estuary, then Cattle Dock Point and Four-Mile Point might qualify for Soto's first camp.

Mention of a beach within the port as the actual first place of stepping ashore is of special significance.

The most characteristic feature of the Florida coast is the prevalence of tangled mangrove thickets growing in all shallow waters not scoured by surf. Penetration of this barrier is impossible, putting a premium on openings into clear land. The usual entrance for Indians was a stream. Topography occasionally permitted wind and wave to pile up sand which smothers tenacious mangrove seedlings.

Bays the size of Tampa, Charlotte and Carlos provide sufficient reach for prevailing winds to create surf that builds and cleans beaches on eastern shores. Early maps of these bays show such

windward beaches, and it is here that we should seek the spot that Soto disembarked with his cavalry.

PRINCIPAL CLUES FROM SOTO'S LETTER

In summary, we have these important clues from Soto's letter about his landing place:

1. The port was 12 leagues, or 31 miles long.
2. Ships proceeded through a narrow opening or "mouth."
3. The harbor entrance was hard to find, and the channel inside not easy to follow.
4. A mainland beach was located within the bay itself, probably on an eastern shore close to the entrance.
5. Soto's base camp was located at an Indian village on a cape, or point of land.
6. The principal chief of the area was named Urripacoxit.