and to find
sanctuary in the Franciscan monastery. After a time he undertook to get
away, to Spain, but was quickly detected and recaptured by Chaves. After
some further controversy, Chaves discreetly agreed that De Avila might
go to Spain, to defend himself if he could before the Council for the
Indies; doubtless expecting that such defence would be in vain because
of De Avila's offences against that Council's decrees.

So De Avila departed for Spain, with his advocates and his accusers on
the same ship. Most fortunately for him, his wife also went, carrying
with her an ample store of gold and gems which had escaped the search
and confiscation of Chaves. Her conduct in this emergency indicates that
she had a sincere devotion to her young husband, in addition, of course,
to a desire to protect her own material fortune. Certain it is that she
constituted herself his chief and most effective champion, freely
expending in his behalf the gold which she had taken to Spain. She
testified that all the property which he was accused of having
unlawfully acquired was in fact hers and not his, possessed by her
before she was married to him, and that if he had in any sense acquired
it, it was solely through having married her; and there was no law
against a governor's marrying a rich wife.

Her argument prevailed. The litigation in Spain lasted for several
years, during part of which time De Avila was in prison. But in the end
he was released; the heavy fines which had been levied against him were
remitted; and the sentence of perpetual banishment from Cuba was
revoked. Thereupon the devoted couple returned in triumph to Cuba, with
a great retinue of servants, and reestablished themselves at Santiago.
They held aloof from political affairs, and gave their attention to an
exceedingly profitable commerce between Cuba and other West India
Islands and Spain; which happy state of affairs lasted until De Avila's
death, a dozen years later. He left behind him the reputation of being
one of the worst of Cuban governors, not so much because of any inherent
viciousness as because of his weakness of character and his complete
subservience to the often sordid and sometimes unscrupulous doings of
his wife.

That there was any gain for Cuba in the substitution of Antonio Chaves
for Juan de Avila is scarcely, however, to be maintained. On the
contrary, there was probably some loss. It was a substitution of King
Stork for King Log. De Avila had