The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1899-04-07


every ,uind the hope that other rich
surprises waited for the grasp of bold
hands.
In 1928 Pamphilo de Narvaez fitted
On exposition for the conquest of Flori-
da. Jean Ortiz, then South, sailed
with NarvaeZ. 1t was All Inflated eX-
peditio". OF three hundred mel who
set sail from S. ain, but four or FIVE
sur lived famine, fever, pestilence, and
shipwrech to return to their native
land.
In one of the engagements of Mar
vaeZ and his men with the Indians, al
WAYS hostile to the invaders on these
gulf shores, Ortiz was taken captive.
he WI doomed to be burned to death,
but was saved by the entreaties Of
Cceta's fair daughter. A light task
WAS assignei john Smith-the making
OF beads and gewgaws for the pleasure
oi Pocahontus. Not so the Ia * set
Ortiz. Though his life was spared, he
was treated with much cruelty, and
was put to guard a lonely temple, where
the Indian dead were Deposited. A
grewsome task for the once gay young
Seviian-to watch day and night in
the house of the dead. amid dense for
ests, rife with fever-breaths and haunt
ed by strange Il I'd malignant reptiles.
For twelve years he was prisoner
of this tribe. In the later years of his
captivity his captors grew more leni-
ent. He became in appearance like
one ofthemselve,;. Such attire as they
wore, mats of ivy and feathers, he
perforce adopted. His body was ike
Enthusiastically or tattooed in many
colors. THIS ''razing" gave t, the Ma
tives the appearance, so say the old
narrators, of being clad in silken hose
ami doublet.
Twelve years passed, and news
reached the tribe of the landing on
their coast of another army of Spain.
This was the splendidly-equipped eY-
pedition Of Hernando De Soto, newly
appointed governor of Cuba and ade-
lantado of Florida. This expedition,
into whic.: De Soto had put all his vast
W. attn, acquired in his service in the
conquest OF Peru, was the most CON-
plete OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES that
had ever set foot on American shores.
Ortiz heard the news with joy, and,
accompanying Il band of Indians
toward the coast, he eagerly anticipa-
ted the meeting with his countrymen.
The little band soon encountered a
detachment of soldiers under Baltasar
de Gallegos. These attachments were
sent from the main army to capture
Indians, from whom their leader hoped
to learn of stories of gold and wealth of
gems. The Spanish charged the little
band, ana Alvaro Neito Vas bearing
down with his lance upon one of the
uumber. when a loud cry arrested his
charge: "Slay me not. l am a
Christian. am Christian ~
Amazed a. hearing his native tongue
in the wilds of Florida, Neito held a
hand. to the Christian, and, drawing
him behind him to horse, he galloped
to camp with Ortiz. There De Soto
welcomed HIM gladly. Ortiz was sup
pied with soldiers coutrements and
made in erpreter of the army. He wac
of great service to The commander, yet
his interpretations went a weary rolnd
of dialects, of necessity, for i'll that
great march of De Soto through Flor
ida, Georgia, Alabama. Mississippi,
Louisiana and Arkansas many tribes
were invaded and many diverse la:,-
guages found. Pickett, careful stu, :ent
o. the record, of this march, relates
that, "in conversing with the Chicasas,
for instance he commenced with d
Floridian, who carried the word to a
Georgian, the Georgian to the Coosa,
tie Coosa to the Mobiliap, and the lat
ter to the Chickasa. In the same
te dious manner the answered was con-
veyed to him and reported to De Soto. >
Not this landing the tediousnesS of
the task, Ortiz gained for De Soto
much useful information from the
peaceful tribes through which they
passed after leaving the coast-country,
from the followers of the Indian
queen of Silver Bluff and the subjects
of the young chief of Chiaha, who
loaded De Soto with pearls of the rivers
of Alabama.
He entered with the bold Span iardG
tie town Of NJ Aubila. There the In
dian ruler and giant, Tuscaloosa, had
maesed his own warriors, and allies to
the number of ten thousand, and the
wiley chief had planned utter annihil-
alton of the Spanish army there. Tus
ca!oosa, held rs Il hostage close to De
Soto. having entered Maubila, where
his warriors were hidden, boldly rose
from his seat beside the commander
and joined his people. 1t was Ortiz
who followed him to announce that
breakfast awaited him at the adeian
tado's own table. But the Black War
rior was no longer to be held as host
age: he refused TO return with Ortiz.
Then followed the bloody battle of
Maubila, wherein the Spanish lest
many men and the greater part of their
splendid accoutrements for invasion.
Much farther on in the march, in the
country of the Chickasas, Ortiz, by
dipping the stern commander, succeed
ed in saving the lives of two of the
: Sp anish soldiers. The army was SO
reduced by uuceasing war with the
natives, by untold 2ardships, and 10y
: diverse diseases, that every life was
. precious to the invaders. Two of the
i army, Fuentes and o ,ario, made raid
upon ole of the villages of the Chicas-
! as, and carried off valuable furs and
! nantes The incenspd Indians pre-
, pared for war. De Soto, anxious to
, prevent for the future like useless
. provoca zion of the natives, with whom
L, he was now little able to cope, con-
: demnad the marauders to death
Priests and cavaliers pleaded for Their
!; the execution, when several Indians
a arrived, sent from their chief to relate
d their grievances and demand punish
l. ment of the plunderers. At the sugges
; ton of some of the leading Spanish
r Ortiz falsely interpreted the messenger
i Of wrath into pleadings from the chic
o himself for pardon OF the offenders
It De Soto was deceived, ard the con
IS demned were released.
q The Indians were sent home, like
' wise duped. They carried to theil
t chief story that the offenders were
u = to be put to death; indeed, they NIGH
/, see for themselves the preparation
e for an immediate execution.
j Ortiz, having survived the terrible
h battle of Maubila, the lesser, but ye
h bloody, fight of Cabusto, and thu
n dreadful night onslaught upon tn,
If Spaniards at Chicasa, was yet doomed
d never to see his native city, fair seville
20 He saw with his commander tina
l. wonderful river which was to be tn
j. burial-place of tie great Spaniard
r; But even the honor of SO noted grav
lie was not to be for Ortiz. He died il
10 the wilds of Arkansas.
'e His search for gold and his youthful
" dream of glory had brought him onl
lie many strange adventures, rare hard
e, ship, dangers manifold, and an IN
is known grave in an unbroken wilder
Of ness.-N Y. Home Journal.
m LIGHTING THE STAGE YEARS AG,
Id 1t must have often struck peopl
ID when reading of the old performance
re in the last century, bow it was tina
er the lighting was contrived. The pow
Us er of oil lamps was limited enough
there were no footlights, at least I'LL
81 4 80 xlN1 Lat