Some small way before there was a Cacique, whose name was Vzachil, a kinseman of the Cacique of Caliquen their Lord, waiting for him with many presents, and they desired the Gouernor that he would loose the Cacique. But he would not, fearing that they would rise, and would not giue him any guides, & sent them away from day to day with good words. He trauelled fiue daies, he passed by some smal townes, townes. he came to a towne called Napetuca, the 15. day Napetuca. of September. Thither came 14. or 15. Indians, and besought y Gouernor to let loose the Cacique of Caliquen their Lord. He answered them that he held him not in prison, but that hee would haue him to accompanie him to Vzachil. The Gouernour had notice by lohn Ortiz, that an Indian told him how they determined to gather themselues together, and come vpon him, and giue him battell, and take away the Cacique from him. The day that it was agreed vpon, the Gouernour commanded his men to bee in a readines, and that the horsemen should bee readie armed and on horsebacke euery one in his lodging, because the Indians might not see them, and so more confidently come to the towne. There came four hundred Indians in sight of the campe with their bowes and arrowes, and placed themselues in a wood, and sent two Indians to bid the Gouernour to deliuer them the Cacique. The Gouernour with sixe footemen leading the Cacique by the hand, and talkwith him, to secure the Indians, went toward the place where they were: And seeing a fit time, commanded to sound a trumpet and presently those that were in the towne in the houses, both horse and foot, set vpon the Indians, which were so suddenly assaulted, that the greatest care they had was which way they should flee: They killed two horses; one was the Gouernours, and hee was presently horsed againe vpon another. There were 30. or 40. Indians slaine. The rest fled to two very great lakes, that were somewhat distant the one from the other: There they were swimming, and the Christians round about them. The calieuermen and crossebowmen shot at them from the banke; but the distance being great, and shooting afarre off, they did them no hurt. The Gouernour commanded that the same night they should compasse one of the lakes, because they were so great, that there were not me enow to compasse them both; being beset, assoone as night shut in, the Indians, with determination to runne away, came swimming very softly to the banke; and to hide themselues, they put a water lillie leafe on their heads. The horsemen assoone as they perceiued it to stirre, ran into the water to the horses breasts, and the Indians filed againe into Two very great lakes. the A now conspiracic. the lake. So this night passed with any rest on both sides. John Ortiz perswaded them, that seeing they could not escape, they should yeeld themselues to the Gouernour: which they did, enforced thereunto by the coldnes of the water; and one by one, hee first whom the cold did first ouercome, cried to John Ortiz, desiring that they would not kill him, for he came to put himselfe into the hands of the Gouernour. By the morning watch they made an end of yeelding themselues: only 12. principall men, being more honorable and valorous then the rest, resolued rather to die then to come into his hands. And the Indians of Paracossi, which were now loosed out of chaines, went swimming to them, and pulled them out by the haire of their heads, and they were all put in chaines; and the next day were diuided among the Christians for their seruice. Being thus in captiuitie, they determined to rebell; and gaue in charge to an Indian, which was interpretour, and held to be valiant, that assoone as the Gouernour did come to speake with him, hee should cast his hands about his necke, and choke him: Who, whe he saw opportunitie, laid hands on the Gouernour, and before he cast his hands about his necke, he gaue him such a blow on the nostrils, that hee made them gush out with blood, and presently all the rest did rise. He that could get any weapons at hand, or the handle wherewith he did grind the Maiz, sought to kill his master, or the first hee met before him: and hee that could get a lance or sword at hand, bestirred himselfe in such sort with it, as though he had vsed it all his life time. One Indian in the market place enclosed betweene 15. or 20. footemen, made a way like a bull with a sword in his hand, till certaine halbardiers of the Gouernour came, which killed him. Another gat vp with a lance to a loft made of canes, which they build to keepe their Maiz in, which they call a Barbacoa, and there hee made such a noise, as though tenne men had been there defending the doore: they slew him with a partisan. Two hundred The Indians were in all about two hundred men. Indians taken. They were all subdued. And some of the young est the Gouernour gaue to them which had good chaines, and were carefull to looke to them that they gat not away. Al the rest he commanded to be put to death, being tied to a stake in the midst of the market place: and the Indians of the Paracossi did shoote them to death. CHAP. CHAP. XII. How the Gouernour came to Apalache, and was informed, that within the land, there was much gold. A Riuer. The next Hapaluya a great towne. Vzachil. * Aboboras. He Gouernour departed from Napetuca the 23. of September: he lodged by a Riuer, where two Indians brought him a buck from the Cacique of Vzachil. day he passed by a great towne called Hapaluya; and lodged at Vzachil, and found no people in it, because they durst not tarrie for the notice the Indians had of the slaughter of Napetuca. He found in that towne great store of Maiz, french beanes, and pompions, which is their foode, and that wherewith the Christians there sustained themselues. The Maiz is like course millet, and the pompions are better and more sauorie then those of Spaine. From thence the Gouernour sent two Captaines each a sundry way to seeke the Indians. They tooke an hundred men and women of which aswel there as in other places where they made any inrodes, the Captaine chose one or two for the Gouernour, and diuided the rest to himselfe, and those that went with him. They led these Indians in chaines with yron collars about their neckes; and they serued to carrie their stuffe, and to grind their Maiz, and for other seruices that such captiues could doe. Sometimes it happened that going