for their disregard of the new laws. He
ordered his clergy to refuse absolution and the sacraments to those who
would not obey, which order aroused the anger of the whole community
against him. His Dean disobeyed him and sided with the colonists. He was
petitioned, threatened, and abused. The children were taught couplets
against him, which they sang after him in the street. Some one even
discharged a gun into the window of his room one night, to frighten him.
All support was withdrawn from the Dominicans, and the Bishop's salary
was not paid.

Finally the Bishop arrested the Dean. In those days, when the Roman
Church was so powerful, bishops had a kind of episcopal marshal, and
usually there was also an episcopal jail, where ecclesiastical offenders
were confined. This arrest of the Dean stirred up a great commotion. A
crowd of people gathered around him, and he made a frantic effort to
escape, crying out:

"Help me! Gentlemen, help me!"

And he voiced all sorts of promises, if they would assist him. The
citizens being armed, in a few minutes the Dean was free; whereupon
sentinels were set at all the doors of the monastery, to prevent the
monks from going to the assistance of their Bishop, and a shouting mob
forced its way into his house.

One of the Dominicans and a knight of Salamanca, who chanced to be
there, met the riotous crowd and managed to quiet the tumult a little;
but the leaders burst into the Bishop's room, shouting at him, insulting
him, and even threatening to kill him.

Las Casas spoke not a word, but stood calmly looking at them until the
storm had spent itself, when quietly, with words of pity and
forgiveness, he dismissed them.

He now excommunicated the Dean. The monks were greatly alarmed for the
Bishop's life and begged him to leave and go to some place of safety,
but he said to them:

"Fathers, where would you have me go! Where shall I be safe as long as I
act in behalf of these poor creatures? Were the cause mine, I would drop
it with pleasure, but it is that of my flock, of these miserable
Indians, oppressed by unjust slavery."

While they were talking, four other Dominicans rushed in to tell the
Bishop that the man who had threatened to kill him,--the one that had
fired the shot to frighten him,--had been stabbed. At once Las Casas
rose, and sending for a surgeon and taking some of the brothers with
him, went to minister to the injured man. For hours they worked over
him, the Bishop