SwANTON] INDIANS OF THE SOUTHEASTEiRN UNHTEO STATES 51 



and the province is called by Elvas "Paf allaya," which is undoubtedly 

 intended for Pa°sfalaya, "Long Hairs," an ancient name of the 

 Choctaw Indians. In later times Choctaw were living in this neigh- 

 borhood, though not on the sites mentioned. 



These Choctaw, like so many other Indians, objected to being 

 plundered, and removed their provisions to the opposite side of the 

 river, making it necessary for the Spaniards to spend more than a 

 week constructing a pirogue in which to effect the crossing. When 

 it was completed, they had little difficulty in forcing the passage and 

 confiscating the corn stored nearby. A little higher up this river 

 was a town which seems to have been a kind of capital for the dis- 

 trict, since it gave its name Apafalaya to the river and, as we have 

 seen, to the province. This is believed to have occupied an old 

 Indian town site at Stephens Bluff. 



Taking the chief of this town as their "guide," in their accustomed 

 manner, on December 9 the explorers set out once more toward the 

 north, and on the 14th, after traversing "many bad passages and 

 swamps and cold rivers," they came to the "Kiver of Chicaca," 

 which they found overflowing its bed. This was, of course, the Tom- 

 bigbee, and, these Indians also being hostile, they were again obliged 

 to take time to build a pirogue. It was probably smaller than the 

 barge constructed to cross the Black Warrior, for they were ready 

 to attempt the passage on December 16, the Indians having been 

 frightened away in the meantime by a threat to their position on the 

 part of Gallegos dispatched up river with 30 horsemen. Late that 

 night De Soto with a body of cavalry arrived at an Indian village 

 abandoned by its inhabitants. Next day Gallegos appeared and at 

 the same time, presumably, the remainder of the army. It seems 

 certain that the crossing place was either at Cotton Gin Port just 

 below the junction of the two forks of the Tombigbee, or Morgan's 

 Ferry just below Aberdeen, probably the latter. If the former sup- 

 position is correct, the Chickasaw town they entered may have been 

 at or close to the Chickasaw towns of a later date close to Tupelo. 

 If the latter theory is right, the town was evidently farther west, in 

 the northern edge of Chickasaw County or the southern edge of 

 Pontotoc. During the following winter De Soto was persuaded by 

 the Indians to send a part of his force against the Sacchuma (Chak- 

 chiuma), then probably on Lines Creek, that they might divide his 

 army and destroy it, but the ruse proved unsuccessful. 



In any case, the army encamped here until March 4 following. 

 On that date they had planned to resume their journey toward the 

 west and had made the usual "request' of the Chickasaw chief for 

 bearers. Early in the morning, however, the Chickasaw fell upon 

 them, surprising the sentinels, who had been unusually remiss, and 



