I08 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I02 



against each other ; they made friends with the chief Anilco, who 

 aided them with all necessities, and they built seven brigantines with 

 which to put to sea, so greatly did they desire to leave that country. 

 Hereupon a countless horde of savages banded together to attack the 

 Christians ; but so huge a flood overflowed both banks of the river 

 that the land was inundated for over 20 leagues each way, and the 

 savages scattered to save their homes. This lasted 40 days, at the 

 end of which the river returned to its channel and the group of seven 

 brigantines set out, trailing some canoes behind them. The ships 

 carried 350 Spaniards, all who survived of the expedition which had 

 started under Commander Hernando de Soto, for 550 had died in 

 the enterprise in warfare and from sickness, together with some 30 

 Indians, men and women. As they sailed down that great river to 

 reach the sea, they were followed by about 1,000 canoes of savages 

 of various tribes who had united to exterminate them ; these followed, 

 skirmishing and attacking them, for 17 days, during which they 

 traveled 400 leagues. They left them behind after losing 48 Spanish 

 soldiers, and put out to sea ; and after many hardships and storms, 

 they succeeded in making port at Panuco ; and thus was abandoned 

 at that time the project of conquering Florida, with the loss of 600 

 Spaniards in its various provinces, as has been related. 



Chapter XXXV 



Of the City and Fortress of St. Augustine, Florida, and of Other 

 Special Features of These Provinces. 



308. After what has been related — both the misfortunes of the two 

 armies of Panfilo de Narvaez and of Gov. Hernando de Soto, failing 

 to make any settlement at once — and the fate of the friar Fray Luis 

 Cancer of the Dominican Order and his companions, who went to 

 those provinces in the year 1549 for the conversion of the savages by 

 preaching the Gospel, and who sufifered for it and were killed by the 

 savages, already exasperated by the earlier Spanish expeditions, or 

 naturally ferocious — after all this, in the year 1559, Commander 

 Pedro Melendez de Aviles went to these provinces of the warlike 

 Florida Indians ; and after subduing some districts adjoining the 

 coast, he founded and colonized certain forts and cities, such as San 

 Mateo, which was soon abandoned, and the city and fort of St. 

 Augustine, which I have heard still remains as a settlement in that 

 vast region. This city of St. Augustine lies near the sea at the water's 

 edge; it contains over 300 Spanish residents, who are all married 

 soldiers living there as a garrison. The city is well built of stone, 



