46 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 137 



name of Talimeco itself, and the probable identity of the town Ilapi 

 with the later Hilibi, all point to an identification of this province 

 with part of the Muskogee, probably the main part of the Lower 

 Creeks. 



On leaving Cofitachequi, the Spaniards took with them many 

 pounds of pearls from the ossuary of Cofitachequi, "presented" by 

 the "Lady," and they carried along the "Lady" also, as was their wont 

 in similar cases to secure subordination and service from the Indians 

 under her influence. The Pardo narratives help us to the conclusion 

 that the Spaniards now kept northeast of the Savannah on a well- 

 marked trail between that river and the Saluda. There is no reference 

 to a repassage of the Savannah, as some writers have assumed, and on 

 the sixth day of their march they came to a town called Guaquili, 

 evidently identical with the Aguaquiri of Pardo, which was clearly 

 northeast of the Savannah. Before reaching Guaquili, on the second 

 day after his departure from Cofitachequi, De Soto came to a province 

 called Chalaque. Most writers have assumed too hastily from this 

 reference, from an error as to distance by Elvas, and from a somewhat 

 confusing note farther along in Ran j el's narrative, that this referred 

 to the Cherokee country. The location is, however, very far south of 

 any site occupied by Cherokee in historic or traditionary times. The 

 name is probably nothing more than a form of the Muskogee word 

 "Chilokee," which signifies "people of a different language" and which 

 very likely became permanently affixed to the Cherokee at a later 

 period. As used by the De Soto chroniclers, however, it was most 

 likely applied to people speaking an eastern Siouan language, which 

 would equally have been "a different speech." 



On May 21 De Soto reached Xuala near the foot of the Appalachian 

 Mountains, and there he was joined next day by Gallegos with the 

 remainder of the army. As Mooney pointed out many years ago, 

 Xuala, which would be Shuala in English, was evidently a Mus- 

 kogee attempt at Cheraw or Saraw, there being no r in the Muskogee 

 tongue. This town I believe to have been located on a knoll known 

 locally as Towns Hill between Knox and Crane Creeks. This not 

 only corresponds to the position given by the narratives of the ex- 

 pedition, but is indicated by requirements laid down in the subsequent 

 narratives. Thus, after leaving Xuala they went over "a very high 

 range" and in 2 days came to and "crossed the river, wading up to 

 their shins, by which later they were to depart in the brigantines." 

 This can only have been one of the head streams of the Tennessee, 

 for no other waters in this section flow into the Mississippi, the river 

 "by which they were to depart" from the country. It has been some- 

 times identified with the Coosa, but this is disproved by the testimony 

 of the De Soto map and by the fact that they recognized the Coosa 



