_Lost in the Wilderness._
Incidents at Achise--Arrival at Cofa.--Friendly Reception
by Cofaqui.--The Armed Retinue.--Commission of
Patofa.--Splendors of the March.--Lost in the
Wilderness.--Peril of the Army.--Friendly Relations.--The
Escape from the Wilderness.--They Reach the Frontiers of
Cofachiqui.--Dismissal of Patofa.--Wonderful Reception by
the Princess of Cofachiqui.
After a couple of days of rest and feasting, the Spanish army resumed
its march. De Soto led the advance with forty horsemen and seventy
foot soldiers. Ere long they entered the province of Attapaha, from
which the river Attapaha probably takes its name. On the morning of
the third day they approached a village called Achise. The affrighted
natives had fled. Two warriors who had tarried behind, were captured
as the dragoons came dashing into the streets. They were led into the
presence of De Soto. Without waiting to be addressed by him, they
haughtily assailed him with the question,
"What is it you seek in our land? Is it peace, or is it war?" De Soto
replied, through his interpreter,
"We seek not war with any one. We are in search of a distant province;
and all that we ask for is an unobstructed passage through your
country, and food by the way."
The answer seemed to them perfectly satisfactory, and they at once
entered apparently into the most friendly relations. The captives were
set at liberty and treated by the Spaniards, in all respects, as
friends. Promptly the two warriors sent a message to their chief,
informing him of the peaceful disposition of the Spaniards, and he
accordingly issued orders to his people not to molest them.
In this pleasant village, and surrounded by this friendly people, De
Soto spent three days. He then resumed his journey, in a northeasterly
direction, along the banks of some unknown river, fringed with
mulberry trees, and winding through many luxuriant and beautiful
valleys. The natives were all friendly, and not the slightest
collision occurred. For eleven days the army continued its movements,
encountering nothing worthy of note.
They then entered a province called Cofa. De Soto sent couriers in
advance to the chief with proffers of friendship. The chief, in
return, sent a large number of Indians laden with food for the
strangers. With the provisions were sent rabbits, partridges, and a
species of dog whose flesh was held in high esteem. The Spaniards
suffered for want of meat; for though game in the forest was abundant,
being constantly on the march, they had no time for hunting.
The chief of Cofa received the Spaniards in his metropolitan town with
great hospitality. He assigned his own mansion to De Soto, and
provided comfortable quarters for all his troops. The natives and the
Spaniards mingled together without the slightest apparent antagonism.
The province of Cofa was of large extent, populous and fertile. Here
the Spaniards remained five days, entertained by the abounding
hospitality of the chief.
De Soto had thus far brought with him a piece of ordnance, which had
proved of very little service. It was heavy and exceedingly difficult
of transportation. He decided to leave it behind him with this
friendly people. To impress them, however, with an idea of its power
as an engine of destruction, he caused it to be loaded and aimed at a
large oak tree just outside of the village. Two shots laid the oak
prostrate. The achievement filled both the chief and his people with
amazement and awe.
Again the army resumed its march towards the next province, which was
called Cofaqui; whose chief was brother of Cofa. The Spaniards were
escorted by Cofa and a division of his army, during one day's journey.
The friendly chief then took an affectionate leave of De Soto, and
sent forward couriers to inform his brother of the approach of the
Spaniards and to intercede for his kindly offices in their behalf. It
required a march of six days to reach the territory of the new
chieftain.
In response to Cofa's message, Cofaqui dispatched four of his
subordinate chiefs, with a message of welcome to the Spaniards. He
sent out his runners to bring him speedy intelligence of their
approach. As soon as he received news that they were drawing near, he
started himself, with a retinue of warriors in their richest
decorations, to welcome the strangers. The meeting, on both sides, was
equally cordial. Side by side, almost hand in hand, the Floridians and
the Spaniards entered the pleasant streets of Cofaqui. The chief led
De Soto to his own mansion, and left him in possession there while he
retired to another dwelling.
