Domingo de Irala as deputy-governor and captain general of the whole
province. This man had already been elected once before in the place of
Francisco Ruiz, once Don Pedro de Mendoza's deputy. Ruiz had been in
truth a good deputy-governor; but against all justice, and from envy
and malice, he was deposed and Domingo de Irala elected in his stead.
Someone having said to the supervisor, Alonso Cabrera, that they had
acted badly in that case, because Francisco Ruiz had colonized the
country and been at great pains to maintain it, he answered that they
had acted thus because Ruiz would not do what they wished, but that
Domingo de Irala, whose rank was less than their own, would always do
what they bade him; and for this reason all the officers elected him.
They appointed Pero Diaz del Valle alcalde mayor, because he was a
friend of Domingo de Irala, and gave the insignia of alguazil to a
certain Bartolomé de la Marilla, a native of Truxillo, a friend of Nuflo
de Chaves, and to Sancho de Salinas, a native of Cazalla.
Then the officers and Domingo de Irala made it known that they intended
fitting out a new expedition to the country discovered by the governor,
to search for gold and silver, and sending it, when found, to His
Majesty, in order that they might be pardoned the crime they had
committed. Should they not succeed in finding gold, they would not
return, as they feared punishment; yet it might happen that they found
so much of the precious metal that the king, in return for it, would
make them a present of the country. By such means as these they cajoled
the people. However, everybody knew enough of their misdeeds and
their past and present conduct to decline consenting to the proposed
expedition. And since then the majority of the people began to
remonstrate against the imprisonment of the governor. Then the officers
and newly-appointed magistrates began to maltreat those who showed
discontent at the governor's imprisonment. They imprisoned them,
deprived them of all their possessions, and tormented them in every way.
When these people took refuge in the church, in order to avoid being
arrested, they stationed watchmen at the door, so that no provisions
might reach them. They punished those who attempted to relieve them,
disarmed all the inhabitants and harassed them by every means in their
power. They, moreover, said in public that they would kill any persons
who might show discontent at the governor's imprisonment.
CHAPTER THE SEVENTY-SIXTH.
_Of the tumults and disturbances that took place in the country._
FROM that time tumults and dissensions frequently arose among the
people. Those that were of the party of the king denounced the
rebel officers and their partisans as traitors. These, fearing the
inhabitants, went armed day and night; they built stockades and other
works for their defence, barricaded the streets, and withdrew into five
or six houses. The governor was confined in a small room in the house
of Garcia Vanegas, so as to have him in their midst. The alcalde and
alguazils daily searched the houses immediately surrounding that in
which the governor was held a captive, for fear lest an attempt might be
made to enter them by means of mines. When the officers saw two or three
men of the governor's party talking together, they would immediately
raise the alarm, enter the place in which governor Nuñez was confined,
lay their hands on their daggers, and swear that if an attempt were made
to rescue him they would cut off his head and throw it to his would-be
deliverers. They appointed four men, whom they considered the bravest of
their band, to stand ready armed with poniards, and made them swear that
on the first attempt to rescue him in the name of His Majesty they would
immediately enter and behead him. These men were posted so near the
governor that he could hear them talking and sharpening their daggers.
These executioners were Garcia Vanegas, Andres Hernandez, _el romo_,
besides others.
Not only was the arrest of the governor the cause of general tumult
and dissension, there were also many private disputes and lawsuits
in consequence of the edicts which had followed. Some said that the
officers and their friends were traitors, and had done wrong in
arresting Alvar Nuñez; that they had caused the ruin of the country as
then appeared, and even now appears to be the case. Others took the
contrary view; and they killed, wounded, and maimed one another. The
officers and their friends said that the partisans of the governor
and those who wished him set at liberty were traitors, and should be
punished as such; they forbade suspected persons from talking together.
Whenever they saw two men together in the streets they drew out an act
of inquest, and arrested them in order to know what they were saying;
and if three or four collected together, they fell upon them with their
weapons. They had placed sentries on the roof of the house in which the
governor was confined, in two sentry-boxes, that they might overlook the
whole town and adjacent country. Their spies, too, reported what was
being done and said in the town. At night, thirty armed men patrolled
the streets, arresting anybody they met, demanding to know whither
they were going, and for what purpose. As the tumults and disorders
increased, the officers and their partisans became harassed, and begged
the governor to give an order to the people to keep the peace and not
revolt; and if necessary to fix a penalty for disobedience to this
order. The officers drafted this order for him to sign, but when he had
signed it they were advised not to publish it, because they pretended
that everybody had been in favour of his arrest. For this reason the
order was not published.
CHAPTER THE SEVENTY-SEVENTH.
_How the governor was kept in prison._
WHILE these events were happening the governor was very ill in bed,
and for the sake of his health chains were fastened round his feet;
by his pillow a candle burned, for the prison was dark, no light being
admitted, and so damp that the grass grew under his bed; he had the
candle because he might want it at any moment. To crown his miseries,
they had searched among the whole population for the man most evilly
disposed towards him, and they found one named Hernando de Sosa, whom
the governor had punished for striking an Indian chief. This man was
placed on guard in the same room with him. The prison closed with two
sliding doors furnished with padlocks; the officers and their partisans
watched him day and night armed to the teeth; and there were upwards of
one hundred and fifty of them, all paid with his property.
Notwithstanding this strict watch kept upon him, every night, or every
third night, an Indian woman who brought him his supper conveyed him a
letter written by one of his friends, informing him of all that happened
outside his prison. They begged him to say what he wished them to do,
three parts of the people being determined to die with the Indians in
order to deliver him. They had feared to do this because of the threats
of the officers to kill him should an attempt at a rescue be made.
