n and of few words, he had his way, and made
preparations to journey farther north to the province called Chiaha,
which was governed by a great Indian king. The conduct of the Spaniards
had been so cruel during their stay at Cutifachiqui, that the queen had
come to regard them with fear and hatred, and she refused to supply
them with guides and burden bearers. De Soto thereupon placed her under
guard; and when he took up his march for Chiaha, the queen who had
received him with so much grace, dignity, and hospitality, was compelled
to accompany him on foot, escorted by her female attendants. The old
Spanish chronicler is moved to remark that "it was not so good usage
as she deserved for the good will she shewed and the good entertainment
that she had made him." This was the return the Spanish leader made
to the queen who had received and entertained his army,--to seize her,
place her under guard, and compel her to accompany his expedition on
foot.

One reason why De Soto made the queen his prisoner and carried her with
the expedition was to use her influence in controlling the Indians along
his line of march. The result was all that he could have expected. In
all the towns through which the Spaniards passed, the queen commanded
the Indians to carry the burdens of the army; and thus they went for a
hundred leagues, the Indians obeying the queen without question. After a
march of seven days, De Soto arrived at the province of Chelaque, which
was the country of the Cherokees. Here the soldiers added to their
stores of provisions, and renewed their march; and on May 15 they
arrived in the province of Xualla, the chief town of which is supposed
to have been situated in the Nacoochee valley. Inclining his course
westwardly from the Nacoochee valley, De Soto set out for Guaxule, which
marked the limit of the queen's dominion, and which has been identified
as Old Town, in Murray County. On this march the queen made her escape,
taking with her a cane box filled with large pearls of great value. This
box had been borne by one of the queen's attendants up to the moment
when she disappeared from the Spanish camp. De Soto made every effort
to recapture the queen. No doubt the bloodhounds, which formed a part of
the expedition, were called in to aid in the search; but it was all to
no purpose. The queen hid herself as easily as a young partridge hides,
and neither men nor dogs could find her. De Soto went on his way,
deploring the lo