h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Juan Ortiz was one of the minor officers that accompanied Navarez to Tampa Bay. He was among those who returned to Cuba before the main expedition departed looking for fame and glory.

Unaware that her husband had abandoned building his colony in a vain quest for treasure Navarez's wife became concerned that she had not heard any reports about her husband's progress. She appointed Juan Ortiz to lead a small force north to Tampa Bay to check on Navarez's condition and report back to her.

When they arrived at the previous landing site on the shore of the bay, they spotted a note posted on a stick near the shoreline. Certain that the note would contain instructions for locating Navarez's party, Ortiz and three of his crew took a small boat and rowed ashore. When they reached the stick with the paper a large body of Tocobaga (the local tribe of Native Americans) rose up from the palmetto bushes and killed the sailors with their arrows. Their leader, Juan Ortiz, was captured and reserved for a more special fate.

He was taken to the village where a large grill had been mounted over the communal fire pit. He was tied spread eagle to the grill with ropes to each wrist and ankle. Then they lit the fire to roast him to death.

The chief's wives, and more importantly, his daughters heard the screams of the tortured Spaniard. The girls begged their father to relent and release the poor man from his fate. The chief relented, although Ortiz would bear the scars from his burns for the rest of his life. He would spend the next dozen years as a slave in another village. They did teach him their language so he could be instructed about his duties.

Then one day a warrior entered the village with the news that a dozen or more ships had arrived. A large force was already landing on the beach and Juan was needed to translate their strange tongue.

As the Spanish formed up on the beach they organized their lines with the intention of attacking anyone who came too close. The group that had brought Juan Ortez back to the place of his capture took him forward so he could speak with the new arrivals.

As the men rushed forward with pikes and gleaming swords, Juan was horrified to find it had been so long sine he had last spoken his native tongue that he was unable to form an intelligible phrase. In desperation he dropped to his knees and started reciting a simple Catholic prayer.

Fortunately one of the attackers noticed this unexpected behaviour and stopped the others before he was harmed.

Tomorrow we shall meet Hernando De Soto.

F S

That was really well-done.

[Amy P]