and had borne away the unwieldy chief through
the air.

As all the band were implicated in the escape, all were alike ready to
aver that, during the night, they had witnessed very strange sights
and heard very strange sounds. When they carried back this report, the
good-natured De Soto, convinced that fretting and fault-finding would
do no good, appeased their alarm by saying, with a peculiar smile:

"It is not strange. These Indian wizards perform feats far more
difficult than conjuring away a fat chief."

The winter passed slowly away. The natives were a very ferocious race;
tall, strong, athletic, and delighting in war. Every day and every
hour brought alarm and battle. The Indians conducted a harassing and
destructive warfare. In small bands they roamed through the forest,
cutting off any who ventured to wander from the town. It required a
large amount of food to supply the wants of the army in Anhayea. Not a
native carried any provisions to the town, and it was necessary for De
Soto to send out foraging expeditions, at whatever risk. The winter
was cold. Fires were needed for warmth and cooking. But the sound of
an axe could not be heard in the forest, without drawing upon the
wood-cutters, a swarm of foes. De Soto found himself in what is called
a false position; so that he deemed it necessary to resort to cruel
and apparently unjustifiable expedients.

He took a large number of Indian captives. These he compelled to be
his hewers of wood and drawers of water. He would send a party of
Spaniards into the forests for fuel. Each man led an Indian as a
servant to operate in the double capacity of a shield against the
arrows of the natives, and a slave to collect and bring back the
burden. To prevent the escape of these Indians, each one was led by a
chain, fastened around his neck or waist. Sometimes these natives
would make the most desperate efforts to escape; by a sudden twitch
upon the chain they would endeavor to pull it from the hands of their
guard, or to throw him down and, seizing any club within their reach,
would spring upon him with the ferocity of a tiger.

In various ways more than twenty Spaniards lost their lives, and many
more were seriously wounded. It was indeed a melancholy winter for the
army of De Soto. Their supplies were so far expended that it was
needful for them to await the arrival of their vessels in the Bay of
St. Marks. It will also be remembered, that De Soto had sent back an
exp