THE BURIAL OF DE SOTO.
As soon as he was dead, Luys de Moscoso commanded to put him secretly in a house, where he remained three days; and, removing him from thence, commanded him to be buried in the night at one of the gates of the town within the wall. And as the Indians had seen him sick, and missed him, so did they suspect what might be. And passing by the place where he was buried, seeing the earth moved, they looked and spake one to another. Luys de Moscoso, understanding of it, commanded him to be taken up by night, and to cast a great deal of sand into the mantles wherein he was winded up, wherein he was carried in a canoe, and thrown into the midst of the river.
The cacique of Guachoya inquired for him, demanding what was become of his brother and lord, the governor. Luys de Moscoso told him that he was gone to heaven, as many other times he did; and, because he was to stay there certain days, he had left him in his place. The cacique thought with himself that he was dead, and commanded two young and well-proportioned Indians to be brought thither, and said that the use of that country was, when any lord died, to kill Indians to wait upon him, and serve him by the way; and for that purpose, by his commandment, were those come thither; and prayed Luys de Moscoso to command them to be beheaded, that they might attend and serve his lord and brother. Luys de Moscoso told him that the governor was not dead, but gone to heaven, and that of his own Christian soldiers he had taken such as he needed to serve him; and prayed him to command those Indians to be loosed, and not to useany such bad custom from thenceforth. Straightway he commanded them to be loosed, and to get them home to their houses. And one of them would not go, saving that he would not serve him that without desert had judged him to death; but that he would serve him, as long as he lived, which had saved his life.
[After the death of De Soto, his companions descended the Mississippi to its mouth.]
BOOK VII.
THE FRENCH IN FLORIDA.
(A.D. 1562–1565.)
INDIANS IN CANOE.
Ribaut’s personal narrative is here reprinted from Hakluyt’s “Divers Voyages” (London, Hakluyt Society, 1850), pp. 91–115.
These extracts from Laudonnière’s narrative are reprinted from Hakluyt’s translation in his “Voyages” (edition of 1810), vol. iii. pp. 371–373, 378–384, 386, 387, 423–427.