f the Gulf, from the
Atlantic to Mexico, and thus, it was confidently assumed, Cuba would
become the chief province and Santiago the capital city, of an empire
exceeding in extent and wealth both Mexico and Peru.

These brilliant anticipations were, however, doomed to speedy and most
crushing disappointment. It soon became clear that de Soto regarded Cuba
as a mere stepping stone to Florida, and that he was not merely willing
to sacrifice the island's interests to the gratification of his
continental ambitions, but had from the first been intent upon so doing.
He paid little attention to the representations which were made to him
in behalf of Cuba, or indeed to the duties of his office as governor.
Instead, all his thought seemed to be given and all his efforts
directed, to preparations for proceeding on his way to the alluring
regions beyond the Gulf. Moreover, he tempted into joining him in that
enterprise many of the richest and most forceful men of Cuba. Among
these was Vasco de Figueroa, who had been a comrade of Velasquez. He had
settled in Camaguey as early as 1514, and had grown very rich. We may
say, indeed, that he was the richest and most influential man in all
that part of Cuba. He eagerly accepted an invitation to join the
expedition, as de Soto's first lieutenant, and he drew along with him
many other substantial men from Camaguey and other parts of the island.

Nor was the island thus to suffer for the sake of Florida, merely as a
whole. The capital, Santiago, was specially to suffer. Its traditions
and its long-established interests were nothing to De Soto, who looked
for nothing but to promote his Florida venture. Manifestly, Santiago was
no place to serve as a base of operations to the northward, so he
presently transferred his headquarters to Havana. That city had been
founded in 1514 on the south coast, near what is now Batabano, but a few
years later had been transferred by migration of populace and name to
its present commanding site at the north. In 1537 it had been raided and
partly destroyed by fire, by buccaneers, but at the time of de Soto's
coming was rapidly being rebuilt and restored to greater importance than
before.

So a few weeks after his arrival at Santiago, in the early part of
August, 1538, de Soto ruthlessly closed his mansion at Santiago and
removed his whole household to Havana. His household and his foot
soldiers were sent thither in his vessels, of which he now had five. He