Page:Don Coronado through Kansas.djvu/84

73 THE INDIAN "tURK." 73 and shows on the map as "Pecos." From here Alvarado returned bacli: to Berna- lillo, where the general and the main part of the ariny were now encamped. The Indian, "Turk," was taken along so as to tell his story about the rich country of his nativity. .Up to this time the expedition had failed to discover any nation rich in gold and silver, and many tales had promised the thing for which men, then as now, would sell their very souls, which are more precious than the fool stuff; so is there any wonder that these men were ready and willing to risk their lives, when it was held out that they would re- ceive gold and silver, which would be "Free Silver" in the true sense of the word, i. e., free to them if they could get their hands upon it; and they cared not whether it was coined free; all they wanted was the opportunity to appropriate it to their own use. Alverado returned to Tiguex, taking with him "Turk," so that he could recite his wonderful story of QuiviKA. On reaching Tiguex the native of Quivira was taken into the presence of Coronado and his officers, and retold his story of the great cities of the province of Quivira, of the the immense number of "humped cows," deer, turkey and numerous other game, of a river (Missouri), two leagues wide, in which there were fishes as big as horses and large numbers of canoes with more than twenty rowers on a side, fitted out with sails, having a poop under awn- ings for their lords, and with the prow adornecl by a great golden eagle. He said everyone had the ordinary dishes made of gold. He called the gold "Acochis," but more particularly that gold and silver