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A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Vol. 5 by Robert Kerr

R >> Robert Kerr >> A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Vol. 5




It pleased God that the water began to subside towards the latter end of
April; yet so slowly that on the 10th of May there was no going about
the streets of the town on account of the deep mire with which they were
filled. This was the more distressing to the Spaniards as they were
barefooted, all their shoes having been burnt at Mavila, and the shoes
they had since been able to make, being of untanned leather, were like
so much tripe as soon as wet. At the latter end of May, the great river
returned to its usual channel, and the confederated Indians again drew
their forces together to execute their original design against the
Spaniards, of which they received intelligence from Anilco; who likewise
informed Alvarado of the signals which had been concerted by the
confederates for the better prosecution of their enterprise, and even
offered to assist the Spaniards with 8000 well armed warriors, and that
if they chose to retire into his country the confederates would not dare
to attack them. Alvarado returned thanks for these friendly offers, but
declined accepting them; because as he intended to go down the river and
to quit the country, he did not deem it proper either to take refuge in
the territory of Anilco or to accept the assistance of his warriors, as
either of those might draw upon him the confederated hostility of his
neighbours: But he promised, if it should please God ever to put it in
his power, Anilco should not have cause to repent the service he had
been of to the king of Spain, or the kindness he had shewn to the
Spaniards. In conclusion, he recommended to Anilco to discontinue any
farther intercourse with him, lest he might give umbrage to the
confederated caciques. Many of the Spaniards were so puffed up by the
friendly offers of Anilco, that they endeavoured to persuade Alvarado to
accept the proferred aid, and prosecute an offensive war, thinking it
easy to subdue these people. But Alvarado was quite sensible of his
present weakness, and determined to leave the country as soon as
possible; besides which he did not deem it prudent to confide too much
on the fidelity of Anilco.

Four days afterwards, exactly conformable to the information received
from Anilco, a numerous embassy arrived from the confederated caciques,
intended to spy out the posture of the Spaniards, to enable them to
concert measures for the intended attack. Having rigidly examined these
pretended messengers, it was debated among the leaders of the Spaniards
what ought to be done with these fraudulent envoys. Some were for giving
them fair words, as had been the practice hitherto; but it was finally
resolved to punish them in an exemplary manner, that the caciques might
know their treachery was discovered, which might perhaps prevent the
execution of their designs. Accordingly though the messengers on this
occasion were very numerous, thirty only were selected who had their
hands cut off, and were sent back in this guise to their employers, with
a message signifying that the Spaniards had all along been aware of
their villainy. This severe example proved successful, insomuch that the
confederacy was immediately dissolved, and the forces retired to their
respective countries. Yet as the Spaniards had only built seven great
boats, they thought they might possibly be more successful by water, and
they agreed to collect a great number of canoes to attack them while
going down the river.

As the Spaniards believed that their only safety depended upon going
down the river as soon as possible, they hastened the completion of
their vessels; and as they had not enough of iron for the construction
of whole decks, they satisfied themselves with quarter-decks and
fore-castles to secure the provisions, laying planks only a midships.
Every thing relative to the brigantines being completed, they gathered
all the Indian corn, pulse, and dried fruit they could procure; made
bacon of all the swine that were left alive, except eighteen they
carried with them alive, and two boars and two sows which they gave to
each of the two caciques who were their friends. With the lard of the
slaughtered swine, they tempered rosin instead of pitch and tar for
paying their vessels. They likewise provided a number of canoes; part of
which were lashed two and two together to carry thirty horses which
still remained alive, and answered well for the purpose; the rest were
distributed among the brigantines, each having one at her stern to serve
as a boat. On midsummer day 1543 the brigantines were launched into the
great river, and on St Peters day, the 29th of that month, every thing
being in readiness, the brigantines and canoes having defences made of
boards and skins to fend off the arrows, they took leave of the friendly
caciques, Anilco and Guachacoya, and set sail down the great river.

