Perhaps the "up" is meant in the sense of north, as the Withlacoochee River in this vicinity turns sharply from east-west to north along an old Indian trail. Such a downstream search seems probable because the recrossing was at a place where the current was so "strong and broad" that a horse was carried away and drowned.

Soto finally made it back to the main Indian road, now Highway 301, which is shown on the U.S. Army map of 1838. The recrossing was made near the present town of Lacoochee.

The Adelantado sent messengers to order the army forward and then continued six more leagues to Uqueten. There Soto gathered corn from a fertile valley six leagues beyond the swamp and 20 leagues from Urriparacoxi, according to Garcilaso. This would be today's Bushnell and the Dade Battlefield where Seminole Indians and U.S. troops fought a famous engagement three centuries later.

Garcilaso says that Ocale, the next large town enroute, was 20 leagues distant "north, turning a little northeast" from the place where Soto gathered corn. Actual distance from Bushnell to Ocala is 17 leagues, an acceptable difference from the Inca's consistent over-estimations.

Ranjel records a 13-day period during which the army marched past Aucera to Ocale and waited for stragglers to come in. Aucera was located between Uqueten and Ocale for Ranjel says that while they were at Ocale messengers were sent to fetch provisions from Aucera, perhaps near present Ox-ford. Soto says in his letter home that Aucera was three days' journey beyond Urriparacoxi and that Ocale was two days farther.

THE ROUTE WEST

Soto again set out in advance of the main army which rested at Ocale. The three eyewitnesses agree on the sequence of milestones. In one-day hikes they reached the Indian towns of Itaraholta, Potano, Utinamocharra, "Bad Peace," and Cholupaha.

A high-banked river just beyond Cholupaha halted Soto until a bridge was built "with much toil." While this project was underway the men raided the stores of maize and chinquapin chestnuts gathered by the Indians in such quantity that Elvas referred to the village as Villafarta, or Granary.

Local natives reported such difficulties ahead that Soto's soldiers grumbled to return. A quarrel developed which led Ranjel to dub the Cholupaha River the "River of Discords."

The road from Ocale to Cholupaha probably passed through present Reddick, Micanopy, Alachua and High Springs. Location of Cholupaha, however, is controversial. Garcilaso contributes to the confusion, as usual, with his jumbled order of events. He places the bridge incident at Ocale and fails to mention Cholupaha or any other towns between Ocale and Ucachile.

Many scholars identify the Santa Fe River as Cholupaha, and the Suwannee as the Deer River. Unfortunately the topography of this part of Florida presents difficulties. A network of subterranean tunnels open up from time to time, swallowing streams and pushing them out somewhere else as springs. Former waterways are left dry and new beds are created. Consequently we cannot be sure of past topographical details.

Purcell's survey in 1778 shows the St. Augustine-Pensacola road crossing the Santa Fe over flowing water. Then it passed over a land bridge of the Weechatookamee Spring run-off -- a feature not recorded on modern maps. The road crossed the Suwannee at a place appearing to be to-day's Ellaville where the "remains of an old bridge" is noted.

Surveyor Williams' map of 1827 takes the St. Augustine road over a "natural bridge" of the Santafee River -- a Seminole Indian pronunciation of Santa Fe. From this point the path splits.

One leg of the St. Augustine road continues west to cross the Suwannee River at Charles Ferry below Dowling Park. The other leg veers northwest to the Jacksonville-Tallahassee trail and crosses the Suwannee at White Springs. Beyond White Springs there are two major streams which would require bridging -- the Alapaha and the Georgia Withlacoochee -- though their distances apart do not fit the army's recorded marching times. Both legs merge again west of Suwannee River.

The first U.S. military maps show the St. Augustine road passing through Newmansville (now High Springs) and over a "natural bridge" of the Santa Fe. The Weechatookamee is renamed Itchetucknee and placed entirely to one side.

If the St. Augustine path and its land bridges existed in Soto's time, and he used them, he would have missed one or both of two recorded streams with their constructed bridges -- the Cholupaha and the Aquacaleyquen.

If the Santa Fe and Weechatookamee Creek were free flowing, however, they would match well the Soto narratives. In addition, the bountiful rest