USA > Georgia > The history of Georgia, Volume I > Part 7
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So pleased were the soldiers with this goodly land, with its fruits and stores of pearls, that they urged upon the governor the propriety of forming here a permanent settlement. But, in the language of the Gentleman of Elvas, "the governor, since his intent was to seeke another treasure like that of Atabalipa, lord of Peru, was not contented with a good countrie, nor with pearles, though many of them were worth their weight in gold. And if the countrie had been divided among the Christians, those which the Indians had fished for afterward would have been of more value ; for those which they had, because they burned them in the fire, did leese their colour. The governour answered them that urged him to inhabit, that in all the countrie there were not victuals to sustaine his men one moneth, and that it was needfull to resort to the port of Ocus, where Maldonado was to stay for them ; and that if no richer countrie were found, they might returne againe to that whensoever they would ; and in the meantime the Indians would sow their fields, and it would be better furnished with maiz.
" He inquired of the Indians whether they had notice of any great lord farther into the land. They told him that twelve daies journie from thence there was a province called Chiaha, subject to the lord of Coca. Presently the governour determined to seeke that land. And being a sterne man, and of few words, though he was glad to sift and know the opinion of all men, yet
1 In further proof of the general use Southern Indians, etc., chapter xxi. Now of pearls as ornaments among the South- York. 1873. ern tribes, see Jones' Antiquities of the
55
LOCATION OF CUTIFACHIQUI.
after hee had delivered his owne hee would not be contraried, and alwaies did what liked himselfe, and so all men did conde- sound unto his will. And though it seemed an errour to leave that countrie (for others might have been sought round about, where the people might have been sustained untill the harvest had been readie there, and the maiz gathered), yet there was none that would say anything against him after they knew his resolution."
We have thus traced the progress of the expedition from the southern confines of Georgia to the mulberry-shaded town of Cutifachiqui. The general trend of the march was northeast, with manifestly many deflections which we have found it impos- sible to pursue with any degree of accuracy.1 From Anhayca to the point where the army is now resting, the route has been, in our judgment, nearly parallel with the Atlantic coast. We be- lieve the location of Cutifachiqui to have been identical with that of Silver Bluff, on the left bank of the Savannah River, about twenty-five miles by water below the city of Angusta. The river here impinges against a bold bluff, rising some thirty-five feet above the level of the adjacent swamp and extending along the line of the stream, with an unbroken front, for the distance of nearly a mile. Bounding this high ground on the west is Hol- low Creek. Stretching to the north is fertile upland. At this place were extensive Indian fields when the region was first visited and settled by Europeans. Three miles below, in a di- rect line, is another bluff upon the same side of the Savannah River, - not quite so bold as that where we now stand, - with an adjacent expanse of rich upland, which we suppose to be the site of Talomeco. Here also were old Indian fields and manifest tokens of primitive occupancy.
When, one hundred and seven years ago, William Bartram visited Silver Bluff, then owned by George Galphin the famous Indian trader, there were still extant " various monuments and vestiges of the residence of the ancients : as Indian conical mounts, terraces, areas, etc., as well as remains or traces of for- tresses of regular formation, as if constructed after the modes of European military architects, which are supposed to be ancient camps of the Spaniards who formerly fixed themselves at this place in hopes of finding silver."
1 That the progress of the expedition was necessarily slow will be freely ad- mitted when it is remembered that it was traversing the depths of an unbroken, pathless forest, permeated at irregular in-
tervals by rivers, streams, and swamps, that its baggage and supplies were trans- ported upon the backs of the soldiers and of Indian burthen-bearers, and that a drove of hogs kept pace with the march.
56
THE HISTORY OF GEORGIA.
These proofs of early constructive skill have, however, all dis- appeared. They have been obliterated by the plowshare and the changing seasons, and the most marked of them, occupying positions near the edge of the bluff, have been swept away by the encroaching tides of the tawny-hued Savannah. Within the memory of an old inhabitant, more than one hundred feet in breadth of this bluff have been eaten away and dissipated by the insatiate currents of this river. That the Spaniards were once here, was generally believed at the period of Bartram's visit, and the tradition has been handed down to the present day. But our intelligent traveler was manifestly at fault in ascribing some "of these earth-works to the agency of Europeans. So far as we can discover, De Soto fortified no camps within the present limits of Georgia, and left no enduring proofs of his occupancy.
