given with other things to be bound, the bookseller either
forgot or lost one or more pages containing frightful things, that had all
been given me by one of those who did them, all of which I had in my
possession; what follows is therefore without beginning or end. But as
this piece that is left, is full of notorious things, it seemed well to me
not to leave it unprinted: because I believe it will not excite less
compassion and horror in Your Highness, than some of the irregularities
already related, as well also as the desire to correct them.

LETTER

He allowed the Indians to be chained and put in prisons, and so it
was done. And the said captain took three or four in chains for
himself; by so doing and by robbing the Indians of their supplies
instead of providing for necessary sowing and populating, the
natives of the country were reduced to such want, that great numbers
of them were found in the streets starved to death.
2. He killed about ten thousand souls by making the Indians carry the
Spaniards' baggage to and from the beach, because all who reached
the coast died of the heat.
3. After this he followed the same trail and road as Juan de Ampudia,
sending the Indians he had brought from Quito, a day in front, to
discover the Indian towns and to sack them so that he and his people
might avail themselves of them on their arrival. Those Indians
belonged to him and his companions, one of whom had two hundred,
another three hundred, according to the number each brought with
him, and they carried whatever their masters robbed. And in this
they treated children and women most cruelly.
4. He followed the same course in Quito, burning all the country and
the stores of maize belonging to the lords; he consented to the
killing of great numbers of sheep, all of which form the principal
provision and maintenance of the natives and of the Spaniards; for
the latter use two or three hundred just to eat the brains and fat
alone, and waste the meat.
5. His friendly Indians who went with him, killed great numbers of
sheep, just to eat the hearts, not eating anything else. And so two
men in a province called Purua killed twenty-five sheep and
pack-sheep, just to eat the brains and fat, although among the
Spaniards they cost twenty a