sh the people of Paran, who had merited
this by their acts in the past and by the haughty spirit that they
showed. For the same reason, he would not enter another village near
this one, belonging to another chief, named Sambali--who, if it were
not for the purpose that the commander had in mind, deserved to lose
his head for his rebellious disposition in not being friendly to the
Spaniards. From the hill to these two villages may be a journey of
about two leguas and a half; the road is very bad, and of the sort that
has been described, [passing through] marshes and rough places; and,
with the darkness of a moonlight night, to go among trees, thickets,
and tangled briers was intolerable and full of difficulty. Not less
wearisome was the road which they still must take to reach the people
and village of Paran, and even more difficult: but neither the one
nor the other could weaken or diminish the tenacity, spirit, and
valor which not only the captain but his soldiers displayed. They
traveled all night in this way until a little before daybreak, when
they mistook the road, and took another, which did not lead to the
village where they meant to go; but God chose that the people of that
very village should serve as guides [to the Spaniards], by furnishing
them light--for on account of quieting some infants who were crying,
they kindled lights in the houses. The sargento-mayor ordered them to
march toward that place, where they arrived at daybreak; and there they
remained about half an hour, waiting for the dawn to brighten so that
they might break the countersign [87] and make the daylight attack
[dar el albasso] on the said village, which they did. For when it
became light, and the day was brightening, they broke the watchword,
which was "St. Ignatius;" and the division to which that belonged made
the first attack on the houses, jointly with the vanguard, which went
ahead to reconnoiter. All the forces united to make this assault on the
houses, and to break through the defenses of the village and enter,
all in order, with lighted matches and to sound of drums, as they
did. In their houses this occasioned a great tumult; some were slain
by musket-balls, some by lance-thrusts; others escaped naked, fleeing
without thought of their kindred or their possessions, abandoning their
weapons and whatever they had; others, finally, were burned to death
in their houses, to which our men set fire--the natives remaining in
them either th