The country where we came on shore to this town
and region of Apalachen, is for the most part level,
the ground of sand and stiff earth. Throughout are
immense trees and open woods, in which are walnut,
laurel and another tree called liquid-amber,^ cedars,
savins, evergreen oaks, pines, red-oaks and palmitos
like those of Spain. There are many lakes, great and
small, over every part of it; some troublesome of
fording, on account of depth and the great number of
trees lying throughout them. Their beds are sand.
The lakes in the country of Apalachen are much larger
than those we found before coming there.
In this Province are many maize fields ; and the
houses are scattered as are those of the Gelves. There
are deer of three kinds,^ rabbits, hares, bears, lions
and other wild beasts. Among them we saw an
animal with a pocket on its belly, in which it carries
its young until they know how to seek food; and
if it happen that they should be out feeding and
any one come near, the mother will not run until she
has gathered them in together. The country is very
cold. It has fine pastures for herds. Birds are of vari-
ous kinds. Geese in great numbers. Ducks, mallards,
royal-ducks, fly-catchers, night-herons and partridges
abound. We saw many falcons, gerfalcons, sparrow-
hawks, merlins, and numerous other fowl.
Two hours* after our arrival at Apalachen,^ the
Indians who had fled from there came in peace to us,
asking for their women and children, whom we re-
leased ; but the detention of a cacique by the Governor
produced great excitement, in consequence of which
they returned for battle early the next day,* and at-
tacked us with such promptness and alacrity that they
succeeded in setting tire to the houses in which we
were. As we sallied they fled to the lakes near by,
because of which and the large maize fields, we could
do them no injury, save in the single instance of one
Indian, whom we killed. The day following,t others
came against us from a town on the opposite side of
the lake,^ and attacked us as the first had done, escap-
ing in the same way, except one who was also slain.
We were in the town twenty-five days,J in which
time we made three incursions, and found the country
very thinly peopled and difiicult to travel for the bad
passages, the woods and lakes. We inquired of the
cacique we kept and the natives we brought with us,
who were the neighbors and enemies of these Indians,
as to the nature of the country, the character and con-
dition of the inhabitants, of the food and all other
matters concerning it. Each answered apart from the
rest, that the largest town in all that region was Apa-
lachen; the people beyond were less numerous and
poorer, the land little occupied, and the inhabitants
much scattered ; that thenceforward were great lakes,
dense forests, immense deserts and solitudes. We
then asked touching the region towards the south, as
to the towns and subsistence in it. They said that in
keeping such a direction, journeying nine days, there
was a town called Ante, the inhabitants whereof had
much maize, beans and pumpkins, and being near the
sea, they had fish, and that those people were their
friends.
In view of the poverty of the land, the unfavorable
accounts of the population and of everjrthing else we
heard, the Indians making continual war upon us,
wounding our people and horses at the places where
they went to drink, shooting from the lakes with such
safety to themselves that we could not retaliate, killing
a lord of Tescuco,^ named Don Pedro, whom the Com-
missary brought with him, we determined to leave that
place and go in quest of the sea, and the town of Ante
of which we were told.
At the termination of the twenty-five days after our
arrival we departed,* and on the first day got through
those lakes and passages without seeing any one, and
on the second day we came to a lake difiicult of cross-
ing, the water reaching to the paps, and in it were
numerous logs. On reaching the middle of it we were
attacked by many Indians from behind trees, who
thus covered themselves that we might not get sight
of them, and others were on the fallen timbers. They
drove their arrows with such eiFect that they wounded
many men and horses, and before we got through the
lake they took our guide. They now followed, en-
deavoring to contest the passage ; but our coming out
afforded no relief, nor gave us any better position ; for
when we wished to fight them they retired immedi-
ately into the lake, whence they continued to wound
our men and beasts. The Governor, seeing this, com-
manded the cavalry to dismount and charge the In-
dians on foot. Accordingly the Comptroller alighting
with the rest, attacked them, when they all turned
and ran into the lake at hand, and thus the passage
was gained.
Some of our men were wounded in this conflict, for
whom the good armor they wore did not avail. There
were those this day who swore that they had seen two
red oaks, each the thickness of the lower part of the
leg, pierced through from side to side by arrows ; and
this is not so much to be wondered at, considering
the power and skill with which the Indians are able to
project them. I myself saw an arrow that had entered
the butt of an elm to the depth of a span.
The Indians we had so far seen in Florida are all
archers. They go naked, are large of body, and ap-
pear at a distance Uke giants. They are of admirable
proportions, very spare and of great activity and
strength. The bows they use are as thick as the
arm, of eleven or twelve palms in length, which they
will discharge at two hundred paces with so great pre-
cision that they miss nothing.