Determination of De Soto to Proceed.-Passage of the
Tuscaloosa River.-John Ortiz as an Interpreter.—De
Soto Unhorsed in Battle.-The Only Woman in the
Army.-Single Combat.-Language of Signs.—Arrival
on the Banks of the Mississippi-Aspect of the
River. Search for a Crossing Place.—A Fleet of
Canoes.-Crossing the Mississippi.-Grand Religious
Ceremony.-Incidents of the March.-De Soto begins
to be Discouraged.-Determination to turn toward the
Sea-Sickness and Death of De Soto.-The Burial