CHAPTER IV DE SoTO AND Moscoso BEYOND THE MISSISSIPPI, 1537-1543 Don Hernando de Soto, Adelantado of Rio de las Palmas and Florida, the gallant but luckless conquistador, who found a grave in the Mississippi after having amassed a fortune by his valorous deeds in Central America and Peru, deserves more than a passing mention in the history of Texas. By the terms of his contract with the king, he fell heir to the lands origi- nally given to Garay and subsequently granted to Guzman and Narvaez. Since these three grants are the first to have included the entire coast of Texas from the Rio Grande to beyond the Sabine, De Soto was in fact the fourth royal governor of Texas. It is doubtful, perhaps, whether he ever set foot on any portion of the State in his widespread wanderings, but it is almost certain that his men, under the leadership of Moscoso, visited portions of East Texas and penetrated as far as the northeastern limits of the great plains along Red River and perhaps as far south as the banks of the Trinity. Of noble but poor parentage on both his mother's and father's side, Hernando de Soto was born at the close of the fifteenth century in the small Villa Nueva de Barcarrota. While a very young man the ambitious Hernando set out resolutely to make his fortune in the New World under the leadership of Pedrarias de Avila, going first to the West Indies and thence to Nicaragua. By his ability, his courage, and his unquestioned daring among men who dared the devil himself, he won distinction and the rank of captain. His fine presence, agreeable personality, and natural charm attracted the lovely daughter of his patron, Isabel, who became his wife. When Pizarro undertook the conquest of Peru, De Soto joined him and attained the distinction of being included among the twelve conquerors of that country, as one of the four bravest captains of the West Indies. With unusual discretion, he had the good judgment of returning to Spain with such money as he had made, before the civil wars and dissensions that followed the conquest of Peru broke out. His fortune, which has been estimated to have been over one hundred thou- sand dollars, enabled him to live in a style befitting the reputation of his great success and there are those who say he even loaned money to the Emperor Charles V. 1 1 The summary of De Soto's life given here is based on Oviedo, Historia, I, 544- 547; Herrera, Historia, Vol. 3, dee. 6, lib. vii, cap. ix, p. 160; Garcilaso de la Vega, La Florida del Inca, 208; Lowery, Spanish Settlements, 213-21 5. [ 116]
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