The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 27, July 1923 - April, 1924 Page: 218

Southwestern Historical Quarterly

remained there with the other people, because the greater part of
the Christians were ill, and others fell sick each day. So these
gentlemen (hidalgos) departed with the company, as said, and
took the commissary with them.2
The day they left there they arrived at some shallow arms
(baxos) of the sea, where they spent that night; and on the morn-
ing of the next day sent twenty men to explore the coast; but
they reported that they had been unable to see it, because it was
far away. With this they returned to the main camp, where they
found the Governor, the purser, the inspector and many others,
voyage in row boats even' with inexperienced oarsmen, in water waist
deep, without reaching the open sea.
Buckingham Smith quotes the Inca's account of De Soto's sojourn in
this region, with the comment that Charlevoix, who was at San Marcos
de Apalache (now St. Marks) in 1722, says that the inlet there was pre-
cisely the one which the Inca says was the port of Aute. But the Inca
says that on' the two journeys of six leagues each, in which Juan de
Aiascos' party journeyed from Apalache to Aute they crossed two small
rivers, which would appear to have been the streams now called St.
Marks River and Wakulla River. No maps to which I have access indi-
cate equivalent streams north or northeast of the present site of St.
Marks.
Cabeza de Vaca notes that before reaching Aute (Relacion says after
leaving Aute) they suspected the proximity of the sea from a large river,
which they called Rio de la Magdalena, and there is no stream that could
be so described (eliminating the bayou or inlet on which St. Marks is
situated) nearer than Ocklockonee River. This is not such a large river,
but any tidewater stream is apt to appear to be so near its mouth.
Bandelier identified this Rio de la Magdalena with the Appalachicola,
but evidently had not considered the illuminating testimony of the De Soto
narratives.
'Oviedo: "We may well believe that this reverend father would then
have been contented with his cell in Spain, which he quitted to come to
this land, seeking a bishop's coat and mitre. This seeking has lost many
of them their time and some of them their lives. And even those who
have served God, forget, after achieving such dignities, how few of them
attain them.
"I would to God they would not so adventure their souls, notwithstand-
ing those who die without such interests, or ambitions, or desire for
prelacies; but wish only to serve God in the conversion of these Indians;
which is an honest, meritorious and holy desire. Those are the ones who
bear fruit here; for the rest, may God save them!"
Fray Juan Xuarez, Comissary of Narvaez' Expedition, was one of the
six learned Franciscon Friars, chosen for the example their lives would
be to the Indians, sent to New Spain by Charles V at the instance of
Hernando Cort6s. There he became Superior of the Convent of Huexotzinco,
a position he quitted to accompany NarvIez, out of zeal for the con-
version of the Indians. Fray Juan de Palos, who perished 'with him, was
one of the lay brothers sent to New Spain on the same occasion, and
Torquemada speaks of him as pure-minded, simple an'd devout. See Shea's
note, pp. 99-100, of the 1871 edition of Smith's Relation of Alvar Nufez
Cabeza de Vacoa.

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