lose his own head, and that all his men
should be put to death, wherever they were found to harbour any evil
intentions.

Satisfied with these assurances, Soto sent for Peter the Indian, who was
likewise at a loss, as he had not been in these parts for five years.
They marched on however the rest of that day, without knowing any thing
of the road, yet found the woods easily passable. Towards evening they
arrived at a great river which could not be forded[157]. This
circumstance added greatly to their perplexity, as they now had only
seven days provisions, which would not hold out till they could make
rafts to pass this river. Next day Soto sent off four several
detachments in different directions to explore the country, with orders
to return in five days; and with each of these went a thousand Indians,
to assist in finding the way of which they were in search. The Indians
who carried the baggage, and who remained at the encampment, went out
every morning armed, and returned at night with herbs, roots, birds,
some small land animals, and a little fish, part of which they gave to
the Spaniards; but this scanty supply was quite insufficient for their
necessities. Soto now ordered some of the swine which accompanied the
army to be slaughtered, and distributed eight ounces of their flesh
daily to every one of his men. Even this was only protracting their
misery, yet all shewed wonderful patience, as their commander gave them
a good example.

[Footnote 157: In the utter impossibility to trace the route of Soto, it
may even appear absurd to suppose that this may have been the Tenasse or
Hogohegee River, formerly called the Cherokee River; yet he assuredly
marched in various directions through the interior country of North
America, westwards of the present states of Virginia, the Carolinas, and
Georgia, to the north of modern West Florida, now occupied by the
Creeks, Cherokees, Catawbas, Chactaws, and Chickasaws.--E.]

Three of the detachments that had been sent out on discovery returned on
the sixth day unsuccessful. But the commander of the fourth, Juan de
Anasco, who had gone up the banks of the river, sent back four horsemen
to inform Soto that he had found a small town on the same side of the
river, which had a good store of provisions, and had seen several towns
still higher up, where there was a good deal of cultivated land. The
messengers brought with them many ears of _zara_[158], and some cows
horns, without knowin