The lodges of the great Indian town of Maubila stood by the side of a large river, upon a beautiful plain. The eighty handsome houses, each big enough to contain a thousand men, faced a large public square. The town itself was surrounded by a high wall of tree trunks set deep in the ground; the wall was pierced by an eastern and a western gate. (See Pickett's History of Alabama, Page 36). Even though Maubila was placed well above the river and away from the miasmas of the swamps, many people had suffered from the winter sickness or the chills and fevers of spring. With summer at hand, the people felt better. There was an old saying, among the wise ones of the town, that a sickness begun in winter was never really over until the heat of summer returned.
As was their custom every spring and fall, a large party prepared to go down to the shores of the great bay to the south to seek strength. They camped on the shore, bathed in the healing salt waters and ate the health-giving fish, oysters and clams. All tribes that lived within two hundred miles had an informal agreement to make a neutral ground of the bay shores where the sick could seek better health in peace. This year the expedition was led by the young chief Nicalaso and a party of his warriors to guard and help those who made the journey. Among these warriors was a youth of nineteen, almost a giant in size. He was the son of the great chief and his name was Tuscaloosa.
The way lay down the river beside Maubila, south to its meeting with another river, then down the merged rivers to the shining waters of the bay. They crossed to the eastern side and followed the shoreline to the peninsula, which ran out to the mouth of the bay. There, under a grove of live oaks, they built their simple shelters of pole and palmetto.
The water was shallow on the bay side and children could play and swim in safety. Great beds of clams abounded near the shore and the children were often set to digging these. The older folk rested in the shade or fished from the canoes. The younger ones made their way across to the far shore where the great waves thundered. There with luck they found the bright shells used for necklaces or wampum, or big sea clam shells used for spoons and bowls. One night the young Tuscaloosa trailed and captured a great sea turtle as it came ashore to lay eggs, and the camp feasted for days. At times men were sent to dive for oysters off the reefs. Altogether it was a fine vacation spot and the food was plentiful, Tuscaloosa's find of a turtle set all the young braves afire to catch one, too. Each day parties went across the dunes to dig coquina for the gumbo pot and to hunt for turtle tracks. The shell of the first turtle made a fine trophy to take back home to Maubila. There it would be admiringly passed from hand to hand and the tale of its capture told many times, no doubt growing a little more exciting with each telling.
One such turtle hunting party, formed on a hot afternoon in June, persuaded Tuscaloosa to show them the best places. While he explained that the turtle hunting was no good except at night they insisted that it would be fun and that they would find something. It was fun for they bathed a while in the surf and located great beds of coquinas in the water's edge. Some fortunate ones even found a few spotted sea crabs, which come into the shallows to lay eggs. Just as they were ready to walk back across the dunes one young warrior glanced seaward. He touched Tuscaloosa's arm and pointed. At once they all flattened against the sand with natural savage instinct. Looking out to sea they saw ships, the first ever seen off these shores. The turtle-hunting party had found something indeed. To their untutored eyes the ships appeared as strange as flying saucers. The little party likened them to that which they most resembled � great birds with white wings outspread. Even while they watched, the ships appeared to grow larger. There were several ships in the little fleet and, skillfully sailed, they passed through the narrows between the east and west points of land and into the bay. They anchored behind the low island to the west.
The men aboard the ships never saw the little party of Indians on the shore, but the group watched with breathless interest as the ships anchored and the sails were lowered and furled. Of all the youths Tuscaloosa was the most interested. Since this was something outside their experience, he insisted that they remain concealed and wait for dusk. After they returned to camp with their news, many little groups made their way in the dark along the bay shore to the point to look across the channel at the great birds at rest. Chief Nicalaso and the elders, however, sat in council and decided that the camp would be broken up and all would return to the shores of the river where Bon Secour is today. There they would be safely out of sight and reach of the strange birds. The order was given and all set to work.
One man was missing. Tuscaloosa had gone back to the point for a last look. There, all unaware, he came face to face with his own destiny in history for the ships were those of Pineda, the year was 1519 and for the first time in recorded history the white man was about to set foot on the soil of Alabama. Twenty-one years later, the great chief Tuscaloosa would lead his people in the defense of their home in the great battle of Maubila against the soldiers of Hernando DeSoto.
Written in 1965 by Charley and Meme Wakeford for their book �Food, Fun, and Fable.�
