Chidol.1... In order to double the Cape of Good Hope we went as far as 42° South latitude. . . . Some of our men, and among them the sick, would have liked to land at a place belonging to the Portuguese called Mozambique, both because the ship made much water and because of the great cold which we suffered. . . . But the greater number of us, prizing honor more than life itself, decided on attempting at any risk to return to Spain.... We then sailed to the north-west for two whole months without ever taking rest; and in this short time we lost twenty one men between Christians and Indians. We made then a curious observation on throwing them into the sea, that the Christians remained with the face turned to the sky, and the Indians with the face turned to the sea. And if God had not granted us favorable weather, we should have all perished of hunger.... We touched at the Cape Verde Islands... and the inhabitants told us that it was Thursday, which was a great cause of wondering to us, since with us it was only Wednesday. . . . But we were afterwards advised that there was no error on our part, since as we had always sailed towards the west, following the course of the sun, and had returned to the same place, we must have gained twenty-four hours, as is clear to anyone who reflects upon it. . . .

At last when it pleased Heaven, on Saturday the 6th of September 1522, we entered the bay of San Lucar; and of sixty men who composed our crew when we left Maluco, we were reduced to only eighteen, and these for the most part sick. Of the others, some died of hunger, some had run away at Timor, and some had been condemned to death for their crimes. From the day when we left this bay of San Lucar until our return thither, we reckoned that we had run more than 14,460 leagues and we had completed going round the earth from east to west. Monday the 8th of September we cast anchor near the mole of Seville, and discharged all the artillery.

Tuesday we all went in shirts and barefoot, with a taper in our hands, to visit the shrine of Santa Maria of Victory. . . . The Chevalier Anthoyne Pigapheta

1 The "Javanese," or Southern (Indian), Ocean.

the Missis

1542

In 1609, as an encouragement to "the right worshipp- 6. De Soto's full counsellors and other cheerefull adventurers" who had journey to just founded at Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent sippi, 1538English settlement in America, Richard Hakluyt, a most [16] enthusiastic promoter of colonial enterprise, translated from the Portuguese an account of De Soto's "four yeares continuall travell and discoverie for above one thousand miles east and west." The narrative was written by a gentleman of the Portuguese town of Elvas, who accompanied De Soto. It contains the earliest information we have of the interior of Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, Arkansas, and the Gulf States. After describing De Soto's voyage to the West Indies, the narrative continues

On Sunday the 18 of May, in the yeere of our Lord 1539 the Adelantado, or president, departed from Havana in Cuba with his fleete, which were nine vessels. . . . They sailed seven daies with a prosperous wind. The 25 day of May, the day de Pascade Spirito Santo (which we call Whitson Sonday), they saw the land of Florida. . . . They came to the town of Vcita, where the Governour was, on Sunday the first of June, being Trinitie Sunday.... The Countrie round about was very fennie, and encumbered with great and hie trees. The Governor commanded to fel the woods a crossebow shot round about the towne, that the horses might runne, and the Christians might have the advantage of the Indians if by chance they should set upon them by night....

After two years wandering in search of gold, with many a dangerous encounter with the Indians, De Soto's company reached the banks of the Mississippi.

And because the streame was swift, they went a quarter of a league up the River along the bancke, and crossing over, fell down with the streame, and landed right over against the Camp. ... As soon as those that passed first were on land on the

other side, the barges returned to the place where the Governor was and within two hours after Sunne-rising all the people were over.1 The River was almost half a league broad. If a man stood still on the other side, it could not be discerned whether he were a man or no. The River was of great depth and of strong current: the water was always muddie: there came downe the River continually many trees and timber, which the force of the water and streame brought downe. There was a great store of fish in it of sundrie sorts, and the most of it differing from the fresh water fish of Spaine. . . .

For still another year De Soto pursued his fruitless quest for gold beyond the Mississippi, and returned to the western bank of the great river to die.

