When the news of this revolt of the natives was heard at San Domingo,
the officers of the colony resolved to send an expedition to avenge the
murder of the Dominicans, and a captain, named Ocampo, was placed in
command of it. This force started at once, and had reached Porto Rico
when Las Casas and his laborers landed. Perhaps you can imagine how the
clerico felt when he knew that Ocampo and his soldiers were going to the
very country that had been granted to him for his settlement and were to
punish the Indians there, where he had hoped to set up a sort of city of
refuge for them. He hurried to show Ocampo his papers ordering that no
one should go to that part of the country except Las Casas and the
monks, and that the natives were to be in his care and not enslaved.

But although the papers had the royal signature, Ocampo declared that he
had had his orders from the officers of the colony at San Domingo, and
that he must carry them out; that they would protect him if he was doing
anything illegal. In vain did Las Casas storm and plead. It was all of
no use. It seemed to him that there was nothing to be done but to go to
San Domingo at once and get the officers to recall Ocampo. So he
distributed his laborers by twos and threes among the citizens of Porto
Rico, and hurried away.

Nobody in San Domingo was glad to see the clerico except his friends the
Dominicans. All others were angry with him for what he had been doing at
the Spanish court to obtain the freedom of the Indians. They knew,
however, that Las Casas was in great favor with the King and his
ministers, and so they were afraid to oppose him openly or to defy the
royal authority; but they did everything they could to delay matters.
They said they would consider; and they considered so long that it soon
became useless to talk about recalling Ocampo, for it was too late to
reach him. They discovered, also, another way to prevent Las Casas from
going on. They found a ship master, engaged in the slave trade, who was
only too glad to help them by declaring the clerico's vessel
unseaworthy; and he was not allowed to use it. So there he was, helpless
and at his wits' end to know what to do.

Meanwhile, Ocampo had reached the Pearl Coast, decoyed a number of the
natives on board, and made slaves of them, hanging their chief at the
yardarm. He also captured a great many others. Finally, by means of an
Indian woman,--who had been taken from Cubagua to Hispaniola an