De Soto and ivloscoso Beyond tlie iJtfississippi, 1537-1543
133
a short distance, perhaps three or four leagues, they turned back. They claimed that the Indian woman who had told the story and was guiding them, had declared that all she had said was false "and so it was deemed of everything else the Indians had told of having seen Christians in Florida." 39 Whether the Indian maid actually recanted or the Spanish horsemen, wearied, tired, and sick of constantly chasing a will-of-the- wisp will ever remain unknown. But it was just as well that they turned back. Coronado and his men had abandoned the pueblo Indians in June and only Fray de Padilla and his companions had remained behind. Moscoso and his companions could have obtained but little material help from him and his followers, and the pueblo Indians were in no mood at this time to welcome a worn-out and half-starved band after the out- rages they had suffered at the hands of Coronado and his men. "As the region thereabout was scarce of maize, and no information could be got of any inhabited country to the west, the governor went back to Guasco," says the narrator of the unfortunate expedition. Still hoping against hope, however, they continued to make diligent inquiry of the natives, who, anxious to get rid of the Spaniards perhaps, declared that "ten days' journey from there, toward the sunset , was a river called Daycao, whither they sometimes went to drive and kill deer, and whence they had seen persons on the other bank, but without knowing what people they were." Their curiosity aroused once more, "the Christians took as much maize as they could find, to carry with them; and jour- neying ten days through a wilderness, they arrived at the river of which the Indians had spoken." 40 If they had followed the general westward direction indicated and traveled at the rate we have pointed out, they were now, it seems, on the main branch of the upper Brazos, which reaches the eastern slopes of the Staked or Great Plains. "Ten horsemen sent in advance by the governor had crossed; and. following a road leading up from the bank, they came upon an encamp- ment of Indians living in very small huts, who directly as they saw the Christians, took to flight , leaving what they had, indications only of poverty and misery. So wretched was the country. that what was found everywhere put together was not half a peck of maize. Taking two natives, they went back to the river, where the governor waited; and on coming to
39 /bid., 178. 40 /bid., I 78-179.
Powered by FlippingBook