How did Herando de Soto treat the Native Americans he encountered on his exploration of America ?

Initially, Hernando de Soto purposefully took Native Americans captive in order to use them as guides in the New World. When he was unable to find the gold he searched for inland, he decided to turn back. As his men traveled back through Alabama, they were attacked by Indians, and as a result, his men killed hundreds of their attackers.

De Soto's treatment of the natives was the direct opposite of the treatment the King of Spain had directed. De Soto was ordered to be kind to the natives, in addition to working toward their conversion to Catholocism. Instead, he treated the natives cruelly, enslaved them, mutilated their bodies, and often executed them for no reason. In response, the Native Americans started to fight back, engaging the Spaniards in constant warfare.