. Our pioneer heroes and their daring deeds . es southwest of Madrid, is like plenty of other Si:)anishtowns, though it would look strange to our eyes. Around itswalls rise hills on which are builtthe strong, rude castles of theold nobility; fallen into ruinsnow, and not far from that threehundred years ago. In one ofthe oldest and most ruinous ofthese was born, in the year 1500,a boy, who was named Ferdi-nand de Soto. A poor Spaniardis the proudest man on the faceof the earth, and his pride growswith the growth of his parents of this boy had nobleblood and the old castle; hecould
. Our pioneer heroes and their daring deeds . es southwest of Madrid, is like plenty of other Si:)anishtowns, though it would look strange to our eyes. Around itswalls rise hills on which are builtthe strong, rude castles of theold nobility; fallen into ruinsnow, and not far from that threehundred years ago. In one ofthe oldest and most ruinous ofthese was born, in the year 1500,a boy, who was named Ferdi-nand de Soto. A poor Spaniardis the proudest man on the faceof the earth, and his pride growswith the growth of his parents of this boy had nobleblood and the old castle; hecould not be allowed to engagein any kind of work, for that would be a disgrace to his family;so he grew up in honorable idleness. So poor was the elder De Soto that he could not afford to edu-cate his son in accordance with his rank. We can imagine the lifewhich the boy led; taught, perhaps, by some old servant the manlyaccomplishments in which he became proficient at an early natural advantages were very great, and the tall, well-formed,. FERDINAND DE SOTO. 20 FERDINAND DE SOTO. active, handsome youth seemed to have a natural aptitude forhorsemanship, fencing, and other necessary acquirements of thetime. Such was the beauty of his person and the grace anddignity of his bearing that the young De Soto attracted the at-tention of a wealthy nobleman, Don Pedro Arias de Avila, andwas by him adopted, and sent to be educated at one of the Spanishuniversities. When this happened, he was seventeen years old ;old enough to have acquired considerable skill in riding and fenc-ing, and literary culture was not necessary for a nobleman. Suchwas the progress, as shown in frequent tournaments, that he wassoon regarded as one who was likely to become the mirror ofknighthood. While De Soto was still at the university, his patron had beenappointed governor at Darien, whence, in 1519, he returned toSpain to arrange his affairs for a longer stay. His adopted sonwas very useful to him in many wa
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, booksubjectindiansofnorthamerica, bookyear1887
