A Narrative of the expedition of Hernando de Soto into Florida published at Evora in 1557Knight of Elvas
History
A Narrative of the expedition of Hernando de Soto into Florida published at Evora in 1557
Knight of Elvas
America -- Discovery and exploration; Florida -- History -- To 1565; Soto, Hernando de, approximately 1500-1542
From the town of _Ucita_ the Governor sent the Alcalde mayor, _Baltasar
de Gallegos_, with forty horsemen and eighty footmen into the country to
see if they could take any Indians; and the Captain _John Rodriguez
Lobillo_ another way with fifty footmen: the most of them were
swordsmen and targeters, and the rest were shot and crossbow-men. They
passed through a country full of bogs, where horses could not travel.
Half a league from the camp they lighted upon, certain cabins of Indians
near a river. The people that were in them leaped into the river, yet
they took four Indian women. And twenty Indians charged us and so
distressed us, that we were forced to retire to our camp, being, as they
are, exceeding ready with their weapons. It is a people so warlike and
so nimble, that they care not a whit for any footmen. For if their
enemies charge them they run away, and if they turn their backs they are
presently upon them. And the thing that they most flee is the shot of an
arrow. They never stand still, but are always running and traversing
from one place to another, by reason whereof neither crossbow nor
arquebuss can aim at them; and before one crossbowman can make one shot
an Indian will discharge three or four arrows, and he seldom misseth
what he shooteth at. An arrow where it findeth no armor, pierceth as
deeply as a crossbow. Their bows are very long, and their arrows are
made of certain canes like reeds, very heavy, and so strong that a sharp
cane passeth through a target. Some they arm in the point with a sharp
bone of a fish like a chisel, and in others they fasten certain stones
like points of diamonds. For the most part when they light upon an armor
they break in the place where they are bound together. Those of cane do
split and pierce a coat of mail, and are more hurtful than the other.
_John Rodriguez Lobillo_ returned to the camp with six men wounded,
whereof one died; and brought the four Indian women which _Baltasar
Gallegos_ had taken in the cabins or cottages. Two leagues from the
town, coming into the plain field, he espied ten or eleven Indians,
among whom was a Christian, which was naked and scorched with the sun,
and had his arms razed after the manner of the Indians, and differed
nothing at all from them. And as soon as the horsemen saw them they ran
toward them. The Indians fled, and some of them hid themselves in a
wood, and they overtook two or three of them which were wounded; and the
Christian seeing a horseman run upon him with his lance, began to cry
out, "Sirs, I am a Christian, slay me not, nor these Indians, for they
have saved my life." And straightway he called them and put them out of
fear, and they came forth of the wood unto them. The horsemen took both
the Christian and the Indians up behind them, and toward night came into
the camp with much joy; which thing being known by the Governor, and
them that remained in the camp, they were received with the like.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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