come to the mouth of it on the shore of the sea, and there, if he could not build vessels sufficient for the conveyance of the whole expedition, he could at least build one, and by this means communicate with Cuba, and thus obtain any assistance that he might desire.

The army moved slowly on, but the difficulties and hardships which they encountered seemed now to increase at every step. They set out too early in the spring, and their march was impeded by snow storms and cold rains, which made every thing wet and cheerless, and greatly increased the fatigue and suffering of the men. The Indians, too, became more and more hostile, and they harassed the army exceedingly on their march. There was no alternative, however, but to press on. The army, therefore, continued to advance, but the strength and spirits of the commander were failing sensibly every day.

SICKNESS AND DEATH OF DE SOTO.

The

At length the expedition reached the Mississippi, at an Indian town named Guachoya, but here new difficulties and embarrassments awaited them. Indians were extremely hostile. There was great difficulty in crossing the river. De Soto himself, too, was now seriously ill. He was convinced that

he could proceed no further. He ordered his men to encamp and to fortify their position, for they were surrounded by hordes of hostile Indians that were thirsting for their blood. Double guards were set. The horses were kept caparisoned, and the soldiers slept upon their arms. The anxiety necessarily attendant on this state of things increased De Soto's malady. He fell into a burning fever, and was soon fully convinced that his end was drawing near.

Ile accordingly called the officers of the army to his couch and formally appointed one of his generals, named Luis de Moscoso de Alvarado, as his successor in the command of the army, and he charged all the others to submit to his authority, and to sustain him in the exercise of it by every means in their power. He also caused the soldiers to be called in around him, in companies of twenty and thirty at a time, and in this manner gave them his dying injunctions and bade them farewell.

Having thus done all in his power to secure the safety and welfare of the army after his death, De Soto made his will. So exhausted were the stores of the army at this time that only a very small piece of paper could be found for the purpose, and the will was written in very few words, and with

many omissions and abridgements. When the will was completed the priests came in, and the dying man confessed his sins and received absolution.

From this time his vital powers began to ebb away very rapidly, and after some days of continued fever and delirium he died.

THE BURIAL OF THE BODY.

Moscoso and the other officers were at first somewhat perplexed to know what to do in respect to the disposal to be made of the body. They feared that wherever they might bury it the Indians would disinter it, in order to insult and triumph over the remains. They accordingly made arrangements for a very secret burial in a place on the plain near the camp, setting a guard to prevent any Indians having access to the place while they were digging the grave and interring the body. In order the better to deceive the Indians, they pretended that the governor, as they called him, was better, and was likely to recover; and they made a display of public rejoicings in the camp to celebrate his convalescence. They also resorted to every possible means for obliterating all marks upon the surface of the ground where the grave had been made.

They soon found, however, that the Indians had