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FOURTH BOOK OF THE HISTORY OF LA FLORIDA, BY THE INCA It deals with the combat of the Fort ofAlibamo; the death ofmany Spaniards for the lack ofsalt; how they come to Chisca and cross the Rio Grande; how Indians and Spaniards form a solemn procession to adore the cross, asking God for mercies; the cruel war and pillage between Capaha and Casquin; how the Spaniards discover a means ofmaking salt; the ferocity of the Tulas in appearance and weapons; an agreeable winter the Castilians spent in Utiangue. It contains sixteen chapters. [3.135.205.146] Project MUSE (2024-04-18 20:42 GMT) I THE SPANIARDS LEAVE THE CAMP OF CHICACILLA AND FIGHT AGAINST THE FORT OF ALIBAMO The governor and his captains, seeing that the month of March was already past and that it was now time to go on with their discovery, consulted together with regard to leaving that camp and province of Chicac;a. The rest of the men desired to do so in order to go out of that country where the Indians had committed so many hostilities against them and done them so much damage, always by night. In all the four months that the Spaniards were wintering there the Indians did not miss four nights in making their continuous attacks and raising alarms. Reaching this common decision, our men left that post at the beginning of April of the year I 54 I, and having marched on the first day four leagues through a level country dotted with many small pueblos having fifteen or twenty houses, they passed a quarter of a league beyond the inhabited region, it appearing to them that the Indians of Chicac;a, who had been so troublesome to them in their own country, on seeing them beyond their pueblos, would stop pursuing them. But they had other, very different ideas, totally opposed to peace, as we shall soon see. When the Spaniards halted to make camp in that field they sent cavalry to scour the country on every side and see what was all around the camp. They returned with the information that nearby was a fort built of wood, manned by very select warriors who apparently numbered about four thousand. The general, choosing fifty cavalry, went to reconnoiter the fort, and having seen it, he returned to his men and said: "Gentlemen, it is well that before night closes in we drive our enemies from the fort where they have fortified themselves . Not content with the molestation and trouble that they have given us so persistently in their own country, now that we are out of it they still wish to harass us, to show that they do not fear your arms, since they come to seek them outside their boundaries. Therefore it will be well for us to chastise them and for them not to remain where they are tonight, because if we leave them there they can come out successively in armed bands and shoot arrows at us all night, not allowing us to rest." Everyone agreed with what the governor had said, and thus leaving a third of the infantry and cavalry to guard the camp, all the rest went with the governor to assail the fort, called Alibamo. It was square, with four equal curtains made of embedded logs, the curtain of each wall being four hundred paces long. Inside the square were two other curtains of wood, which crossed the fort from one wall to the other. The front curtain had three small doors, so low that a mounted man could not go through them. One door was in the middle of the curtain and the other two were at the sides near the corners. In line with these three doors there were three others in each curtain , so that if the Spaniards should take the first ones, the Indians could defend themselves at those of the second curtain, and of the third and the fourth. The doors of the last curtain opened on a river that passed behind the fort. Though narrow, this river was very deep and had such steep banks that one could go up and down them only with difficulty on foot and not at all on horseback. This was the intention of the Indians, to make a fort in which they could be sure that the Castilians would not attack them with the horses by entering through the doors or by crossing the river, but would fight...

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