The presence of pyrites and of sulphurous nodules in the face of the bluff and frequent particles and flakes of mica still attest the sources from which the Indians, in the days of De Soto, attempted to satisfy the Spanish craving for gold and silver. While it may be true that nuggets of native silver have been here found, as is stoutly asserted by some, the suggestion that this bluff derived its name from this circumstance we deem quite im- probable. We would rather ascribe the name to the tradition, derived from the Indians, and dominant here at the period of primal settlement, that many years before a band of white men bad here come and, in the bed of the river and elsewhere in the neighborhood, made search for this metal.
Those who have studied the route of De Soto are not agreed as to the precise location of Cutifachiqui. Thus, Dr. Monette places it on the peninsula formed by the confluence of the Broad and Savannah rivers. Dr. McCulloh thinks it was on the Oc- mulgee River, in Monroe County. William Bartram, Colonel Albert James Pickett, Mr. Albert Gallatin, Mr. William B. Rye, Mr. Buckingham Smith, and Mr. J. Carson Brevoort all incline to the belief that at Silver Bluff we behold the site of the ancient village of Cutifachiqui. In this impression we sympathize. Mr. Theodore Irving, too, appears to yield to this persuasion, while freely confessing how perplexing it is to " make out the route in conformity to modern landmarks."
During the latter portion of the Spanish sojourn at Cutifachiqui the queen had become so much incensed at the outrages perpe- trated by the Christians upon her subjects that when advised by De Soto of his contemplated departure she utterly refused to
57
MARCH TO CHELAQUE.
furnish him with guides and tamemes. The governor thereupon placed her under guard; and, upon commencing his journey northward, on the third day of May, he compelled her, on foot, escorted by her female attendants, to accompany him. Com- menting upon this conduct of De Soto, the Gentleman of Elvas remarks : This was not " so good usage as she deserved for the good wil she shewed and good entertainement that she had made him. And he verified that old proverb which saith : ' For wel- doing I receive evil.'" The present objective point of the expe- dition was Guaxule, situated near the northerly or north westerly confines of the territory ruled over by the cacica of Cutifachiqui. As her domains were quite extensive, De Soto trusted, through her presence and influence, to control the natives along the line of his march. In this expectation he was not disappointed. " In all the townes where the Governour passed, the ladie com- manded the Indians to come and carrie the burdens from one towne to another. We passed through her countrie an hundred leagues, in which, as we saw, she was much obeyed. For the Indians did all that she commanded them with great efficacie and diligence." Before departing from Cutifachiqui the army was organized into two divisions: the one commanded by the adelantado in person, and the other under the guidance of Bal- tazar de Gallegos. Upon the second day the Spaniards encoun- tered a storm of wind, lightning, and hail so severe that, had they not sought the close protection of the forest trees, many of them would have perished. The hail-stones were as large as pigeon's eggs.1
After a march of seven days the province of Chelaque was reached. In this name, with but slight alteration, we recognize the land of the Cherokees. According to Adair and others the national name was derived from Chee-ra, "fire." Hence Cher- akees, Chelakees, Cherokees.
The route had thus far, if we understand it aright, been up- - ward and along the right bank of the Savannah River. De Soto was now, we think, within the confines of the present county of Franklin. The country was described as "the poorest off for maize" of any which had thus far been seen in Florida. The inhabitants were domestic, slight of form, and, at that season, quite naked. Upon the roots of plants dug in the forests, and upon the animals destroyed with their arrows, did they chiefly subsist. One of the chiefs presented the governor with two
1 Herrera.
-
58
THE HISTORY OF GEORGIA.
deer-skins as a mark of friendship. Turkeys abounded. In one village seven hundred of these birds were given to the Spaniards, and there was no scarcity of them in other localities.