The intercourse between these two illustrious men seemed to be as
cordial as that between two loving brothers. The Floridian chief, with
great frankness, gave De Soto information respecting the extent,
population and resources of his domain. He informed him that the
province of Cofachiqui, of which he was in search, could only be
reached by a journey of seven days, through a dreary wilderness. But
he offered, should De Soto decide to continue his journey, to send a
strong band of his army, to accompany him with ample supplies. De Soto
afterwards ascertained that there was some duplicity in this proposal;
or rather, that the chief had a double object in view. It appeared,
that there had been long and hereditary antagonism between the
province of Cofaqui, and that of Cofachiqui; and the chief availed
himself of that opportunity to invade the territory of his rival.
Scouts were sent out in all directions to assemble the warriors, and
De Soto was surprised to find an army of four thousand soldiers, and
as many burden-bearers, ready to accompany him. The provisions, with
which they were fully supplied, consisted mainly of corn, dried plums
and nuts of various kinds. Indian hunters accompanied the expedition
to search the forests for game.
The Spaniards at first were not a little alarmed in finding themselves
in company with such an army of natives; outnumbering them eight to
one, and they were apprehensive of treachery. Soon, however, their
fears in that direction were allayed, for the chief frankly avowed the
object of the expedition. Summoning before him Patofa, the captain of
the native army, he said to him, in presence of the leading Spanish
officers in the public square:
"You well know that a perpetual enmity has existed between our fathers
and the Indians of Cofachiqui. That hatred you know has not abated in
the least. The wrongs we have received from that vile tribe still
rankle in our hearts, unavenged. The present opportunity must not be
lost. You, at the head of my braves, must accompany this chief and his
warriors, and, under their protection, wreak vengeance on our
enemies."
Patofa, who was a man of very imposing appearance, stepped forward,
and after going through several evolutions with a heavy broadsword
carved from wood, exceedingly hard, said:
"I pledge my word to fulfill your commands, so far as may be in my
power. I promise, by aid of the strangers, to revenge the insults and
deaths, our fathers have sustained from the natives of Cofachiqui. My
vengeance shall be such, that the memory of past evils shall be wiped
away forever. My daring to reappear in your presence will be a token
that your commands have been executed. Should the fates deny my hopes,
never again shall you see me, never again shall the sun shine upon me.
If the enemy deny me death, I will inflict upon myself the punishment
my cowardice or evil fortune will merit."
It was indeed a large army which then commenced its march, for it
consisted of four thousand native warriors, and four thousand
retainers to carry supplies and clothing, and between eight and nine
hundred Spaniards. The Indians were plumed and decorated in the
highest style of military display. The horses of the Spaniards were
gayly caparisoned, and their burnished armor glittered in the sun.
Silken banners waving in the breeze and bugle peals echoing over the
plains, added both to the beauty and the sublimity of the scene.
The Spaniards conducted their march as in an enemy's country, and
according to the established usages of war. They formed in squadrons
with a van and rear guard. The natives followed, also in martial
array; for they were anxious to show the Spaniards that they were
acquainted with military discipline and tactics. Thus in long
procession, but without artillery trains or baggage wagons, they moved
over the extended plains and threaded the defiles of the forest. At
night they invariably encamped at a little distance from each other.
Both parties posted their sentinels, and adopted every caution to
guard against surprise.
Indeed, it appears that De Soto still had some distrust of his allies,
whose presence was uninvited, and with whose company he would gladly
have dispensed. The more he reflected upon his situation, the more
embarrassing it seemed to him. He was entering a distant and unknown
province, ostensibly on a friendly mission, and it was his most
earnest desire to secure the good-will and cooperation of the natives.
And yet he was accompanied by an army whose openly avowed object was
to ravage the country and to butcher the people.
