thought, that he did not wish to go
there, but rather to hell so as not to be where Spaniards were, nor
to see such cruel people. This is the renown and honour, that God
and our faith have acquired by means of the Christians who have gone
to the Indies.
7. On one occasion they came out ten leagues from a great settlement to
meet us, bringing provisions and gifts, and when we met them, they
gave us a great quantity of fish and bread and other victuals, with
everything they could supply. All of a sudden the devil entered
into the bodies of the Christians, and in my presence they put to
the sword, without any motive or cause whatsoever, more than three
thousand persons, men, women, and children, who were seated before
us. Here I beheld such great cruelty as living man has never seen
nor thought to see.
8. Once I sent messengers to all the lords of the province of Havana,
assuring them that if they would not absent themselves but come to
receive us, no harm should be done them; all the country was
terrorized because of the past slaughter, and I did this by the
captain's advice. When we arrived in the province, twenty-one
princes and lords came to receive us; and at once the captain
violated the safe conduct I had given them and took them prisoners.
The following day he wished to burn them alive, saying it was better
so because those lords would some time or other do us harm. I had
the greatest difficulty to deliver them from the flames but finally
I saved them.
9. After all the Indians of this island were reduced to servitude and
misfortune like those of Hispaniola, and when they saw they were all
perishing inevitably, some began to flee to the mountains; others to
hang themselves in despair; husbands and wives hanged themselves,
together with their children, and through the cruelty of one very
tyrannical Spaniard whom I knew, more than two hundred Indians
hanged themselves. In this way numberless people perished.
10. There was an officer of the King in this island, to whose share
three hundred Indians fell; and by the end of three months he had,
through labour in the mines, caused the death of two hundred and
seventy; so that he had only thirty left, which was the tenth part.
The authorities afterwards gave him as many