not
allow a governor to also rob and kill, the latter brought a suit
against him, calling many witnesses to prove the slaughter,
injustice, and massacres he had done, and is doing; this evidence
was read, and is to be found in the Council of the Indies.
5. The witnesses in the said law-suit affirm that all the kingdom was
quiet, and subject to the Spaniards; the Indians continually
laboured to furnish them provisions, and to accumulate property for
them; they brought them all the gold and precious emeralds they
possessed or could obtain: the lords and inhabitants of the towns
had been divided among the Spaniards, who lay claim to them as the
means for obtaining their final object, which is gold. Having thus
reduced everybody to the usual tyranny and slavery, the principal
tyrant captain commanding them, captured the sovereign of all that
country, without any cause or reason, and kept him for six or seven
months, demanding gold and emeralds of him.
6. The said king, who was called Bogota, being overcome by fear said
that he would give a house of the gold they demanded, hoping to free
himself from the hands of his tormenters: he sent some Indians to
bring him the treasure, and several times they brought a large
quantity of gold and stones: because he did not give the house of
gold, the Spaniards declared that he should be killed, because he
did not fulfil his promise.
7. The tyrant said that he should be tried by process of law, so they
prosecuted him, accusing the said king of the country. The tyrant
gave sentence, condemning him to tortures, if he did not give the
house of gold.
8. They tortured him with the cord: they threw burning fat on his
belly; they put his feet in irons fastened to a stake, tied his neck
to another, while two men held his hands; and in this position they
put fire to his feet.
9. Every now and then, the tyrant entered and told him, that they would
kill him by inches with tortures if he did not give the gold. And
thus they did, and killed this lord with tortures. While they were
tormenting him, God gave a sign of destestation of that cruelty, by
causing all that town, where it was committed to be burnt.
10. The other Spaniards imitated their good captain and, since they only
know how to rend th