h them; but the mother of the queen was very shrewd. She rebuked the
messengers, and sent them back with some sharp words for her daughter;
and though De Soto did his best to capture the woman, he was never able
to carry out his purpose.

He then turned his attention to a temple that stood on the side of
a deserted settlement which had formerly been the chief town of the
queen's people. This temple, as described by the Spanish chronicler,
was more than one hundred steps long by forty broad, the walls high in
proportion, and the roof elevated so as to allow the water to run off.
On the roof were various shells arranged in artistic order, and the
shells were connected by strings of pearls. These pearls extended from
the top of the roof to the bottom in long festoons, and the sun shining
on them produced a very brilliant effect. At the door of the temple were
twelve giant-like statues made of wood. These figures were so ferocious
in their appearance, that the Spaniards hesitated for some time before
they could persuade themselves to enter the temple. The statues were
armed with clubs, maces, copper axes, and pikes ornamented with copper
at both ends. In the middle of the temple were three rows of chests,
placed one upon another in the form of pyramids. Each pyramid consisted
of five or six chests, the largest at the bottom, and the smallest at
the top. These chests, the Spanish chroniclers say, were filled with
pearls, the largest containing the finest pearls, and the smallest only
seed pearls.

It is just as well to believe a little of this as to believe a great
deal. It was an easy matter for the survivors of the expedition to
exaggerate these things, and they probably took great liberties with
the facts; but there is no doubt that the Indians possessed many pearls.
Mussels like those from which they took the gems are still to be found
in the small streams and creeks of Georgia, and an enterprising
boy might even now be able to find a seed pearl if he sought for it
patiently.

It is not to be doubted that rich stores of pearls were found. Some were
distributed to the officers and men; but the bulk of them, strange to
say, were left undisturbed, to await the return of the Spaniards another
day. De Soto was still intent on searching for gold, and he would hear
of nothing else. He would neither settle among the queen's people for a
season, nor return to Tampa with the great store of pearls discovered.
Being a resolute ma