Five days were occupied in passing from this province to Xualla. The chief town of this last-named province bore the same name, and was located on the flanks of a mountain with a small but rapid river flowing near. We venture the suggestion that this village was situated in Nacoochee valley, Habersham County, and that the mountain referred to was Yonah. In this valley phys- ical proofs of primitive occupancy are still extant, and metallic fragments of European manufacture have there been found con- firmatory of the fact that many years prior to the settlement of this region by the whites it had been visited by kindred peoples. We do not now allude to the remains of an ancient village, - the cabins of which were made of logs hewn and notched by means of chopping-axes, - unearthed by Colonels Merriwether and Lumsden in Duke's Creek valley in 1834, or to the traces of early mining in Valley River valley and adjacent locali- ties, where deep shafts passing through gneiss rock, their sides scarred by the impression of sharp tools, and windlasses of post- oak with cranks and gudgeon holes were observed; the trees growing above this old settlement and springing from the mouths and sides of these abandoned pits being not less than two hun- dred years old. These are to be referred to the labors of Tristan de Luna, who, in 1560, at the command of Louis de Ve- lasco, came with three hundred Spanish soldiers into this region and spent the summer in eager and laborious search for gold. This expedition moved up from Pensacola ; and was dispatched on the faith of the representations, made by returned soldiers from De Soto's command, of the presence of the precious metal among these mountains. We are informed by the German trav- eler, Johannes Lederer, that as late as 1669 and 1670 the Span- iards were employed in working gold and silver mines in the Ap- palachian mountains.
Although little grain was found at Xualla, the adelantado rested there two days that he might refresh his weary soldiers and recuperate his horses, which were lean and sadly jaded.
Apparently inelining his route westwardly, De Soto set out for Guaxule, which marked the furthest confines, in that direction, of the dominion of the queen of Cutifachiqui. During this stage of the journey the queen succeeded in making her escape into the forests. So thoroughly did she conceal herself that efforts for
59
ESCAPE OF THE QUEEN OF CUTIFACIIIQUI.
her recapture proved fruitless. We are told by the Fidalgo of Elvas that she took with her a cane box, like a small trunk, called petaca, full of unbored pearls of great value. Up to the moment of her flight this precious box had been borne by one of her female attendants. The governor permitted this, hoping that when he reached Guaxule, at which point he was minded to liberate her, he would be able to beg these pearls of her. In her return homewards she was accompanied by three slaves who deserted from the camp. A horseman, named Alimamos, who had been left behind sick of a fever, came upon these slaves and persuaded two of them to abandon their evil design. The third, however, a slave of André de Vasconcelos, remained with the ca- cica. When Alimamos last saw them, they were living together as man and wife, and were together to return to Cutifachiqui. Such is the final glimpse we have of this Indian queen, whose welcome of and association with De Soto form one of the marked episodes in the nebulous story of this wonderful expedition.
The country traversed during the five days consumed in march- ing from Xualla to Guaxule was mountainous, with interven- ing valleys " rich in pasturage and irrigated by clear and rapid streams." Much fatigue was encountered, and one day a foot- soldier, calling to a horseman who was his friend, drew forth from his wallet a linen bag in which were six pounds of pearls, probably filched from one of the Indian sepulchres. These he offered as a gift to his comrade, being heartily tired of carrying them on his back, though he had a pair of broad shoulders capa- ble of bearing the burden of a mule. The horseman refused to accept so thoughtless an offer. "Keep them yourself." said he ; " you have most need of them. The governor intends shortly to send messengers to Havana; you can forward these presents and have them sold, and three or four horses and mules purchased for you with the proceeds, so that you need no longer go on foot."
Juan Terron was piqued at having his offer refused. " Well," said he, "if you will not have them, I swear I will not carry them, and they shall remain here." So saying, he untied the bag, and, whirling around, as if he were sowing seed, scattered the pearls in all directions among the thickets and herbage. Then putting up the bag in his wallet, as if it were more valuable than the pearls, he marehed on, leaving his comrades and the other bystanders astonished at his folly.
The soldiers made a hasty search for the scattered pearls and recovered thirty of them. When they beheld their great size
60
THE HISTORY OF GEORGIA.
and beauty, none of them being bored and discolored, they la- mented that so many of them had been lost ; for the whole would have sold in Spain for more than six thousand ducats. This egregious folly gave rise to a common proverb in the army, that " There are no pearls for Juan Terron." The poor fellow him- self became an object of constant jest and ridicule, until, at last, made sensible of his absurd conduct, he implored them never to banter him further on the subject.
