The Mainland

A Governor, who had heard the presence of gold in an Indies settlement, sent the thieves under his command to that place in the night. When the Christians were half a league away from the settlement, they were told to read in a loud voice his order: "Caciques and Indians of this land, hark ye! We notify you that there is but one God and one Pope and one King of Castille who is the lord of these lands. Give heed and show obedience!" Etcetera, etcetera. "And if not, be warned that we will wage war against you and will slay you or take you into captivity." etc., etc.

Then in the early dawn, when these innocents are asleep with their wives and children, the Spaniards attack and enter the town and set fire to the houses, which, being commonly made of straw, burn rapidly will all who are within them.

In another instance, a cacique (as a native ruler was called) had given a Spaniard tyrant, either on his own accord or impelled by fear, gold worth nine thousand castellanos. Not content with this amount, the Governor had the cacique bound to a stake in a sitting posture, his legs extended, and set a fire to burn the soles of his feet, demanding more gold. The cacique sent to his house for more gold and the servant brought back three thousand castellanos worth. Not content with this, more gold was demanded of the cacique. He was continued to be tortured until the bone marrow came out of the soles of his feet and he died.

Once, a company of Spaniards made an attack on a mountain refuge where some Indians were hiding from the pestilential acts of the Christians. Falling upon this numerous band, the Spaniards captured some women and maidens, sixty or eighty of them. Next day, some of the surviving Indians, anxious about the captive women, came upon the Christians from the rear and attacked them. Seeing they were hard-pressed, the Christians, who hesitated to bring up their cavalry, set their swords against the bodies of the women and maids, leaving not one of them alive. At sight of this Indians screamed in an access of grief and horror: "Oh!, vile men! Oh, cruel Christians! So you kill women?"