of acting, determined maliciously, for their greater
satisfaction, to justify themselves by forestalling, me, with charges
against me, as if I should pay any attention to them...."

Governor Ursua Vexed by the Captains' Letter. "The Governor was vexed
with this letter which the Captain Alonso Garcia wrote to him, seeing
that he had chosen me to carry out his purpose, and then seeing that I
gave him a slap in the face by returning without any reason, as they
wrote him; for which reason he suspended judgment till he had news of
my coming to the Province, to inform himself of the truth. At this time
we arrived on our return, with hard work enough on account of so many
wild thickets, as I spoke of in the beginning, and of all the
overflowed lands, deep in water, since our return was made in the
season of heaviest rains, at the first town of the Province called
Hopelchen, whence I wrote to my Prelate of the resolution which we had
taken of returning to the Ytzaes by another route, since on the one we
had started on, our work was stopped. I received a reply from my
Prelate by which he said he expected me in the City, without informing
us that we should go back by the way we suggested."

Return to Merida. "We came to his presence and entered the City on
Saturday the 16th of September of the said year 1695...."

CHAPTER IX

THE SECOND ENTRADA OF PADRE AVENDANO

The first entrada being spoiled on account of trouble with the
soldiers, Avendano remained in the province until October 4, 1695. On
that day news reached him from a Spanish resident of Bacalar, called
Francisco de Ariza, that the nation of the Itzas, who numbered eighty
thousand fighting men, had expressed their willingness to receive
Christianity. This news pleased the Governor (Ursua) because the Itzas
were now the only obstacle that lay between him and the completion of
the Guatemala-Yucatan highway. Accordingly arrangements were concluded
according to the terms of which Avendano was once more to attempt to
bring the Itzas to the Church. At his own wish he and his priests were
to do this alone without the retarding influences arising from the
presence of soldiers. Avendano asked for and received various letters
and documents in which the policies he was to follow and the authority
with which he was invested were very fully set forth.

The Orders of the Governor. One thing is particularly striking in