The Governor felt in himselfe that the houre approached, wherein hee was to leave this present life, and called for the King's Officers, Captaines, and principall persons . . . and requested them to elect a principall person, able to governe, of whom all should like well, and when he was elected they should sweare before him to obey him. ... And Baltasar de Galleyos answered in the name of all the rest: And first of all comforting him, he set before his eyes how short the life of this world was, and how with many troubles and miseries it is accompanied, and how God showed him a singular favor which soonest left it. And touching the Governor which he commanded that they should elect, he besought him that it would please his Lordship to name him which he thought fit, and him they would obey. And presently he named Luis de Moscoso de Alvarado his Captaine generall. . . . The next day, being the 21st of May, 1542, departed out of this life the valiant, virtuous, and valorous Captaine, Don Fernando de Soto, Governor of Cuba, and Adelantado of Florida: whom fortune advanced, as it useth to do others, that hee might have the higher fal. . . . Luis de Moscoso determined to conceale his death from the Indians, because Ferdnando

1 The site of the crossing was probably Council Bend or Walnut Bend, in Trinca County, Mississippi, some twenty-five to thirty-five miles south of Memphis.

de Soto had made them believe that the Christians were immortall; also because they tooke him to be hardie, wise, and valiant: and if they should know that he was dead they would be bold to set upon the Christians, though they lived peaceablie by them. ... As soone as he was dead, Luis de Moscoso commanded to put him secretly in an house, where hee remained three daies: and removing him from thence, commanded him to bee buried in the night at one of the gates of the towne, within the wall. And as the Indians had seene him sick and missed him, so they did suspect what might bee. And passing by the place where hee was buried, seeing the earth mooved, they looked and spake one to another. Luis de Moscoso understanding of it, commanded him to be taken up by night, and to cast a great deale of sand into the mantles wherein he was winded up, wherein hee was carried in a canoe and throwne into the middest of the River. The Cacique (Chief) of Guachoya inquired for him, demanding what was become of his brother and Lord, the Governor; Luis de Moscoso told him that hee was gon to heaven, as many other times hee did and because hee was to stay there certaine daies, hee had left him in his place. ... Luis de Moscoso commanded all the goods of the Governor to be sold at an outcrie (auction): to wit, two men slaves, & two women slaves, and three horses, and 700 hogges. . . .

Under Luis de Moscoso the men built "seven brigandines" in which they sailed down the Mississippi, and, after fifty-two days of perilous voyaging on the Gulf, three hundred and eleven out of the original company of six hundred arrived at the Mexican town of Panuco, September 14, 1543.

All of them were apparrelled in Deeres skins tanned and died black, to wit cotes, hose, and shooes. When they came to Panuco they presently went to the Church to pray, and give God thanks that so miraculously had saved them. The townsmen . . . carried some of them to their houses and entertained them . . . because they were their Countrimen. . . . And all of them were provided for by their hostes of many hennes and bread of maiz and fruits

7. A tribute to Queen

Elizabeth as

of English Sea-great

of the Countrie . . . God reward them all. And God grant that those which it pleased him to deliver out of Florida, and to bring againe into Christendome, may serve him; and unto those that died in that countrey . . . God for his mercie sake grant the kingdome of heaven. Amen

The following turgid and clumsy laudation of Queen Elizabeth was prefixed to a chapter of an ambitious work the "Mother " contayning a History of the World in Sea Voyages and Lande Travells," published in 1625 by Samuel Purchas, son of a yeoman of Essex. Purchas was a younger associate of the great chronicler Richard Hakluyt, and called himself "Hakluytus Posthumus."

nesse," 1625

[21]

Haile greatest of English Names, glorious Elizabeth! Nor may wee after thy voyage and peregrination out of this World, unto thy true and heavenly home & Country, forget the great acts of thy earthly Pilgrimage. Thou wast indeed the Mother of English sea-greatnesse, and didst first by thy Generalls not salute alone, but awe and terrify the remotest East and West, stretching thy long and strong armes to India, to China, to America, to the Peruvian seas, to the Californian Coast and New Albians scepters: Thou mad'st the Northerne Muscovite admire thy Greatnesse: Thou gavest name to the North-west Straits (Meta Incognita) and the Southern Negros, and Islands of the South-unknowne-continent which knew not humanitie, were compelled to know thee. Thou imbracedst the whole Earthly Globe in thy Maritime Armes. . . . Thou wast a Mother to thy neighbors, Scots, French, Dutch; a Mirror to the remotest of Nations. Great Cumberlands twelve voyages before recited are thine, and the fiery vigor of his Martial Spirit was kindled at thy bright Lamp.... Drake, Candish [Cavendish], John and Richard Hawkins, Raleigh, Dudley, Sherley, Preston, Greenvile, . . . Winter, Frobisher, Davies, and other the Starworthies of Englands Sphere, whose Planet-courses we have before related, acknowledge Elizas Orb to be their first and highest Mover.