After a march of five days the army reached Guaxule. Upon the route, both men and horses had suffered from an insufficient supply of maize and of meat. When within half a league of the chief town of the province, De Soto was met by the cacique, or king, escorted by a band of five hundred warriors attired in dec- orated mantles of various skins and adorned with feathers of brilliant hues. The interview was entirely amicable ; and by him and his train was the governor conducted to the village, con- sisting of three hundred houses. It occupied a pleasant situation and was well watered by streams taking their rise in the adjacent mountains. The adelantado was hospitably entertained at the dwelling of the mico, which stood upon the top of an artificial elevation " surrounded by a terrace wide enough for six men to go abreast." The site of Guaxule we believe to be identical, or very nearly so, with Coosawattee Old Town,1 in the southeastern corner of Murray County.
Perceiving that the Christians were killing and eating the vil- lage dogs, the native king collected and presented three hundred of them to the Spaniards. This animal was not used as an arti- cle of food by the aborigines. On the contrary, it was held in special regard. The constant companion of its master in his journeys through the forests, and in hunting and fishing; a trusted guard about his camp-fires and at the door of the home lodge, not infrequently were accorded to it rites of sepulture akin to those with which the owner was complimented. We wonder therefore at this gift, and are inclined to interpret it rather as a euphemistic statement that these dogs were appro- priated by the strangers.
Four days were here passed by the command. An Indian was dispatched with a message to the chief of Chiaha requesting that
1 Some fifty years ago two large silver tion. These objects have been figured, crosses were taken from an Indian grave- and will appear in the next Annual Re- port of the Smithsonian Institution. mound at this point, which we are inclined to regard as relies of Do Soto's expedi-
.
. 61
CORDIAL RECEPTION AT CHIAIIA.
he would concentrate maize at that place, as it was the purpose of the governor to tarry some time in that village.
After two days' travel the town of Canasagua was reached. There is no good reason why we should not recognize in this name the original of that borne at the present day by the river Connasanga. This stage in the journey of De Soto we locate at or near the junction of the Connasauga and Coosawattee rivers, in originally Cass, now Gordon County. Before reaching this town he was met by twenty men from the village, cach bear- ing a basket of mulberries. This fruit was here abundant and well flavored. Plum and walnut trees were growing luxuriantly throughout the country, attaining a size and beauty, without planting or pruning, which could not be surpassed in the irri- gated and well-cultivated gardens of Spain.
Following the course of the Oostenaula, and marching well nigh parallel with its left bank, the army moved in the direction of Chiaha (Ychiaha, Ichiaha, China). On the fifth day, when within two leagues of that town, fifteen Indians, bearing presents of maize, met the adelantado. They conveyed the salutations of the cacique, and a message that he was in his village awaiting the arrival of the strangers. They further assured the governor that twenty barbacoas, full of maize, were there subject to his orders. Chiaha was entered by the Spaniards on the 5th of June. Cordially was De Soto welcomed by the cacique, who re- signed to him the use and occupancy of his residence. Into his mouth the Gentleman of Elvas puts the following address : -
" Powerful and Excellent Master, - " Fortunate am I that you will make use of my services. Nothing could happen that would give me so great contentment, or which I should value more. From Guaxule you sent to have maize for you in readiness to last two months: you have in this town twenty barbacoas full of the choicest and best to be found in all this country. If the re- ception I give is not worthy so great a prince, consider my youth, which will relieve me of blame, and receive my good will, which, with true loyalty and pure, shall ever be shown in all things that concern your welfare."
To these words the governor responded feelingly, assuring the young chief that he was greatly pleased with his gifts and kind- ness, and that he would always regard him as a brother.
