Despite the failure of Ponce, and the in-conclusive voyages of other adventurers, another hopeful blundered into American history through a run of bad luck. He was Panfilo de Narvaez.

This hidalgo was an early settler and commanded a company of volunteers which helped Diego Velasquez conquer Cuba. Narvaez performed his assignments well, gaining the confidence of his superior who was appointed governor.

When Hernando Cortes went off without per-mission to explore Mexico, Velasquez sent Narvaez to arrest the headstrong conquistador. Narvaez caught up with Cortes but lost an eye in a skirmish with him and was held captive -- more or less willingly -- for two years. Cortes had no difficulty in persuading the governor's soldiers to join in the invasion of Moctezuma's country.

For Narvaez' effort, King Carlos V rewarded him by conferring the title of adelantado and granting a patent to colonize the north shore of the Gulf of Mexico. A report by survivors of the Pineda expedition -- that Mississippi Indians wore gold ornaments -- no doubt led Narvaez to hope he might find treasure to match that of Mexico.

Narvaez left San Lucar, Spain, in the summer of 1527 with five ships and 600 persons. On board were his wife and the wives of his officers. After several stops in the West Indies to buy more ships and horses -- during which time he lost two ships in a hurricane and 140 men by desertions -- Narvaez wintered in Trinidad.

He resumed his journey early the following year, this time with five ships, 400 men and 80 horses. His asciento gave him proprietary rights to a stretch of coast from Florida to the Rio Palmas, which Hodges identifies as the Santander River in northeast Mexico.

Narvaez had only a vague idea where this land was so he hired Diego Miruelo, nephew of the trader similarly named, to guide the fleet. Young Miruelo

but during a severe storm got tangled up in shoals off southern Cuba. There was lost another ship and its crew.

Regrouping, the ships struggled on toward Havana. When only 12 leagues away, still another storm drove them to the west coast of Florida -- exactly where is uncertain.

It was a bedraggled party of unlucky travelers that crept ashore April 15, 1528. Undaunted, Narvaez took possession of the land for Spain and endeavored to salvage the situation.

In brief, Narvaez anchored at the mouth of a small, shallow bay; found a much larger bay in-land; then marched north expecting to find either his destination or a port where he could reboard his ships.

Narvaez' men traveled through swamps and forests of tall trees until June 25 when they reached the Indian province of Apalache near present Tallahassee. Discouraged, sick, lost, and under constant attack the weary marchers fought their way to the Gulf. There they built make-shift boats while they ate their horses. Finally they shoved off into the Gulf. Narvaez and all but four others perished at sea.

Those who lived to tell of their ordeal were Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca, the treasurer; Alonso del Castillo, a captain of infantry; Andres Dorantes, also a captain of infantry; and Esteban, Dorantes' black slave from Morocco who was the first of his race to set foot on mainland America.

One of the great sagas of American history is the account written by Nunez, a brawny man with bright red hair and beard. His descriptive name Cabeza de Vaca (Head of a Cow) was bestowed on an ancestor. The first Cabeza set up a cow skull pointing out a mountain pass whereby Christian soldiers were able to encircle a Moorish army.

Though Narvaez' point of departure from Florida is known, his landing place is shrouded. The influential Buckingham Smith placed the land-