storing pearls. Take all and if you still
want more, we can get even more for you from the fishing place of my
people."

What an offer! It could be no other than evidence of a heart's real
devotion, or of deep rooted fear, when an Indian princess offers to rob
the burial place,--the treasure house of her ancestors!

While Cofachiqui, with appealing eyes, made the offer as a substitute
for what De Soto had evidently been disappointed in finding, the
Spaniard's hopes revived, and with a quick reassuring gesture he took
and kissed the hand of the princess in his most courtly manner, which
courtesy she received with proud dignity, and gave no further evidence
that her heart had ever been touched by the fascinating general.

De Soto lost no time in accepting the offer made by Cofachiqui, and two
days later, with a large number of his officers, and escorted by some of
the household of the princess, who made no promise which she did not
carry out to the full, De Soto visited the temple of which she had
spoken. During the three mile trip, they passed through such wonderfully
fertile country, saw such luxuriant vegetation, picked so much luscious
fruit hanging in profusion from the fruit trees on the way, that the
cavaliers felt this to be truly the promised land and again begged their
commanding general to make a settlement here, but he only responded by
silence and by marching on. At last the temple was reached. Impressively
the Indians threw back the massive doors and on the threshold the
Spaniards stood, spell-bound by the beauty and the majesty of what they
saw, so the historian of the party tells us.

Twelve gigantic wooden statues confronted them, counterfeiting life with
such ferocity of expression and such audacity, of posture, as could not
but awe them. Six stood on one side and six on the other side of the
door, as if to guard it, and to forbid anyone to enter. Those next the
door were giants about twelve feet high, the others diminished in size
by regular gradation. Each pair held a different kind of weapon and
stood in attitude to use it.

Passing between the lines of monsters, the foreigners entered a great
room. Overhead were rows of lustrous shells such as covered the roof,
and strands of pearls interspersed with strings of bright feathers all
seemed to be floating in the air in a bewildering tapestry. Along the
upper sides of the four walls ran two rows of statues, figures of men
and women in natural size,