The region upon which they first entered, being a border land between
the two hostile nations, was almost uninhabited, and was much of the
way quite pathless. It consisted, however, of a pleasant diversity of
hills, forests and rivers. The considerable band of hunters which
accompanied the native army, succeeded in capturing quite an amount of
game for the use of the troops. For seven days the two armies moved
slowly over these widely extended plains, when they found themselves
utterly bewildered and lost in the intricacies of a vast, dense,
tangled forest, through which they could not find even an Indian's
trail. The guides professed to be entirely at fault, and all seemed to
be alike bewildered.
De Soto was quite indignant, feeling that he had been betrayed and led
into an ambush for his destruction. He summoned Patofa to his presence
and said to him:
"Why have you, under the guise of friendship, led us into this
wilderness, whence we can discover no way of extricating ourselves? I
will never believe that among eight thousand Indians there is not one
to be found capable of showing us the way to Cofachiqui. It is not at
all likely that you who have maintained perpetual war with that tribe,
should know nothing of the public road and secret paths leading from
one village to another."
Patofa made the following frank and convincing reply.
"The wars that have been waged between these two provinces, have not
been carried on by pitched battles nor invasions of either party, but
by skirmishes by small bands who resort to the streams and rivers we
have crossed, to fish; and also by combats between hunting parties, as
the wilderness we have traversed is the common hunting ground of both
nations. The natives of Cofachiqui are more powerful and have always
worsted us in fight. Our people were therefore dispirited and dared
not pass over their own frontiers.
"Do you suspect that I have led your army into these deserts to
perish? If so, take what you please. If my head will suffice, take it;
if not you may behead every Indian, as they will obey my mandate to
the death."
The manner of Patofa was in accordance with these feeling and manly
words. De Soto no longer cherished a doubt of his sincerity, and
became also convinced that their guides were utterly unable to
extricate him. Under these circumstances nothing remained but blindly
to press forward or to retrace his steps. They at length found some
narrow openings in the forest through which they forced their way
until they arrived, just before sunset, upon the banks of a deep and
rapid stream which seemed to present an impassable barrier before
them.
They had no canoes or rafts with which to cross the river; their food
was nearly consumed, as it had been supposed that a supply for seven
days would be amply sufficient to enable them to traverse the desert.
To turn back was certain death by starvation; to remain where they
were was equal destruction; to go forward seemed impossible, for they
had not sufficient food to support them even while constructing rafts.
It was the darkest hour in all their wanderings. Despair seemed to
take possession of all hearts excepting that of De Soto. He still kept
up his courage, assuming before his people an untroubled and even
cheerful spirit.
The river afforded water to drink. A large grove of pine trees
bordering the river, beneath whose fragrant shade they were encamped,
sheltered them from the sun. The level and extended plain, dry and
destitute of underbrush, presented excellent camping-ground. Food only
was wanting. But without this food in a few short days the whole army
must perish.
De Soto, that very evening leaving the armies there, took a detachment
of horse and foot and set off himself in search of some relief or path
of extrication. Late in the night he returned, perplexed and
distressed, having accomplished nothing. A council of war was held. It
was promptly decided that the armies should remain where they were
while detachments were sent in all directions in search of food or of
some path of escape.
These detachments left early in the morning and returned late at night
having discovered neither road nor corn-field, nor habitation. De Soto
then organized four bands of horse and two of foot to go up and down
the river, and to penetrate the interior, and to make as wide an
exploration as possible within the limit of five days. Each band was
accompanied by a large number of natives. Patofa himself went with one
of these detachments. A thousand Indian warriors were scattered
through the forest in search of a road and such game as could be
found. The Governor remained on the banks of the river anxiously
awaiting their return.
[Illustration]
"The four thousand Indians," writes Mr. Irving, "who remained
with him, sallied out every morning and returned at night,
some with herbs and roots that were eatable, others with
fish, and others again with birds and small animals killed
with their bows and arrows. These supplies were, however, by
no means sufficient for the subsistence of such a multitude.
"De Soto fared equally with his men in every respect; and,
though troubled and anxious for the fate of his great
expedition, he wore a sunny countenance to cheer up his
followers. These chivalrous spirits appreciated his care and
kindness, and to solace him they concealed their sufferings,
assumed an air of contentedness, and appeared as happy as
though revelling in abundance."