for wood or Maiz with them, they killed the Christian that led them, and ran away with the chaine : others filed their chaines by night with a peece of stone, wherewith they cut them, and vse it in stead of yron. Those that were perceiued paid for themselues, and for the rest, because they should not dare to doe the like another time. The women and young boyes, when they were once an hundred leagues from their Countrie, and had forgotten things, they let goe loose, and so they serued; and in a very short space they vnderstood the language of the Christians. From Vzachil the Gouernour departed toward Apalache, and in two daies iournie, hee came to a towne called Axille, and from thence forward the Indians were carelesse, because they had as yet no notice of the Christians. The next day in the morning, the first of October, he departed from thence, and commanded a bridge to bee made ouer a Riuer which hee was to passe. The deepe of the Riuer where the bridge was made, was a stones cast, and forward a crossebow shot the water came to the waste; and the wood, Axille. A Riuer. VOL. IV.--No. 1. 3 whereby Vitachuco. October 25. : whereby the Indians came to see if they could defend the passage, and disturbe those which made the bridge, was very hie and thicke. The crossebow men so bestirred themselues that they made them giue back and certain plancks were cast into the Riuer, whereon the men passed, which made good the passage. The Gouernor passed vpō Wednesday, which was S. Francis his day, and lodged at a towne which was called Vitachuco, subiect to Apalache: he found it burning; for the Indians had set it on fire. From thence forward the countrie was much inhabited, and had great store of Maiz. Hee passed by many granges like hamlets. On Sunday the 25. of October, he came to a towne, which is called Vzela, and vpon Tuesday to Anaica Apalache, where the Lord of all that Countrie and Prouince was resident: in which towne the Campemaster, whose office is to quarter out, and lodge men, did lodge all the companie round about within a league, and halfe a league of it. There were other townes, where was great store of Maiz, Pompions, French Beanes, and Plummes of the Countrie, which are better then those of Spaine, and they grow in the fields without planting. The victuals that were thought necessarie to passe the winter, were Vzela. Anaica Apa lache. Apalache within 10. leagues of the sea. Ochete. gathered from these townes to Anaica Apalache. The Gouernour was informed, that the sea was ten leagues from thence. Hee presently sent a Captaine thither with horsemen and footemen: And sixe leagues on the way, he found a towne, which was named Ochete, and so came to the sea; and found a great tree felled, and cut into peeces, with stakes set vp like mangers, and saw the skulles of horses. Hee returned with this newes. And that was held for certaine, which was reported of Pamphilo de Naruaez, that there hee had builded the barkes wherewith he went out of the land of Florida, and was cast away at Sea. Presently the Gouernour sent Iohn Danusco with 30. horsemen to the port de Spiritu Santo, where Calderan was, with order, that they should abandon the port, and all of them come to Apalache. He departed on Saturday the 17. of Nouember. In Vzachil and other townes that stood in the way he found great store of people alreadie carelesse. Hee would take none of the Indians, for not hindring himselfe, because it behooued him to giue them no leasure to gather themselues together. He passed through the townes by night, and rested without the townes three or foure houres. In tenne daies he came to the Port de Spirito Santo. He carried with him 20. Indian women, The Port de Spiritu Santo tenne daies iournie from Aapalache. which he tooke in Ytara, and Potano, neere vnto Cale, and sent them to Donna Isabella in the two carauels, which hee sent from the Port de Spirito Santo to Cuba. And he carried all the footemen in the brigandines, and coasting along the shore, came to Apalache. And Calderan with the horsemen, and some crossebowmen on foote went by land; and in some places the Indians set vpon him, and wounded some of his men. Assoone as he came to Apalache; presently the Gouernour sent sawed plankes and spikes to the seaside, wherewith was made a piragua or barke, wherein were embarked 30. men well armed; which went out of the Bay to the Sea, looking for the brigandines. Sometimes they fought with the Indians, which passed along the harbour in their canoes. Vpon Saturday the 29. of Nouember, there Nouem. 29. came an Indian through the Watch vndiscouered, Decem. 28. and set the towne on fire, and with the great wind that blew, two parts of it were consumed in a short time. On Sonday the 28. of December came lohn Danusco with the brigandines. The Gouernour sent Francisco Maldonado a Captaine of footemen with 50. men to discouer the coast Westward, and to seeke some Port, because he had determined to go by land, and discouer yt part. That day there went out eight horsemen by commandement of the Gouernor into the field, two leagues about the towne to seeke Indians for they were now so emboldened, that within two crossebow shot of ye camp, they came and slew men. They found two men and a woman gathering French Beanes: the men, though they might haue fled, yet because they would not leaue the woman, which was one of their wiues, they resolued to die fighting: and before they were slaine, they wounded three horses, whereof one died within a few daies after. Calderan going with his men by the Sea-coast, from a wood that was neere the place, the Indians set vpon him, and made him forsake his way, and many of them that went with him forsooke some necessarie victuals, which they carried with them. Three or foure daies after the limited time giuen by the Gouernour to Maldonado for his going and comming, being alreadie determined and resolued, if within eight daies he did not come, to tarrie no longer for him, be came, and brought an Indian from a Prouince, which was called Ochus, sixtie leagues Westward from Apalache; where he had found a good depth and defense against weather. the Gouernor hoped to find a good ward, he was very well contented. for victuals to Hauana, with order, that he should tarrie for him at the Port of Ochus, which hee had discouered, for hee would Ochus 60. leagues West Port of good And he sent Maldonado goe |