of benches: and round about them they have many lofts, wherein they lay vp that which the Indians doe giue them for tribute, which is maiz, deeres skins, and mantles of the country, which are like blankets: they make them of the inner rinde of the barkes of trees, and some of kind of grasse like unto nettles, which, being beaten, is like unto flaxe.* The women couer themselves with these mantles;-they put one about them from the wast downward; and another ouer their shoulder, with their right arme out, like unto the Egyptians. The men weare but one mantle upon their shoulders, after the same manner; and haue their secrets hid with deere's skin, made like a linen breech, which was wont to be vsed in Spain. The skins are

* This account will serve to explain the mystery of the linen sheets and twilled blankets, which were found about the bodies dug up in the western country.

One of Ribaud's kings had carried the luxuries of dress and furniture to a still greater extent. His house was hanged about with tapistrie of feathers of divers colours, the hight of a pike. Moreouer, the place where the king tooke his seat, was couered with couerlettes, embroydered with deuises of very wittie and fine workmanship, and fringed round about with a fringe dyed in the colour of scarlet.' HACK. p. 316.