ing on Pinellas Peninsula at Tampa Bay, and for many years historians accepted this location without question.

More recently, some scholars have made a case for Haze Peninsula at Charlotte Harbor. The official Florida Bicentennial map, prepared under supervision of a committee chaired by Historian Samuel Proctor, places the Narvaez landing there.

THE NUNEZ ACCOUNT

Nunez' account of the expedition is the principal source of information about the Narvaez landing. Here is his story, as translated by Smith:

We doubled Cape Sant Anton (western tip of Cuba) and sailed with headwinds until we were within 12 leagues of Havana. Standing in the next day to enter the harbor, a wind came from the south which drove us from the land towards the coast of Florida. We came in sight on Tuesday, the 12th day of April, and sailed along the coast. On Holy Thursday we anchored near the shore in the mouth of a bay, at the head of which we saw some houses or habitations of Indians.

On the same day, the Comptroller, Alonzo Enriquez, landed on an island in the bay. He called to the Indians, who came and remained with him some time; and in barter gave him fish and several pieces of venison.

The day following, which was Good Friday, the governor debarked with as many of the people as the boats he brought could contain. When we came to the buhios, or houses that we had seen, we found them vacant and abandoned, the inhabitants having fled at night in their canoes. One of the buhios was very large. It could hold more than 300 persons. The others were smaller. We found a tinklet of gold among some fish nets.

The next day the Governor raised ensigns for your Majesty, and took possession of the country in your royal name. He made known his authority, and was obeyed as Governor as your Majesty had commanded. At the same time we laid our commissions before him, and he acknowledged them according to their tenor.

Then he ordered that the rest of the people and the horses should land. Of the beasts there were only 41. By reason of the great storms, and the length of time passed at sea, the rest were dead. These few remaining were so lean and fatigued that for the time we could have little service from them.

The following day the Indians of the town came and spoke to us. As we had no interpreter we

could not understand what they meant. They made many signs and menaces, and appeared to say we must go away from the country. With this they left us and went off, offering no interruption.

The day following, the Governor resolved to make an incursion to explore the land and see what it might contain. With him went the Commissary, the Assessor, and myself, with 40 men, among them six cavalry, of which we could make little use. We took our way towards the north until the hour of vespers, when we arrived at a very large bay that appeared to stretch far inland. We remained there that night, and the next day we returned to the place where were our ships and people.

The Governor ordered that the brigantine should sail along the coast of Florida and search for the harbor that Miruelo, the pilot, said he knew -- though as yet he had failed to find it and could not tell in what place we were or where was the port. If it were not found, Miruelo should steer for Havana and seek the ship of which Alvaro de la Cerda was in command; and, taking provisions, together they should come to look for us.

After the brigantine left, the same party, with some persons more, returned to enter the land. We kept along the shore of the bay we had found; and, having gone four leagues, we captured four Indians. We showed them maize, to see if they had knowledge of it, for up to that time we had seen no indication of any. They said they could take us where there was some. So they brought us to their town near by, at the head of the bay, and showed us a little corn not yet fit for gathering.

There we saw many cases, such as are used to contain the merchandise of Castile. In each of them was a dead man, and the bodies were covered with painted deer-skins. This appeared to the Commissary to be a kind of idolatry, and he burned the cases with the bodies. We also found pieces of linen and of woolen cloth, and bunches of feathers which appeared like those of New Spain (Mexico).

There were likewise traces of gold. Having by signs asked the Indians whence these things came, they motioned to us that very far from there was a province called Apalachen where was much gold. Likewise, there was the same abundance in Apalachen of every thing that we all cared for.

Taking these Indians for guides, we departed. Traveling 10 or 12 leagues we came to a town of 15 houses. Here a large piece of ground was cultivated in maize then ripe, and we also found some already dry. After staying there two days, we returned to