The De Soto Chronicles Vol 1 & 2: The Expedition of Hernando de Soto to North America in 1539-1543

THREE

of the Christians. He [Moco<;o] waited in his town with his Indians and wives and children, lacking no one, and complained to the Governor about the caciques Orriygua, Neguarete, ~apaloey and E<;ita, all four of whom are caciques on that coast, saying that they menaced him because he took our friendship and was willing to give that Christian interpreter to the Christians . Using the same interpreter, the Governor told him that he should not be afraid of those caciques or of others, because he would help him, and all the Christians and many more who would come soon would be his friends and would help him against his enemies. This same day Captain Juan Ruiz Lobillo set out with as many as forty soldiers, on foot, for the interior, and he attacked some settlements [ranchos] though could not take but two Indian women; and in order to rescue them, nine Indians followed him for three leagues shooting arrows at him, and they killed one Christian and wounded three or four without his being able to do them damage, although he had arquebusiers and crossbowmen, because those Indians are so agile and such fine warriors that in any nation of the world they would be seen as men. THREE HOW WAR BEGAN TO KINDLE AND WAS CRUELLY FOUGHT, AND HOW THE LIEUTENANT GENERAL RETURNED TO THE ISLAND OF CUBA, AND HOW THE GOVERNOR DEPARTED FROM THAT PORT OF SPIRITU SANCTO FOR THE INTERIOR, AND OF WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM AND HIS PEOPLE UNTIL THE TENTH OF AUGUST OF THE SAME YEAR OF FIFTEEN THIRTY-NINE. This Governor was very given to hunting and killing Indians, from the time that he served in the army of Governor Pedrarias Davila in the provinces of Castilla del Oro and Nicaragua, and he also found himself in Peru 256 ~ THE DE SOTO CHRONICLES and took part in the imprisonment of Atabaliba, where he became rich, and he was one of those who returned to Spain richer, because he carried and put in a safe place in Seville about one hundred thousand pesos of gold; and he decided to return to the Indies only to lose them along with his life, and to continue the bloody tactics of times past, which had been his practice in the aforementioned places. Therefore, continuing his conquest, he commanded that General Vasco Porcallo de Figueroa should go to O<;ita, because it was said that there was a gathering of people there. And this Captain having gone there, he found the people gone, and he burned the town, and he set the dogs on [aperrear] an Indian he brought as guide. The reader must understand that to set the dogs on [an Indian] is to make the dogs eat them or kill them, tearing the Indian to pieces. The conquistadors in the Indies have always used greyhounds or fierce and valiant dogs in war; and this is why hunting Indians was mentioned above. Therefore, that guide was killed in that way, because he lied and guided poorly. While Vasco Porcallo did what has been said, the Governor sent another Indian as messenger to the cacique Orriparacogi. [The messenger] did not return because an Indian woman told him that he should not, and for that she was thrown to the dogs. Among the soldiers there were diverse opinions about whether it would be good to settle there or not, because the land seemed sterile, as in truth that coast is reputed to be. On account of this, the Governor decided to send Captain Baltasar de Gallegos to Orriparagi [Orriparacogi] with eighty on horseback and one hundred foot soldiers, and he departed on Friday the twentieth of June. Likewise the Governor sent Juan de Aiiasco, in the small vessels from the ships, along the seacoast with a certain number of foot soldiers, to break up a meeting that the Indians were holding, or to go and see what kind of affair it was. He found them on an island, where he had a fray with them. He killed nine or ten Indians with the light artillery19 that he had, and they shot arrows and wounded as many or more Christians. Because he could not make them leave the island, he sent for aid, and the messenger was a nobleman called Juan de Vega. He asked for people on horseback, in order to take the mainland where they had to retreat, because with the people that he had and any others who might go, he intended to fight with the Indians. The 19The phrase versos de la artilleria refers to a light piece of artillery (the verso), half the size and caliber of the culebrina, a long and narrow artillery piece. These weapons were probably hand cannons. ACCOUNT BY RODRIGO RANGEL ~ 257 Governor sent Vasco Porcallo with forty on horseback and some foot soldiers ; but when this aid arrived, the Indians had already gone; and the Spaniards , in order not to have gone in vain, scoured the land and captured some Indians, whom they brought to the camp. Vasco Porcallo having come from that excursion, he had some unpleasantness with the Governor (which is not mentioned in this relation). The historian could not get the one who informed him [Rangel] to finish the story, for various reasons. And it was seen as a good measure that Vasco Porcallo should return to Cuba to attend to the affairs of the government there and to provide to the Governor and his army, when necessary, with what they might have need of. Many regretted the departure of this nobleman, because he was a willing friend and he did much for them. The Governor had commanded Baltasar de Gallegos, that even though he might not find good land, he should write good news, in order to inspire the people. And although it was not of his disposition to lie, because he was a man of truth, in order to carry out the command of his superior and, even more, not to dismay the people, he always wrote two letters of different tenors: one of truth and the other of lies; but those lies, stated with such cunning, and with equivocal words, could be understood one way and the other, because it was commanded. Concerning this he said that the letter of truth had more power to excuse him, than the false one malice to incriminate him. And thus the Governor did not reveal the truthful items, saying rather that these that he did not reveal were news of great secrets, which later on would demonstrate much utility for all; and he showed them the equivocal and false letters and gave them some statements as seemed [best]. And those letters, although they did not promise anything with certainty, gave hopes and indications that stirred their desires to go forward and leave such uncertainties behind; but as the sins of man are the reason that the lie sometimes finds favor and credit, all fell into conformity and unanimously asked for entrance into the interior, which was what the Governor was scheming. And those who had been ordered to remain there with Captain Calderon regretted this greatly. There were forty on horseback and sixty foot soldiers left to guard the town and supplies, the port, and the brigantines and small vessels that remained, because all the large ships had been dispatched to Havana. Having this agreement willingly, the Governor departed from the town and port of Spiritu Sancto (called thus for the day that the Governor and his armada arrived there), and this departure was on a Tuesday, the fifteenth of July of the same year of fifteen thirty-nine. And that day they spent the night 258 ~ THE DE SOTO CHRONICLES at the river [rio] of Moco~o, bringing behind them many pigs that had been brought over in the armada for food in an emergency. And they made two bridges on which this army crossed the river. The next day they went to the lake [laguna] of the Rabbit, and that name was given to it because a rabbit which appeared in the camp frightened all the horses, and they broke loose, fleeing back more than a league, leaving not one behind, and all the Christians scattered in order to go after the horses, unarmed. If Indians had attacked them, although they [the Indians] might be few, the Spaniards would have got what they deserved, and in return for their lack of caution, a shameful end to the war was prepared for them. Their horses having been recovered , they went the next day to the lake of St. John, and the next day, under a very strong sun, they went to a savannah [sabana], where they arrived very fatigued. A steward of the Governor, who was named Prado, died of thirst,20 and many of the foot soldiers were in much hardship, and others would have accompanied the steward, if those on horseback had not aided them. The next day they came to the savannah of Gua~oco, and the soldiers went into cornfields and brought green corn, with which they were very happy, because it was the first that they saw in that land. Early the next day they arrived at Luca, a pretty town, and there Baltasar de Gallegos came to meet the Governor. The following Monday, the twenty-first of July, they joined with the people that Baltasar Gallegos had. The Governor sent a messenger to Urriparacoxi, and a reply did not come; and on Wednesday, the twenty-third of the aforementioned month, the Governor and his army departed, and he went to Vi~ela, and passed it to sleep farther on; and on Thursday they spent the night at another town that is called Tocaste, which is on a large lake. And this same day the Governor went out with some on horseback headed for Ocale, because they had told him great news of the riches that he thought he would find there. And as he saw that the roads were broad, he thought that his hands were already on the prey. He commanded one of his soldiers, named Rodrigo Rangel (because, in addition to being a good soldier and a good man, he had a good horse), to return to the main army for more people to come and accompany him; and that squire went, although not without misgivings about what could happen, since only ten on horseback remaining with the Governor seemed few to him, and