Two captains were appointed to each brigantine, that when one had
occasion to land the other might remain on board in charge of the
vessel. About 350 Spaniards embarked, all that remained of 900 who had
originally landed in Florida. Near thirty Indian men and women were on
board each vessel, all of their own free will, as they declared they
would rather die with their masters than remain behind. Accordingly on
St Peters day before mentioned, about sunset, after Alvarado had given
regular instructions to all his officers and encouraged his men, they
began their voyage, holding on their course down the river both with
sails and oars, all that night and the next day and night. But on the
following day they were opposed by a fleet of near 1000 canoes belonging
to the confederated caciques, some of which were so large as to have
twenty-five paddies on each side, and carrying many armed men besides
the rowers. These large canoes were called the _admirals_, as being
supposed to have the principal commanders on board. One was painted red,
another blue, and others of several colours; the men on board having
their bodies painted of the same colours as the canoes, as were their
bows. All this splendid shew, with the variegated plumes of feathers on
the heads of the warriors, made a grand display. While they rowed after
the Spaniards, they kept time to their songs, which were said by the
interpreters to signify, "That the vagabond strangers should all be
slain on the water, and become food for the fishes."

After taking a close view of the Spanish brigantines, the Indians
divided their fleet of canoes into three equal squadrons, plying up
close to the bank on the starboard side; and when up with the
brigantines, the van forming a long and narrow line a-head, crossed the
river obliquely passing close by the brigantines, into which they all
successively threw in a shower of arrows, by which several Spaniards
were wounded notwithstanding their targets and baricades. The other
squadrons did the same in regular order, and as the brigantines
continued on their course, the squadrons of canoes continued
successively to repeat similar charges, both day and night, expecting in
this manner to destroy all the Spaniards by degrees. The Spaniards held
on their way for ten successive days and nights, continually assailed in
this manner by the Indians, and doing some execution in their turn by
means of their crossbows, all their musquets having been turned into
iron work for the brigantines, having become useless as all their powder
was expended. At the end of these ten days, the Indian fleet drew back
from the Spaniards to the distance of about half a league. The
Spaniards, still advancing came in sight of a small town, and supposed
from the Indians leaving them that they were now near the sea, having
run by estimation 200 leagues, as they used both sails and oars, and
went straight down the river without stopping in any place. Being
desirous of procuring provisions, Alvarado ordered 100 men to land, with
eight horses; and as the Indians immediately abandoned their town, they
procured plenty of provisions of all sorts. In this town likewise they
found leather made of goats skins, some white, and some of various
colours, and other skins of different kinds well dressed, and many
mantles. They found here a long slip of the finest sables, eight ells in
length and an ell broad, adorned at regular distances with strings of
pearls and small tufts of seed pearl, regularly placed. Gonzalo
Silvestre who commanded on this enterprise, got this rarity to his
share, which was supposed to be some ensign of war, or some ornament for
their dances.

As many Indians appeared collecting in the fields, and the canoes were
returning to attack the brigantines, Alvarado ordered the trumpets to
sound a retreat to recall Silvestre and his men on board. On this
occasion the Spaniards were obliged to abandon their horses, which the
Indians immediately shot to death with their arrows. When the party was
all returned to the brigantines, the Spaniards resumed their voyage down
the river, followed by the canoes, which did not now retain their former
order, but followed in several separate squadrons. On the thirteenth day
of their voyage down the great river, one of the brigantines happening
to fall about an hundred paces behind the rest, the Indians immediately
attacked and even boarded it, and would in all probability have made
themselves master of it, had not the other brigantines come up to its
rescue. However the Indians carried off the canoe from the stern, in
which were five sows that had been reserved for a breed.

