Early Spanish explorers needed permission from their king, but costs were borne largely by themselves. Consequently those undergoing the dangers and hardships felt no compelling obligation to share any portable treasure over-generously. Indeed, there was considerable cheating and smuggling.

King Phillip felt in necessary to send his official representative along with Soto to keep an eye on things. His "factor" was Luys Hernandez de Biedma who managed to survive the expedition but had no treasure to account for.

Biedma's record of the adventure is brief, the King not much interested in failure. In general, Biedma confirms the main outline of events dealt with more fully by the other chroniclers. Our principal interest in his recollection is with two specific statements about the inland march -- the starting direction and the distance traveled.

We would expect that as the Crown's presence, Biedma would receive Soto's cooperation and thereby obtain information not available to the rank and file. It would be logical, also, to assume that Biedma kept notes to refresh his memory when it came time to make his official report.

As with the other chronicles, the original manuscript of Biedma is lost. Our source is an official copy transcribed for the royal court.

The following translation was compiled in 1857 by Buckingham Smith, except for a key paragraph we have marked with asterisks. This section deals with the direction taken at the beginning of the march inland. Our translation, following the original Spanish, is a dictionary version so that the reader may interpret for himself:

We arrived at the port of Baya Honda, where we landed 620 men and 223 horses.

As soon as we went on shore we found out from some Indians taken that there was a Christian in the country. He was one of the people who had come with Panfilo de Narvaez, and we started in search of him.

He was in the possession of a chief, some eight leagues distant from the harbor. We met him on the way because the cacique, hearing that we had left the ships, asked the Christian if it was his desire to go where we were. The Christian answered that it was, and the chief sent him off with nine Indians.

He came naked like them, with a bow and some arrows in his hands, his body wrought over (with tattoos) like theirs. They who discovered the natives thought they were come to spy out the condition of our people, and dashed after them.

The Indians fled towards a little wood near by, but the horsemen coming up with them thrust one with a lance. The Christian, having nearly forgot-ten our language would have been slain himself had he not remembered to call upon the name of Our Lady whereby he was recognized. We brought him with great rejoicing before the Governor.

Twelve years had passed since the Christian had come among the Indians. He knew their tongue; and from the long habit of speaking that only, he was more than four days among us before he could connect an idea without putting to every word of Spanish four or five words of Indian. However, he came after awhile to recover our speech entirely.

His knowledge of the country was so limited that he could tell us nothing of 20 leagues off, neither from having seen it nor by hearsay. From first seeing us he said there was no place at which to find gold.

We left Baya Honda to explore inland, taking with us all the people that had come on shore excepting 26 cavalry and 60 infantry. They were left in charge of the port until the Governor should be heard from, or should send orders to join him.