Most of the exploring parties suffered no less from hunger than did
their companions who remained behind. Juan De Anasco, after traversing
the banks of the river for three days, had his heart gladdened by the
sight of a small village. From an eminence he saw that the country
beyond was fertile, well cultivated and dotted here and there with
hamlets. In the village, for some unexplained reason, he found a large
amount of provisions accumulated, consisting mainly of corn. He
immediately dispatched four horsemen back to De Soto with the joyful
tidings. They took with them such food as they could carry. This
proved to be the first village in the long-sought-for province of
Cofachiqui.
It will be remembered that Patofa, the commander-in-chief of the
native army, had, with a large number of his warriors, accompanied
Anasco. He had pledged his word to his chief that he would do
everything in his power to harass, pillage and destroy their ancestral
foes. Anasco encamped his band a little outside the village. At
midnight Patofa and his warriors crept stealthily from the encampment,
pillaged the temple which contained many treasures prized by the
Indians, and killed and scalped every native whom they met, man, woman
or child. When Anasco awoke in the morning and found what they had
done, he was terrified. The outrage had been committed by troops under
his own command. He was apprehensive that every man in the village,
aided by such warriors as could be gathered from around, would rush
upon him in revenge, and that he and his enfeebled followers would be
destroyed. Immediately he commenced a retreat to meet De Soto, who he
doubted not would be promptly on the move to join him.
The four couriers reached the camp in one day, though in their slow
exploring tour it had required three days to accomplish the forty
miles which they had traversed. The troops were overjoyed at the glad
tidings, and immediately prepared to resume their march. Several of
their detachments had not yet returned. In order to give them
information of the direction which the army had taken, De Soto wrote a
letter, placed it in a box, and buried it at the foot of a tree. Upon
the bark of the tree, he had these words conspicuously cut: "Dig at
the root of this pine, and you will find a letter."
The half famished troops, inspired with new energies, reached the
village in a day and a half, where their hunger was appeased. The
scattered detachments arrived a few days after. The force of De Soto
was too strong for the natives to attack him, notwithstanding the
provocation they had received. He found, however, much to his chagrin,
that he was utterly unable to restrain the savage propensities of his
allies. For seven days the Spaniards sojourned in this frontier
village of Cofachiqui. Warlike bands were continually stealing out,
penetrating the region around, killing and scalping men, women and
children, and committing every conceivable outrage of barbaric
warfare.
De Soto could endure this no longer. He called Patofa before him, and
told him in very emphatic terms that he must return to his own
province. He thanked the chieftain very cordially for his friendly
escort, made him a present of knives, clothing, and other valuables,
and dismissed him and his followers. Patofa was not unwilling to
return. He was highly gratified with the presents he had received, and
still more gratified that he had been permitted to wreak vengeance on
his hereditary foes.
Two days after his departure, the Spanish army was again in motion,
along the banks of the river. Every step they took revealed to them
the awful ravages committed by the bands of Patofa. They passed many
dwellings and many small hamlets, where the ground was covered with
the scalpless bodies of the dead. The natives had fled in terror to
the woods, so that not a living being was encountered. There was,
however, a plentiful supply of food in the villages, and the army
again enjoyed abundance.
The heroic Anasco was sent in advance to search out the way and, if
possible, to capture some Indians as guides. He took with him a small
band of thirty foot-soldiers, who were ordered to move as noiselessly
as possible, that they might, perchance, come upon the natives by
surprise. There was quite a broad, good road leading along the banks
over which the band advanced. Night came upon them when they were
about six miles ahead of the army. They were moving in profound
silence and with noiseless step through a grove, when they heard,
just before them, the sounds of a village. The barking of dogs, the
shouts of children, and the voices of men and women, reached their
ears. Pressing eagerly forward, hoping to capture some Indians in the
suburbs, they found that there was a sudden turn in the river and that
they stood upon the banks of its deep and swiftly flowing flood, with
the village on the other side. There was no means of crossing, neither
would it have been prudent to have crossed with such small numbers,
not knowing the force they might encounter there.