he was sending that nobleman alone and across a land of enemies and bad crossings; but even though some might take after him, he would either die or pass by force and would not 2°Probably a victim of heatstroke in the July heat of peninsular Florida. ACCOUNT BY RODRIGO RANGEL ~ 259 return without a reply. Because he thought it cowardly to ask for company, he bowed his head and obeyed. But I do not praise such determination, since in truth, in necessary and manifest matters, permission is given so that with reason one may express one's opinions to the prince and suggest how he would be better served, and how his commands could be better carried out. What happened to this equestrian messenger this day he refused to say, because whatever he said would be in his own interest; but it suffices to say that his intention as a valiant man was well tested, and he came upon many Indians who were following the trail of the Governor, but he continued onward. And having arrived at the main army, the maestre de camp021 gave him fourteen on horseback, with which the number of horses that the Governor had was increased to twenty-six. The next day, Friday, the army moved along the trail of the Governor, and on the road they found two on horseback that the Governor sent to the maestre de campo, who was a nobleman called Luis de Moscoso, to command that he should not move, and they went back to sleep where they had come from, because there was a surprise attack [guazabara] (which is the same as a skirmish) with the Indians, and they killed a horse of Don Carlos Enriquez, son-in-law of the Governor, married to his niece, a native of Jeres de Badajoz, and they wounded some Christians. And they suffered much from hunger, for they were eating the ears of corn with the cobs (or wood, which it nearly is) upon which the kernels grow. The next day, Saturday, the Governor found the roads broader and the land better, and he sent another two on horseback for another thirty men, and he sent to say that the army should move following his trail. And the maestre de campo sent Nuno de Tovar with thirty on horseback, and he moved according to the command the Governor sent him. The Governor, with the twenty-six on horseback who went with him, arrived on the day of St. Anne at the river or swamp22 of Cale, and it was of great current and broad, and they crossed it with great difficulty, and where there was no need of a bridge, they crossed with the water at their chests and at the chin, with their clothes and saddles on their heads, a distance of more than three cross21The maestre de campo, or field master, was in charge of the daily affairs of the army and ranked under the commander (in this case, Hernando de Soto). The rank roughly corresponds to the modern brigadier general. Luis de Moscoso would later fill the vacancy created by the death of De Soto (see chapter 9). 22The description rio 0 cienaga, which is used in reference to both Cale here and Ivitachuco in chapter 4, probably refers to the floodplain swamp associated with the main channel of these rIvers. 260 ~ THE DE SOTO CHRONICLES bow shots.23 The thirty on horseback that NUllo de Tovar led crossed the following Sunday, and the current carried off a horse and it drowned. And seeing this, the rest crossed with ropes, as those who crossed first with the Governor had done. These people and their Governor arrived at the first town of Ocale, which was called Uqueten, where they captured two Indians : and then he provided that some on horseback and the mules that they had carried from Cuba should go with corn to aid those who were coming behind, since there they had found abundance; and it did not arrive at a bad time, because they found them in that swamp eating herbs and their roots, some roasted and others stewed, without having salt and, what was worse, without knowing what they were. They were glad for the arrival of provisions , and the great hunger and necessity that they had gave them a refreshment and very acceptable flavor, and of such savor that it revived their diligence and brought forth strength from weakness, and the last of the rear guard arrived the following Tuesday where Governor Hernando de Soto was. But they [the Indians] had already wounded some soldiers who strayed and had killed a crossbowman who was named Mendoza. Having joined the army, they went to Ocale, a town in a good region of corn; and there, going to Acuera for supplies, the Indians, on two occasions, killed three soldiers of the guard of the Governor and wounded others and killed a horse, and all that was due to poor order, since those Indians, although they are archers and have very strong bows and are very skillful and accurate marksmen, their arrows do not have poison [hierba] nor do they know what it is. 23The extreme range of a crossbow was perhaps 380 yards, making the distance of water crossed on foot over 1,000 yards. ACCOUNT BY RODRIGO RANGEL ~ 261 ...