how the gouernour came to apalache, and was informed, that within the land, there was much gold.

the 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. the next 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 than 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 should 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, 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 certaine plancks were cast into the riuer, whereon the men passed, which made good the passage. the gouernour passed vpon 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 it 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, pomions, 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 gathered from these townes to anaica apalache. the gouernour was informed, that the sea was ten leagues from thence. hee presently sent a capiaine 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 spirito santo, where calderan was, with order, that they should abandon the port, and all of them come to apalache. hee departed on saturday the 17 of nouember. in vzachil and other townes that stood in the way he found great store of people already carelesse. hee would take none of the indians, for not hindring himselfe, because it behoued him to giue them no leasure to gather themselues together. hee 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. hee carried with him 20. indian women which hee 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 foot 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 sea side, 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 came an indian through the watch vndiscouered, 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 iohn 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 goe by land, and discouer that part. that day there went out eight horsemen by commandement of the gouernour into the field, two leagues about the towne to seeke indians: for they were now so emboldened, that within two crossebow shot of the 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, he came and brought an indian from a prouince, which was called ochus, sixtie leagues westward from apalache; where he had found a good port of good depth and defense against weather. and because the gouernour hoped to find a good countrie forward he was well contented. and he sent maldonado for victuals to hauana, with order, that he should tarrie for him at the port of ochus, which hee had discouered, for hee would goe seeke it by land: and if he should chance to stay, and not come thither that summer, that then he should returne to hauana, and should come again the next summer after and tarrie for him at that port, for he said hee would doe none other thing but goe to seeke ochus. francisco maldonado departed, and in his place for captaine of the footemen remained iohn de guzman. chap. 11. of those indians which were taken in napetuca, the treasurer iohn gaytan had a young man, which said, that he was not of that countrie, but of another farre off toward the sunrising, and that it was long since he had trauelled to see countries; and that his countrie was called yupaha, and that a woman did gouern it; and that the towne where she was resident was of a wonderfull bignesse, and that many lords round about were tributaries to her; and some gaue her clothes, and others gold in abundance; and hee told, how it was taken out of the mines, and was moulten and refined, as if hee had seene it done, or the diuel had taught it him. so that all those which knew anything concerning the same, said that it was impossible to giue so good a relation, without hauing seene it; and all of them, as if they had seene it, by the signes that he gaue, beleeued all that hee said to be true.