The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1899-03-24

his vast wealth. acquired in his service
in the conquest of Peru. was the m, ST
complete and ma gniiicentlv equipped
that hau ever set foot on American
shores. Ortiz heard the news with
JOY, and, accompanying band of IT,
dlans toward the coast. he eagerly an.
ticipated the meeting with his country
men.
The little band soon encountered a
detachment of soldiers under Baltasar
Gle Gallegos. These detachments 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, and Alvaro Neito was
bearing down with his lance upon one
of the number, when a loud cry ar
rested his charge: 'Slay me not |
am a Christian | am Christian"
Amazed AT 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
supplied with 4 soldiers coutremcnts
and made interpreter of the army. He
was of great service to the commander
yet his interpretations went a weary
round OF dialects, of necessity. for in
that great march of De Soto's through
| Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi.
Louisiana, and Arkansas many tribes
were invaded and many diverse Ian
guages found. Pickett, careful student
of the records Of this march, relates
that, ''in conversing with the Chicasas
for instance, he commenced with a
| Floridian, who carried the word to a
Georgian, the Georgian to the Coosa,
the Coosa to the Mobilian, and the lat
ter to the Chickasa. In the same
tedious manner the answer was con-
veyed to him andreported to De Soto
Notwithstanding 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 riv-
| ers of Alabama.
He entered with the bold Spaniard
the town of Maubla. There the Indian
ruler and giant, Tuscaloosa, had massed
his own warriors and allies to the num-
Der of ten thousand, and the willy chief
had planned utter annihiIation of the
Spanish army there. Tuscaloosa. held
as 4 hostage close to De Soto, having en-
tered 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 an
nounce that breakfast awaited him at
| the adelantadO's own table. But the
Black Warrior was no longer to be
held as hostage; he refused to return
WITH Ortiz.
Then followed the bloody battle OF
| Maubila, wherein the Spanish lost
many men and the greater part of their
| splendid accoutrcments for invasion.
Much farther on in the march, in the
country Of the Chickasas, Ortiz, by
duping the stern commander, succeeded
in saving the lives of two of the Span
ish soldiers. The army was so reduced
by unceasing war with the natives, by
untold hardships, and by diverse dis
eases, that every life was precious to
| the invaders. Two of the army,
! Fuentes and Osario, made raid upon
| one of the villages of the Chicasas, and
| carried off valuable iurs and mantles
The incensed Indians prepared for war.
| De Soto. anxious to prevent for the
future like useless provocation of the
natives, with whom he was now little
able to cope, condemned the marauders
| to death. Priests and cavaliers pleaded
| for their comrades in vain. They were
led to the execution, when several In
| dians arrived, sent from their chief to
relate their grievances and demand
punishment of the plunderers. At the
suggestion of some of the leading Span
ish Ortiz falsely interpreted the mes
sages of wrath into pleadings from the
chief himself for pardon of the often
ders De Soto was deceived, and the
condemned were released
The Indians were sent home, like
wise duped. They carried to their
chief story that the offenders were to
be put to death: indeed, they might
see for themselves the preparations for
an immediate execution.
Ortiz, having survived the terrible
battle of Maubila, the lesser, but yet
bloody, fight of Cabusto, and the dread
tul night onslaught upon the Spaniards
at Chicasa, was yet doomed never TO
see his native city, fair Seville.
He saw with his commander that
: wonderful river which was to be the
burial l-place of the great Spaniard.
But even the honor of so noted Il grave
was not to be for Ortiz. He died in
, the wilds of Arkansas
His search for gold and his youthful
dream of glo"y had brought him only
many strange adventures, rare hard
ship. dangers manifold. and an un-
known grave in an unbrokcn wilderness.
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