On the sixteenth day of the voyage, one Estevanez, a desperate yet
clownish fellow, who was vain of the reputation he had acquired by his
intrepidity, took away the canoe from the stern of the brigantine in
which he was embarked, and persuaded five other soldiers to accompany
him, saying that he was going to perform an exploit to gain fame, and to
obtain leave of the captain of the vessel, he pretended that he was
going to speak with the general. When he had got clear of the
brigantine, he immediately made towards the enemy, crying out _fall on
them! they run!_ When Alvarado saw this mad action he endeavoured to
recall Estevanez by sound of trumpet, and sent about forty men after him
in several canoes under the command of Juan de Guzman, to bring back
Estevanez whom Alvarado intended to hang for his breach of discipline.
At the same time the brigantines furled their sails and rowed up against
the stream to support the canoes. The Indian canoes, which covered the
water for an extent of a quarter of a league, retreated a little way on
purpose to separate the Spanish canoes from the brigantines; on which,
quite frantic at seeing them give way, Estevanez pushed on, followed by
the other canoes which were sent to bring him back. The Indian canoes
then drew up in form of a crescent, and when the Spanish canoes were
well advanced among them, those Indian canoes which formed the horn or
point on the right, attacked them so furiously athwart ships that they
sunk them all, by which means all the Spaniards were drowned, and if any
happened to appear above water, they were either shot with arrows, or
had their brains dashed out by the paddles. Thus forty-eight Spaniards
perished, only four escaping of all that were in the canoes. The Indians
held on their pursuit of the brigantines all that day making continual
rejoicings for their victory. On the _seventeenth_ day at sun-rise, when
the Indians had paid their adorations to the sun with hideous cries, and
a prodigious noise of drums, horns, and trumpets, they ceased the
pursuit of the Spaniards and retired, having continued the chase about
four hundred leagues.

The river was now estimated by the Spaniards to be _fifteen_ leagues
across, from which they concluded they were near the sea, yet did not
venture to quit the main stream for fear of hidden danger. Thus holding
on their course, on the nineteenth day of their voyage they came to the
sea, computing that they had run little short of 500 leagues[191], from
the place where they built their brigantines. Being ignorant whereabout
they were, they cast anchor at an island, where they rested three days
to recover from their long fatigues and continual watching, and to refit
their brigantines. They here computed how far they had been up the
country, and as already mentioned estimated the distance from where the
brigantines were built to the sea at near 500 leagues: And as the river
was there nineteen feet deep and a quarter of a league over, they
conjectured that the source of the river might be still 300 leagues
farther up the country, or 800 leagues in its whole course. When the
Spaniards had been three days in this island, they observed seven canoes
to issue from a place overgrown with tall reeds, and come towards them.
When within hearing, a gigantic man, as black as a negro, stood up in
the headmost canoe and addressed them in the following harangue:
"Wherefore do you vagabond robbers stroll about this coast, disturbing
its inhabitants? Get you gone speedily by one of the mouths of the great
river, and let me not find you here after this night, or I will kill you
all and burn your ships!" After this he withdrew among the reeds, and
Alvarado sent Gonzalo Silvestre with 100 men in the remaining canoes to
examine the inlet among the reeds. Of these men seventeen were armed
with cross-bows and three had long bows taken from the Indians, as the
want of musquets had induced the Spaniards to use the arms of their
enemies, at which they were become skilful. On getting into the creek or
inlet among the reeds, Silvestre found sixty small canoes drawn up in
readiness to receive him, which he immediately attacked, and overset
three of them at the first shock, wounding many of the Indians; and as
all the rest of the canoes immediately fled, Silvestre and his party
returned to the brigantines.