De Soto had now reached the confluence of the Etowah and the Oostenaula rivers. The ancient village of Chiaha has been supplanted by the modern city of Rome. The town is described
62
THE HISTORY OF GEORGIA.
as situated between two arms of a river and seated near one of them. Both branches were then fordable, and the meadow lands adjacent to their banks were rich. Maize fields appeared on every hand. There was an abundance of lard in calabashes, which the inhabitants said was prepared from bear's fat. Oil of walnuts, " clear and of good taste," was found in the possession of the natives. They also had a honeycomb which the Chris- tians had never seen before. It was a pleasant and hospitable region, and the army here rested for thirty days. The horses had become so jaded by rough and continuous marches, and so enfeebled from lack of substantial food, that it was absolutely necessary to indulge them in a season of quiet. When they ar- rived at Chiaha they were so worn out that they could not carry their riders; they were accordingly turned out to graze. So amiable were the natives, that, although greatly exposed, the Spaniards suffered no molestation from them either in their per- sons or animals. Had they, in their unguarded condition, seen fit to set upon the Christians, they could scarcely have defended themselves. Contrary to the conduct of the natives on similar occasions in other localities, the inhabitants of Chiaha did not abandon their houses upon the approach of the army or during the sojourn of the Spaniards ; consequently the soldiers were quartered beneath the trees, the only honse occupied by a Euro- pean being that of the chief in which the governor lodged.
In response to his repeated inquiries in regard to gold, De Soto was here informed that to the north, and in a province called Chisca, were mines of copper and of a metal of like color, but finer and brighter. Encouraged by this information, confirma- tory of what he had been told at Cutifachiqui, he dispatched Juan de Villalobos and Francisco de Silvera, two brave soldiers who volunteered for the enterprise, to proceed on foot, and, if possible, locate these mines.
After an absence of ten days they returned and reported that they had been well received by the natives ; that their route lay partly through land excellent for grain and pasturage, and again over mountains so rugged that it would not be practicable for the army to cross them ; that they had found among the natives a buffalo hide an inch thick and with hair as soft as sheep's wool ; and lastly, that they had seen only a fine variety of cop- per, such as had already been met with. From the appearance of the soil, however, they thought it not improbable that both gold and silver were native to the region.
63
PEARLS AT CHIAHA.
While De Soto was awaiting the return of these soldiers, the cacique of Chiaha one day presented him with a string of pearls two arms 1 in length. These pearls were as large as filberts ; and, had they not been perforated, would have been of great value. Thankfully receiving them, De Soto complimented the Indian with pieces of velvet and cloths of various colors, and with other Spanish trifles held in much esteem by the natives. Upon inquiry, he learned that these pearls had been obtained in the neighborhood, and that in the sepulchres of the ancestors of the cacique many were stored. The governor being curious to sce in what manner these pearls were extracted from the shells, the cacique dispatched forty canoes to fish for the oysters during the night. "At an early hour next morning a quantity of wood was gathered and piled up on the banks of the river, and, being set on fire, was speedily reduced to glowing coals. As soon as the canoes arrived, the coals were spread ont and the oysters were laid upon them. They soon opened with the heat, and from some of the first thus opened the Indians obtained ten or twelve pearls as large as peas, which they brought to the governor and cacique, who were standing together, looking on. The pearls were of a fine quality, but somewhat discolored by the fire and smoke. The Indians were prone, also, to injure these pearls by boring them with a heated copper instrument.
" De Soto having gratified his curiosity, returned to his quar- ters to partake of the morning meal. While eating, a soldier entered with a large pearl in his hand. He had stewed some oysters, and, in eating them, felt this pearl between his teeth. Not having been injured by fire or smoke, it retained its beauti- ful whiteness, and was so large and perfect in its form that sev- eral Spaniards, who pretended to be skilled in these matters, declared it would be worth four hundred ducats in Spain. The soldier would have given it to the governor to present to his wife, Doña Isabel de Bobadilla, but De Soto declined the gen- erous offer, advising the soldier to preserve it until he got to Havana, where he might purchase horses and many other things with it ; moreover, in reward of his liberal disposition, De Soto insisted upon paying the fifth of the value, due to the crown."
The mussel or oyster here alluded to was doubtless the pearl- bearing unio still native to the Etowah and the Oostenaula, and to many other Southern streams. At that early period these shells were far more numerous than they are at present. Arti-
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