each placed on a separate pedestal. The men
held various weapons, and each weapon was ornamented with a string of
pearls. The burial chests were placed on benches around the four sides
of the room, and in the centre, on the floor were also rows of caskets
placed one on top of the other. All the caskets were filled with pearls,
and the pearls were distributed according to size, the largest in the
large caskets, the smaller seed pearls in the smallest caskets. In all
there was such a quantity of pearls that the Spaniards confessed to the
truth of the statement of Cofachiqui, that if they loaded themselves
with as many as they could carry, and loaded their three hundred horses
with them, too, there would still be hundreds of bushels left. And, too,
there were in the room great heaps of handsome deerskins dyed in
different colours, and skins of other animals. Opening out of this great
room were eight small rooms filled with all sorts of weapons. In the
last room were mats of cane so finely woven that few of the Spanish
crossbowmen could have put a bolt through them.

The Spaniards were greatly elated with the discovery of such a store of
treasure, and it is said that De Soto dipped his joined hands, made into
a receptacle for the purpose, into the piles of pearls, and gave
handfuls to each cavalier, saying that they were to make rosaries of, to
say prayers on for their sins. For some strange reason, however, most of
the jewels were left undisturbed, perhaps in the same way that fortunes
are left in a bank, to be drawn on at will. Sure we are, from the true
account of the historian, that the Spaniards were fully aware of the
value of the pearls given to them by Cofachiqui, and sure it is also
that De Soto must have exulted with a passion of triumph at being the
lawful owner of such treasures. But his desire for gold, his greed for
gain, was insatiable. Having examined his newly acquired store house of
possessions he eagerly inquired of the Indians if they knew of any
still richer land farther west. This question gave Cofachiqui's chiefs
the chance they had been hoping for to rid themselves of him whom they
now knew as a treacherous guest, and they hastily assured De Soto that
farther on to the north was a more powerful chief ruling over a far
richer country, called Chiaha. The news delighted De Soto and he
determined to march on at once. In vain his men pleaded to remain where
they had found such treasure, had been shown suc