AJ-023: Oviedo y Valdés, Soto's Expedition (1539-43)

              


    NARRATIVES OF DE
SOTO
woven with such thread that a cross-bow
could
hardly pierce them. The arrows came raining
down
so that the air was full of them, and
their yells were
something fearful. But when
they saw that the work on the
barges did not
relax on their account, they said that
Pacaha,
whose men they were, ordered them to
with-
draw, and so they left the passage free. And
on
Saturday, June 8,2 the whole force crossed
this great
river in the four barges and gave
thanks to God because
in His good pleasure
nothing more difficult could
confront them.3
Soon, on Sunday, they came to a village
of
Aquixo.
  Tuesday, June 2I, they went from
there
and passed by the settlement of Aquixo, which
is
very beautiful, or beautifully situated. The
next day,
Wednesday, they passed through the
worst tract for swamps
and water that they
had found in all Florida, and on that
day the
toil of the soldiers was very heavy.
  The
next day following, Thursday, they
entered the land of
Quarqui, and passed
through small villages; and the next
day, Fri-
day, St. John's day, they came to the
village
of the Lord of Casqui, who gave food
and
clothing to the army. It was Saturday when
2This
should be June i8.
3 The crossing is supposed to have
taken place be-
low Memphis and above the mouth of the
Arkansas.
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