nwamunI EARLY HISTORY OF THE CREEK INDIANS 239 
conditions. The vanquished were very grateful, throwing the blame on bad coun 
selors, as if it were not just as bad to listen to the bad which is advised as to advise il 
They capitulated and peace was made. 
The Napochiee pledged ihemselvesto pay as tributes, thrice a year, game, or fruits, 
chestnuts, and nuts, in confirmation of their [the Coza people's] superiority, which 
bad been recognized by their forefathers. This done, the whole army returned to 
the fust village of the Napochies, when- they had left in garrison Spanish soldiers and 
Coza people. As this village was convenient they rested there three days, until it 
serine,! time to return to Coza where the 150 Spanish soldiers were waiting for them. 
The journey was short and they arrived soon, and although they found them all in 
good health, including Father Fray Domingo de Salazar who had remained with them, 
all had suffered great hunger and want, because there were many people and they 
had been there a longtime. They hegan to talk of returning to Nanipacna, where they 
had left their general, not having found in this land what had been claimed and hoped 
for. As it means valor in war sometimes to flee and temerity to attack, thus is it pru- 
dence on some occasions to retrace one's steps, when the going ahead does not bring 
any benefit. 1 
Barcia'a account of this expedition is much shorter and contains 
little not given in the narrative of Padilla. He says that Father 
Domingo de la Anunciacion 'asked the Indians about a man called 
Falco Herrado, 3 a soldier of low rank, who remained voluntarily at 
Coza when Hernando de Soto passed through there; and he also asked 
about a negro, by the name of Robles, whom De Soto left behind sick, 3 
and he was informed that they had lived for 11 or 12 years among 
those Indians, who treated them very well, and that 8 or 9 years before 
they died from sickness." 4 
After consultation the Spaniards determined to send messengers 
back to De Luna, the bulk of the force remaining where it was until 
they learned whether he would join them. They found that the 
Spanish settlers had withdrawn to the port where they had originally 
landed, and, arrived there, they received orders to return to the Span- 
iards in Coza and direct them to abandon the country and unite with 
the rest of the colony. As soon as the messengers reached them they 
set out "to the great grief of the Indians who accompanied them two 
or three days' journey weeping, with great demonstrations of love, 
but not for their religion, since only one dying Indian asked for 
baptism, which Father Salazar administered to him. In the begin- 
n ing of November they reached the port after having been seven 
months on this exploration. " 5 
We learn from this narrative that the nucleus of the Coosa River 
Creeks and the Tallapoosa River Creeks was already in existence, and 
that the Coosa and Holiwahali tribes were then most prominent 
' Davila Padilla, Mistoria, pp. 205-217. Translation by Mi^. F. Bandelier. 
i Ranjel in Bourne, Narr. of De Soto, n, p. 113; he gives this man's name as Feryada, and calls him a 
Levantine. 
•Ibid., p. 114. 
* Barcia, T,a Florida, p. 35. 
» Ibid., pp. 37-39. 
