marches. Yet, by the code of hidalgos I swear to the truth of the fact that in seven days these cavaliers traveled the 107 leagues, one more or less, which lie between the principal village of Apalache and the great swamp.

This swamp they found to consist of a sea of water with many arms which flowed in and out of it rapidly and fiercely. Any one of them would have been sufficient to make the crossing difficult; but the great number of them, and above all the deep channel of the river, made it even more so.

That night the Spaniards slept, or more properly speaking, kept watch on the edge of the swamp. It had suddenly turned extremely cold because of the rising of the north wind, which in all that region is most frigid. They therefore kindled great fires and with the heat thereof were able to endure the weather, but they were fearful lest the Indians rush to the light of the flames.

During the night, another man died suddenly causing all to fear the plague had descended upon them. The next morning they began crossing the great swamp which "carried less water" than on the previous day. For some reason, the horses balked for the first time and stubbornly refused to enter the water. All day the men struggled to get their mounts across, beating and cursing the animals with little effect.

The Spaniards agreed to pitch camp that night on a great plain which lay just beyond where they were. Both men and horses had emerged from the swamp in such a condition as not to be fit to travel another step.

Before dawn they were on their way, and when they came upon five Indians, they ran them through with their lances lest news of their approach be carried forward. On this day our men traveled 13 leagues, coming at length to an excellent plain where they could sleep in their accustomed order.

Then at dawn of the following day they were off again, and a little past sun up came to the town of Urribarricuxi, which they did not want to enter and therefore left to one side in order to avoid an encounter with its inhabitants. On this tenth day of their journey they traveled 15 leagues and then pitched camp just three leagues from the town of Mucozo.

A little past midnight they awoke and set out once again. When they had advanced two leagues they saw fire burning in a forest near the road. Here they found numerous Indians with their wives and

children baking skates for their lunch. They agreed to seize as many of these people as possible even though they were Mucozo's vassals, and then to hold them until they could determine if peace had been maintained with Pedro Calderon.

So with this determination, the Spaniards rushed toward the fire. Terrified by the noise and trampling of the horses, the vagrant Indians fled forward into the woods, but our men succeeded in capturing 18 or 20 women and children.

The Spaniards, without dismounting, ate the skates which in the scramble of Indians and horses had been filled with sand. They did not even bother to remove the sand, for they said that in their great hunger it tasted to them like sugar and cinnamon.

The cavaliers now proceeded over a trail far from the village of Mucozo. When they had traveled five leagues that morning the horse belonging to Juan Lopez Cacho became exhausted. Although no farther than six leagues from the town to which they were going, the men could do nothing to make this animal continue. Hence they left him in a good meadow where there was a great quantity of grass for his sustenance.

Coming to a place a little more than a league from the town of Hirrihigua, where Captain Pedro Calderon had remained with the 40 horsemen and 80 footsoldiers, they examined the ground. They hoped to find horse tracks, for this place being so near the town and so free of underbrush it seemed reasonable to expect that their compatriots would have ridden over it up to that point and even farther. Finding no manner of footprints or other signs of horses, they were exceedingly pained and worried, fearing now that their companions either had been killed by the Indians or had sailed away in the caravel and brigantines left to their care.

Eventually, however, they arrived at a small lagoon which was less than half a league from the town of Hirrihigua, and there they saw not only fresh horse tracks but evidence that water had been boiled with ashes for the purpose of washing clothes.

Thus it was that at sunset, after having traveled for an entire day without covering so much as 11 leagues, our men caught sight of the village of Hirrihigua, this being the shortest day's march- they had accomplished on the whole trip.

So it was that these 28 cavaliers, after having survived many more toils and dangers than we have