[Footnote 191: Five hundred Spanish leagues at 17-1/2 to a degree, or
about four English miles, would amount to about 2000 miles of voyage
down the Missisippi; but we have no sufficient warrant in the text to
ascertain the league used by Herrera, neither is it probable that the
Spaniards on this occasion could make any computation nearly accurate.
The only reasonable conjecture on this subject is from the number of
days employed in descending the river, which the text informs us was
_nineteen_, three of which we may suppose were occupied in different
stoppages. We know likewise from Imlays Description of Kentucky, p. 126,
that the ordinary rate of descending the Missisippi is about 80 miles a
day. On these data, the Spaniards made a voyage down that river of about
1280 English miles, from which we may conclude that they had wintered
somewhere about the situation of New Madrid, in lat. 36 deg. 30' N. or
perhaps nearly opposite the junction of the Ohio with the great
river.--E.]

Leaving the island, and going out into the open sea, the Spaniards now
bore away to the westwards to endeavour to find their way to New Spain,
always keeping the coast of Florida[192] on their starboard-side or
right hand. They knew not whereabout they were, and had neither chart
nor compass to guide their course, neither had they any instrument to
find the latitude; but they satisfied themselves in the hope of reaching
New Spain by following the coast. During all the first day and night,
they continued to sail among the fresh water of the great river. After
this they held on their course for fifteen days without any thing
remarkable taking place; only that they were under the necessity of
landing every day to procure water, as they had no vessels in which to
carry any store on board. At the end of that period they got among a
parcel of small islands, which were frequented by such multitudes of sea
fowl that the entire surface was covered by their nests, so that there
was scarcely room to tread. These furnished an ample supply of
provisions, though their flesh had somewhat of a fishy taste. Next day
they landed on a pleasant shore covered with trees, to procure water;
and while looking about in search of shell fish, some pieces of bitumen
were found resembling pitch, and upon farther search they were fortunate
enough to find the source whence it flowed. On finding this convenience,
they thought proper to repair or careen their brigantines, which had
become leaky, which they did by means of this bitumen melted along with
a proper quantity of hogs lard. This work occupied them for eight days,
during which time they only saw eight Indians, to whom they gave some
trinkets they had yet remaining, without asking any questions respecting
the country where they now were, as all their hopes and wishes centered
in arriving in New Spain.

[Footnote 192: It has been already noticed that the term Florida is used
in the whole of this chapter in a very extended sense, being applied to
all of North America to the north of the Gulf of Mexico. Immediately on
leaving the great river or Missisippi, and sailing to the west, the
coast is new known under the name of Louisiana.--E.]

They proceeded on their voyage keeping as close as possible to the
shore, for fear of being driven out to sea by the north wind, and
likewise for the convenience of fishing, as they had nothing else now to
eat, for which reason they always made some stay wherever they found
good fishing-grounds. They continued always in this manner, coasting the
land which lay to starboard, the wisest among them being quite ignorant
whereabout they were, yet always satisfied that by holding this course
they must at length get to New Spain if not swallowed up by the waves.
At the end of fifty-three days after leaving the great river, the north
wind of which they had been so long in dread began to blow with great
fury[193]. On this occasion five of the vessels which kept close under
the land sought shelter in a creek; but the other two, being somewhat
farther out at sea, were in great danger of perishing. They were all
stark naked, having only clouts hung before them, and were almost
drowned with wet and benumbed with cold, as part of them had continually
to bale out the water from their vessels while the rest handed the
sails. At length the gale somewhat moderating, they were able to shape a
course to the westwards, and having been twenty-six hours in great
distress without food or sleep, they discovered land about sunset. One
young man who had been twice before upon the coast said that he now
knew the land, though he could not say in what country it was: But he
said that part which seemed black was a high bluff impracticable shore,
while that which had a white appearance was a clean soft sandy beach,
and advised them to endeavour to make for that part before night, as if
the wind should drive them on the black coast there would be no
probability of saving their lives. The officers of the brigantine in
which this young man was endeavoured by signs to make known what was
intended to the other vessel, and then made direct for the white coast
followed by the other, and before sunset ran both vessels aground on the
sandy beach, after which they lightened both vessels by carrying every
thing on shore, and propped them up to keep them from oversetting.
Having thus landed, two men undertook to go in quest of the other
brigantines.

