hips to the Island of Cuba, where the wife of the Gouernour Pamphilo de
Naruaez was: and by his commandement with 20. or 30. other in a brigandine
returned backe againe to Florida: and comming to the port in the sight of
the towne, on the shore they saw a cane sticking in the ground, and riuen
at the top, and a letter in it: and they beleeued that the Gouernour had
left it there to giue aduertisement of himselfe, when he resolued to goe
vp into the land: and they demanded it of foure or fiue Indians, which
walked along the sea shore: and they had them by signes to come on shore
for it: which against the will of the rest Iohn Ortiz and another (M612)
did. And assoone as they wereon land, from the houses of the towne issued
a great number of Indians, which compassed them about, and tooke them in a
place where they could not flee: and the other which sought to defend
himselfe, they presentlie killed vpon the place, and tooke Iohn Ortiz
aliue, and carried him to Vcita their Lord. And those of the brigandine
sought not to land, but put themselues to sea, and returned to the Island
of Cuba. Vcita commaunded to bind Iohn Ortiz hand and foote vpon foure
stakes aloft vpon a raft, and to make a fire vnder him, that there he
might bee burned: But a daughter of his desired him that he would not put
him to death, alleaging, that one only Christian could do him neither hurt
nor good, telling him, that it was more for his honor to keepe him as a
captiue. And Vcita granted her request, and commaunded him to be cured of
his wounds: and assoone as he was whole, he gaue him the charge of the
keeping of the Temple: because that by night the wolues did cary away the
dead corpse out of the towne, who commended himselfe to God and tooke vpon
him the charge of his temple. One night the wolues gatte from him the
corpse of a little child, the sonne of a principal Indian: and going after
them he threw a darte at one of the wolues and wounde him that carried
away the corps, who feeling himselfe wounded, left it, and fell downe dead
neere the place: and hee not seeing what he had done, because it was
night, went backe againe to the Temple: the morning being come, and
finding not the bodie of the child, he was very sad. Assoone as Vcita knew
therof, he resolued to put him to death; and sent by the track, which he
said the wolues went, and found the bodie of the child and the wolfe dead
a little beyond: whereat Vcita was much concerned with the Christian