rld, these men were sustained solely by
their faith in their mission and their confidence in the leadership of
their venerable Bishop, for they were not only cut off from hope of
succour but were exposed to the persecutions of their own countrymen,
because of their zeal for justice, in defending the oppressed against
cupidity and cruelty. Despite the many causes for discouragement Las
Casas decided, on the advice of the pilot of the ship that was to carry
them, to profit by the fair weather then prevailing, and set the example
to the others of going first on board the vessel. The friars followed in
silence, and so entirely were their thoughts given to the premature fate
of their lost comrades, that the whole of that night and the following day
were passed in silence and prayer: when the ship reached the place where
the wreck had occurred, the prayers for the dead were solemnly recited by
the tearful company. This becoming tribute rendered to the memory of the
departed, Las Casas seated himself at table and, setting the others a
wholesome example, he began to eat, for until then no one had had the
heart to touch food. The weather suddenly changed for the worse and a
perilous Norther, which was the greatest enemy of navigation in those
waters, sprang up, forcing the vessel to put in at the island of Terminos,
where some fragments of the wreck were found, but the sea had given up no
dead. Three days passed in waiting for better weather, and though Las
Casas desired to re-embark and continue the voyage, Fray Tomas Casillas
was in favour of waiting for the shipwrecked people at Champoton to
overtake them, and then to continue the journey overland. This difference
of opinion led to a division of the company, the Bishop re-embarking with
Father Ladrada and a few of the others, while the majority were left to
follow the overland route.

The chief city of the diocese of Chiapa was Ciudad Real, and the Bishop,
on his arrival, was accorded a warm welcome and was lodged in one of the
best houses in the place, belonging to a Spaniard who was absent at that
time, while the friars were accommodated in another, just opposite. The
clergy of the immense diocese was scanty enough, being composed of two
priests in that town and three others elsewhere; of these latter common
report did not speak well, as their secular occupations and efforts to
enrich themselves brought discredit upon their clerical character. The
cathedral was a smal