SWANTOH] EARLY HISTORY OF THE CREEK INDIANS 219 
usually been regarded as earlier occupants of this territory than the 
Creeks, extended down the river as far as Ebenezer Creek. 
Later researches have tended to show, however, that in De Soto's 
time the Yuchi wore not on the Savannah River at all, while the Pardo 
narratives indicate that the position of Cofitachequi was at least as far 
inland as Barnwell or Hampton Counties, S. C. Elvas says that the 
sea "was stated to be two days' travel" from Cofitachequi, 1 and 
Biedma has this: " From the information given by the Indians, the sea 
should be about 30 leagues distant." 2 
In Yundera's account of the Pardo expedition of 1566-67 Cofitache- 
qui is said to be 50 leagues from Santa Elena and 20 from the mouth 
of the river on which it was located. 3 It is probable that the first of 
these figures is too high and the second too low. All things considered, 
Silver Bluff would seem to be too far inland; a point is indicated 
between Mount Pleasant and Sweet Water Creek, in Barnwell or 
Hampton Counties, S. C. 
From the prominent position assigned to Cofitachequi by the De 
Soto chroniclers, by Pardo and Vandera, and by the later English 
settlers, it is altogether probable that this was the town which 
Laudonniere and the Frenchmen left at Charlesfort believed was 
being described to them as lying inland and ruled by a great chief 
called Chiquola. Laudonniere says: 
Those who survived from the first voyage have assured me that the Indians have 
made them understand l>y intelligible signs that farther inland in the same northerly 
direction was a great inclosure, and within it many beautiful houses, in the midst of 
which lived Chiquola. 4 
Laudonniere evidently stumbled upon the name Chiquola from 
having asked about the Chicora of the Ayllon expedition, with the 
story of which he was familiar. The Indians, who probably had no 
r in their language, changed the sound to I and at the same time 
perhaps gave him a distorted form of one name for the Kasihta, a 
name which we seem to find again in the form "Tatchequiha" in 
Owen's letter to Lord Ashley. 5 The location indicated also agrees 
very well with that in which Pardo found Cofitachequi a few years 
later. Yandera gives the following account of the country occupied 
by these people in his time: 
From Guiomaez he started directly for Canos, which the Indians call Canosi, and 
by another name Cofetazque; there are three or four rather large rivers within this 
province, one of them even carrying much water or rather two are that way; there 
are few swamps, but anybody, even a child, can pass them afoot. There are deep 
valleys surrounded by rocks and stones, and cliffs. The soil is reddish and fertile, 
very much better than all those before mentioned. 
i Bourne, N'arr. of De Soto, I, p. 66. * Laudonniere, Hist. Not. de la Floride, p. 31. 
2 Ibid., ii, p. 14. s See p. 217. 
s Ruidiaz, La Florida, ii, p. 482. 
