leagues by twenty horsemen, when they
were found among some tall reeds eating, drinking, and making merry with
their women, and bidding Grajal eat, as they told him they would use him
better than Ortiz. On hearing the trampling of the horses all the men
fled, leaving the women and children with Grajal, whom they had
stripped naked. The Spaniards returned well pleased with Grajal and the
women and children, all of whom Soto set free along with some men who
had been made prisoners formerly, on purpose if possible to conciliate
the cacique and his subjects.

After remaining three weeks in that place, Soto sent a detachment of
sixty horse and an equal number of foot under Gallegos to explore the
country beyond the districts belonging to Harrihiagua and Mucozo, which
belonged to a cacique named _Urribarracuxi_. On asking guides from
Mucozo for this expedition, he refused it saying that it would be
treacherous to furnish guides for doing injury to his friend and
brother-in-law. The Spaniards answered that they meant no injury, and he
might send his friend notice of their intended visit, as they were
resolved at all events to go. In that part of the country they found
many wild vines, walnut-trees, mulberry, plum, oak, pine, and other
trees resembling those which grow in Spain, and the open fields appeared
pleasant and fertile. But they found Urribarracuxi's town, which was at
the distance of seventeen leagues, entirely abandoned, and could by no
means prevail upon him to come out of the woods or to contract any
friendship with them, though he likewise entirely refrained from doing
them any harm. Gallegos sent back word to inform Soto of the nature of
the country he had explored, and that there were plenty of provisions in
the town to which he had penetrated. Being anxious to take Harrihiagua
prisoner, his lieutenant Vasco Porcallo went out with a party on that
service, though Soto advised him to send some other person. When
Harrihiagua learnt the object of this expedition, he sent word to
Porcallo that his labour would be all in vain, as the roads were so bad
he would never be able to reach the place in which he dwelt. Porcallo
however persisted, and coming to a deep morass which his men refused to
enter, he spurred on his horse to set a good example; but his horse soon
floundered in the morass and Porcallo fell off and was nearly stifled.
Considering that he was well up in years and had a good estate, Porcallo
considered th