Tlie Narvaez Expedition, 1526-1536
49
They no sooner doubled the cape than they were driven out of their course and found themselves back again almost at the entrance to the harbor of Havana. As they were trying to enter, a strong wind came from the south, which irresistibly drove them upon the coast of western Florida, almost due north of Havana, where they finally landed on April r 5, r528, on a peninsula between old Tampa Bay and the Mexican Gulf, in the vicinity of Indian Pass. 18 It was on the following day that Narvaez took · official possession of the land in the name of the king. Experiences in Flo1·ida. After this solemn act all the officers came forth with due formality, presented their commissions to Narvaez and received his official recognition. But the natives remonstrated with strong gestures and made signs which "appeared to say go," says the narrative. 19 The Spaniards heeded them not. Disregarding their hostile attitude, the governor set out with a small group of men to reconnoitre the country, while the main body of the expedition remained on the coast. He crossed the peninsula and discovered the western branch of Tampa Bay. Finding little to encourage him, he returned and ordered the small brigantine to search along the coast for a large bay, which Miruelo claimed could not be far off, and failing to fii1d it, to proceed to Havana, where the governor had left a ship with soldiers, horses, and supplies under the command of Alvaro de Cerda. Having given these instructions, he again turned inland, and marching to the head of the bay, found there a dismal sight near a small native village. The remains of a wrecked vessel were plainly visible in the water and on the shore, in wooden boxes, were a number of corpses, wrapped in painted deerskins. Pieces of linen and of woolen cloth lay about and "bunches of feathers which appeared like those of New Spain." and old shoes and iron. Fray Suarez, shocked at the spectacle, ordered the ghastly remains, which appeared to be of white men, burned. 20 But the governor, more interested in worldly riches than in the unfor- tunate end of the former visitors to this ill-starred land, saw nothing but a few golden trinkets and avidly asked the natives where gold might 18 For a discussion of the location of the landing, see Bandelier, 192 ; Hodge, I 25; Lowery, S,Panisle Settlements, Appendix J, 453-455; Davenport and Wells, "The Expedition of Pamfilo de Narvaez," Quarterly, Vol. 27, p. 129, note. 19 "Naufragios de Alvar N{1iiez Cabeza de Vaca," in Barcia, Historiadores Primi- tivos, I, 3. Hereafter referred to as Barcia. 20 0viedo, Historia Ge11eral, Lib. xxxv, Cap. i, Vol. 3, p. 583. The "Naufragios" as published by Barcia does not mention shoes. Barcia, I, 4. Oviedo's account will hereafter be referred to as Oviedo.
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