again, and again he
killed them: and they continued to give, and he to kill, until he
came to die, and the devil carried away his soul.
11. In three or four months, I being present, more than seven thousand
children died of hunger, their fathers and mothers having been taken
to the mines. Other dreadful things did I see.
12. Afterwards the Spaniards resolved to go and hunt the Indians who
were in the mountains, where they perpetrated marvellous massacres.
Thus they ruined and depopulated all this island which we beheld not
long ago; and it excites pity, and great anguish to see it deserted,
and reduced to a solitude.

The Mainland

In the year 1514 there passed over to the continent an unhappy
Governor(85) who was the cruellest of tyrants, destitute of
compassion or prudence, almost an instrument of divine fury. His
intention was to settle large numbers of Spaniards in that country.
And although several tyrants had visited the continent, and had
robbed and scandalised many people, their stealing and ravaging had
been confined to the sea-coast; but this man surpassed all the
others who had gone before him, and those of all the Islands; and
his villainous operations outdid all the past abominations.
2. Not only did he depopulate the sea-coast, but also countries and
large kingdoms where he killed numberless people, sending them to
hell. This man devastated many leagues of country extending above
Deldarien to the kingdom and provinces of Nicaragua inclusive, which
is more than five hundred leagues; it was the best, the happiest,
and the most populous land in the world. There were very many great
lords and numberless settlements, and very great wealth of gold: for
until that time, never had there been so much seen above ground. For
although Spain had been almost filled with gold from Hispaniola, and
that of the finest, it had been dug by the labour of the Indians
from the bowels of the earth, out of the aforesaid mines, where, as
has been said, they perished.
3. This governor and his people invented new means of cruelty and of
torturing the Indians, to force them to show, and give them gold.
There was a captain of his who, in an incursion, ordered by him to
rob and extirpate the people,