three or four, yet without his being able to do them any harm, although he had arquebusiers and cross-bow men. These Indians are as agile and as good fighters as can be found among all the nations of the world.

This Governor was much given to the sport of slaying Indians, from the time that he went on military expeditions with the Governor Pedrarias Davila in the provinces of Castilla del Oro and of Nicaragua. Likewise he was in Peru and present at the capture of the great Prince AAtabalipa, where he was enriched.

Soto was one of the richest that returned to Spain because he brought to Seville, and put in sage keeping there, upwards of 100, 000 pesos of gold. He decided to return to the Indies to lose them with his life and to continue the employment, blood-stained in the past, which he had followed in the countries I mention.

So then, continuing his conquest, he ordered General Vasco Porcallo de Figueroa to go to Ocita because it was reported that people had come together there. This captain, having gone there, found the people departed. He burned the village and threw an Indian guide to the dogs.

The reader is to understand that aperrear -- to throw to the dogs -- is to have the dogs eat him or kill him, tearing the Indian in pieces since the Conquistadores in the Indies have always used to carry Irish greyhounds and very bold, savage dogs. It is for this reason that reference was made above to the chase of the Indians. In this way the Indian guide was killed because he lied and guided badly.

While Vasco Porcallo was doing what has been related, the Governor dispatched another Indian as a messenger to the Chief Orriparacogi. He did not return because an Indian woman told him not to. For this reason she was thrown to the dogs.

There were among those in this army divers opinions whether it would be well to settle there or not, because the soil seemed to be barren, and such in fact is its repute. For this reason the Governor resolved to send Captain Baltasar de Gallegos to Orriparacogi with 80 horse and 100 foot.

The Governor likewise sent Johan de Anasco in the ship's boats along the shore with some foot soldiers to disperse a gathering of the Indians, or to see and hear what was up. He found them on an island, where he had a fray with them and killed nine or ten Indians with the small cannons that he carried. They in turn, shot or cut down as many or more Christians.

ince Anasco could not dislodge them from the island he sent for help. The messenger was a hidalgo named Johan de Vega. Anasco asked for horsemen to take possession of the mainland at the place where they were likely to come away; since with the force that he had, and with the increase, he expected to land and fight the Indians.

The Governor sent Vasco Porcallo with 40 horse and some foot, but when this reinforcement arrived the Indians had gone. The Spaniards, not to have come in vain, raided the land and captured some women whom they took to the camp.

Vasco Porcallo, upon his return from this raid, had something of a clash with the Governor -- which is concealed in this narrative for the historian (Oviedo) was unable, on account of certain considerations, to find any one who could in-form him what was said.

It was accepted as a good settlement that Porcallo should return to Cuba to look after the affairs of the government there, and to provide the Governor and his army when it should be necessary with what they might need. The departure of this cavalier was regretted by many since he was a friend of good men and did much for them.

The Governor had ordered Baltasar de Gallegos that he should write good news to encourage the men even if he did not find good land. It was not Gallegos' nature to lie, since he was a man of truth. Yet, to obey the order of his superior and not to dismay the men, he always wrote two letters of different tenor -- one truthful, and the other of falsehoods so skillfully framed with equivocal words that they could be understood one way or the other.

In regard to this, Soto said that the true letter would have more force to exculpate himself than the false one evil to harm him. And so the Governor did not show the true letters, but announced before hand that what he did not show was very secret information which later on would be made clear for the great advantage of all. The ambiguous and deceptive letters he showed and made such declarations as seemed best to him.

Those letters, although they promised no particular thing, gave hopes and hints that stirred their desires to go forward and emerge from doubts to certainty. Wherefore as the sins of mankind are the reason that falsehood sometimes find reception and credit, all became united and of one mind. They requested the invasion of the land, which was just what the Governor was contriving.