[Footnote 193: By this time their course must have long been almost due
south along the coast of the new kingdom of Leon, and province of Nuevo
Santander.--E.]

Next day three parties were sent out in different directions to discover
the country. The two parties which went along the coast to the right and
left soon returned with some broken pieces of earthen ware, of the kinds
which are made at Talavera and Malaga in Spain, which gave them much
satisfaction to think that they must now be in the neighbourhood of
their countrymen. Gonzalo Silvestre, who went up the country with the
third party, at the end of a quarter of a league saw some Indians
fishing on a lake[194], and two others gathering fruit from the trees.
The Spaniards endeavoured to lay hold of these two Indians, but one of
them escaped by swimming over the lake. Silvestre found likewise in a
cottage two small baskets of fruit, a turkey, a cock and two Spanish
hens, and some conserve of _maguey_. Still holding fast the Indian,
Silvestre went back to his comrades at the sea-side, and to all the
inquiries they made of the Indian as to where they were, his only answer
was _Brezos! Brezos!_ which, as they afterwards learnt, was meant to
signify that he belonged to a Spaniard named Christoval de Brezos. On
rejoining his companions, Silvestre found them rejoicing at the sight of
the broken earthen dishes; but they were still more gratified at seeing
the Spanish poultry, and the Indian being now reassured on finding he
was in the hands of Spaniards, told them they were in the province of
Panuco, and that the other brigantines had gone up the river Tampico to
that city, which was ten leagues off. He said likewise that he belonged
to one Christoval de Brezos; and that a cacique resided only at the
distance of a league and a half who could read and write. Accordingly
they gave the Indian some toys and sent him to the cacique; and in four
hours afterwards the cacique came to them attended by eight Indians,
loaded with fowls, fish, fruit, and Indian corn, and brought them paper,
pens, and ink, that they might write an account of their arrival and
situation to the governor of Panuco.

[Footnote 194: Probably the lake of _Tamiagua_, a few miles south from
the river _Tampico_, into which, as will be found in the sequel, the
other five brigantines had got at the beginning of the storm. In this
case, the two brigantines had run upon a spit which separates that lake
or lagoon from the sea.--E.]

The two men who had gone in search of the five brigantines, found them
in the river Tampico, so that the whole company met at the end of eight
days, all barefooted and almost entirely naked, having only some scanty
coverings of the skins of deer, bears, and other animals. The governor
of Panuco treated them with much attention, and sent advice of their
situation to the viceroy of Mexico, who ordered them to be sent without
delay to that city, and sent them four horse-loads of shirts, shoes, and
other necessaries, besides medicines and sweetmeats. After recovering
from their fatigues, the men were ready to destroy their officers for
not having settled in Florida, where there was such plenty of pearls and
rich furs. On their march to Mexico, which was made in several
detachments to avoid mischief, the people everywhere ran to see them
pass as so many monsters. At Mexico they were clothed and kindly treated
by the rich inhabitants; and as discord soon broke out again among them,
for having abandoned so fine a country as Florida, the viceroy appeased
them by promising to undertake the enterprise speedily in person along
with them, when they should all have good pay, and that he would provide
for them in the mean time. When clothed, some of the adventurers
returned into Spain, others remained in Mexico, and others went into
Peru, while some entered into monasteries; and thus all these brave
soldiers were dispersed.

Those persons who had been sent by the late general, Ferdinand de Soto,
when he first advanced into the interior of Florida, to bring him
supplies from the Havannah, faithfully obeyed his orders, as they sailed
from thence four several years, and plied all along the coast to find
him, but could never hear any tidings of him or any of his men, till, in
the year 1543, arriving at Vera Cruz in October, they learnt that the
remains of the expedition had been conducted to Mexico.--_This relation
has been faithfully taken from that which was transmitted to the king,
immediately after the close of that unfortunate enterprise_.

END OF THE FIFTH VOLUME.

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