They dispatched couriers back in the night, to inform De Soto of their
discovery. By the break of day, the army was again in motion, De Soto
himself taking the lead, with one hundred horse and one hundred foot.
When he reached the banks, and the natives upon the opposite shore
caught sight of his glittering dragoons, on their magnificent steeds,
they were struck with amazement and consternation.
It would seem that the language of these different tribes must have
been essentially the same, for Juan Ortiz was still their interpreter.
He shouted across the river, assuring the natives of the friendly
intentions of the Spaniards, and urging them to send some one over to
convey a message to their chief. After some little hesitation and
deliberation, the Indians launched a large canoe, in which six
Indians of venerable appearance took their seats, while quite a number
of lusty men grasped the oars. Very rapidly the canoe was driven
through the water.
De Soto, who had watched these movements with deep interest, perceived
that he was about to be visited by men of much importance. He had
therefore brought forward and placed upon the banks a very showy
throne, or chair of state, which he always carried with him for such
purposes. Here he took his seat, with his retinue of officers around
him.
The native chieftains landed without any apparent fear, approached him
with three profound reverences, and then with much dignity inquired,
"Do you come for peace or for war?"
"I come for peace," De Soto replied, "and seek only an unmolested
passage through your land. I need food for my people, and implore your
assistance, by means of canoes and rafts, to cross the river."
The Indians replied, that they were themselves somewhat destitute of
provisions; that a terrible pestilence the preceding year had swept
off many of their inhabitants; and that others in their consternation
had fled from their homes, thus neglecting to cultivate the fields.
They said that their chieftain was a young princess who had recently
inherited the government, and that they had no doubt that she would
receive them with hospitality, and do everything in her power, to
promote their welfare. Having thus concluded this friendly interview,
the chiefs returned to the other side of the river.
Very soon the Spaniards, who eagerly watched every movement, perceived
a decided commotion in the village. A large and highly decorated canoe
appeared upon the banks; then quite a gorgeous palanquin was seen
borne by four men, descending towards the stream; then several other
canoes of imposing structure seemed to be preparing for an aquatic
procession. From the palanquin a graceful girl, showily dressed,
entered the state canoe and reclined upon cushions in the stern under
a canopy. Eight female attendants accompanied her.
The six ambassadors, who had already visited De Soto, took seats in
the canoe which led the van, driven as before by a large number of
sinewy arms. The royal barge was attached to this canoe and was towed
by it. Several other boats, filled with distinguished men, followed in
the rear, completing the imposing show.
As the young princess stepped on shore, all the Spaniards were deeply
impressed with her dignity, grace and beauty. To their eyes, she was
in form and feature as perfect as any image which Grecian artist ever
sculptured. Her attendants brought with them a chair of state upon
which she took her seat after courteously bowing to the Governor.
Through an interpreter they immediately entered into conversation. The
princess confirmed the statement of her ambassadors in reference to
the pestilence, but offered to do everything in her power to provide
them with food. She offered one-half of her own residence to De Soto
for his accommodation, and one-half of the houses in her village as
barracks for the soldiers. She also promised that by the next day
rafts and canoes should be in readiness to transport the Spaniards
across the river.
The generous soul of De Soto was deeply touched, and he assured her of
his lasting friendship and that of his sovereign. At the close of the
interview the princess rose, and as a present, suspended a string of
costly pearls around the neck of De Soto. The Governor then rose and
presented her with a ring of gold set with a ruby, which she placed
upon one of her fingers. Thus terminated this extraordinary interview.
What a difference between peace and war!
"Were half the power that fills the world with terror,
Were half the wealth bestowed on camps and courts,
Given to redeem the human mind from error,
There were no need for arsenals or forts.
"The warrior's name would be a name abhorred;
And every nation that should lift again
Its hand against a brother, on its forehead
Would wear forevermore the curse of Cain."