Seventy of those guarding him were ready to join them and make
themselves masters of the principal entrance of the prison. They
promised to defend him till the arrival of his friends. The governor
opposed this project, because it could not easily be accomplished
without the slaughter of a large number of Christians. Besides, when
once the scheme had been put into execution, the Indians would have
put an end to the Christians and brought about the final ruin of the
country. For these reasons he dissuaded them from their purpose.
The Indian woman who brought him a letter every third night, and took
back an answer, passed through the midst of the guards, who stripped her
naked, examined her mouth and ears, and cut off her hair, for fear of
her concealing anything. They even searched her in parts which modesty
compels me not to mention. This woman, as I have stated, passed the
guard quite naked, and having come to where the governor was, handed the
gaoler what she brought, and then sat down on his bed, for the room was
small. She then began to scratch her foot, and while engaged in this
way, drew forth a letter which she handed to the governor behind the
back of the gaoler. This letter, written on very thin paper, was deftly
rolled up and covered with black wax; this was concealed under the
lesser toes, and attached to these by two black threads. In this way she
brought the letters and the necessary paper for him to write his answer,
and a little powder made of a certain black stone of the country, which,
moistened with a little saliva or water, made ink. The officers and
their friends suspected her, for they had learned that the governor knew
what was passing outside the prison, and what they were doing. In order
to be sure of this, they chose four of the more youthful of their party
to seduce the Indian woman--not a difficult task, for these women are
not sparing of their charms, and consider it an affront to deny their
favours to anyone; they say, moreover, that they have received them for
that purpose. These four youths accordingly intrigued with her and gave
her many presents; but they could never make her divulge her secret
during the whole of their intercourse, which lasted eleven months.
CHAPTER THE SEVENTY-EIGHTH.
_How the insurgents ravaged the land and took possession of the
property of the inhabitants._
WHILE the governor was in this situation, the officers and Domingo de
Irala gave public permission to all their friends and partisans to go
into the villages and huts of the Indians and take by force their wives,
daughters, hammocks, and other of their possessions, a thing contrary to
the service of His Majesty and the peace of the country. While this was
going on they would scour the country, strike the Indians blows with
sticks, carry them off to their houses, and oblige them to labour
in their fields without any remuneration. When the Indians came and
complained to Domingo de Irala and the officers, these answered that
it was no affair of theirs, which pleased the Christians, because they
knew that this answer was given to suit their pleasure and secure their
support, for they might say that they had full liberty to do what
they liked. These replies and bad treatment caused the country to
be deserted. The natives withdrew to the mountains, and concealed
themselves in places where the Christians could not find them. A large
number were Christians, together with wives and children. When they left
the settlement they lost the religious teaching of the monks and clergy,
the governor having paid great attention to their religious instruction.
A few days after his arrest they destroyed the caravel which he had made
to send advice to His Majesty of all that was passing in the province;
for the insurgents hoped to get the people to undertake a voyage of
discovery in that country, where the governor had already partly
explored; they thought they might obtain gold and silver there, and that
they would have the honour of rendering important service to the king.
There being no justice in the land, the inhabitants and colonists
suffered many wrongs from the officers and magistrates appointed by the
insurgents. They were imprisoned and deprived of their property; at
least fifty of them became so indignant that they retreated into the
interior towards the coast of Brazil, with the intention of finding
means of proceeding to Spain and informing His Majesty of all the
wrongs, misdeeds, and disturbances passing in the land. Many others
were overtaken and kept in prison a long time; their arms and all their
possessions were taken away and distributed among their friends and
partisans, in order to engage their support for the party in power.
CHAPTER THE SEVENTY-NINTH.
_How the monks left the country._
WHILE this sad state of things was going on without hope of remedy, the
monks--friar Bernardo de Armenta[359] thinking the moment opportune for
putting into execution their long-conceived project of departing (having
already attempted it, as I have said before), spoke about it to the
officers and to Domingo de Irala, in order that they should give them
permission and the necessary help to reach the coast of Brazil. These
officers consented, in order to give them satisfaction because they
had opposed the governor, who had hindered their taking the route they
wished. Permission was accordingly granted to them, and the necessary
help to go to Brazil. They took with them some Spaniards and Indian
women, to whom they were teaching Christianity.
[359] The name of the other monk is omitted in the text. It was
probably Alonzo Lebron; cf. _supra_, pp. 100, 136.
During his captivity the governor had asked the insurgents several times
to let him appoint a deputy to rule the province in the name of His
Majesty, in order to terminate the tumults and disorders that were of
such constant occurrence, and restore justice and tranquillity in the
land. After making this nomination he would have liked to go before
the king and render an account of all that had passed, and the actual
position of affairs. The officers answered, however, that by his arrest
his authority had lost all its force, and that the person they had
nominated as governor would serve the purpose. Every day they entered
his prison and threatened to put an end to his life. The governor
replied that, should they decide upon doing this, he begged, and even if
necessary he required, them in God's name and the king's to send him a
clergyman to confess him. They said that if they gave him a confessor
it would be Francisco de Andrada, or another native of Biscay (who were
concerned in the insurrection), and if he would have neither of them, he
should have none at all, because the others were their enemies and his
supporters. In fact, they had arrested Antonio d'Escalera, Rodrigo de
Herrera, and Luis de Miranda, because they had said, and were still
saying, that the arrest of the governor was a great sin, and contrary to
the service of God and His Majesty, and would bring ruin upon the land.
The priest, Luis de Miranda, had been imprisoned with the Alcalde mayor
for more than eight months without seeing sun or moon all that time. And
the insurgents would never consent that any other of the clergy except
those we have named should confess him.
A gentleman[360] named Anton Bravo, eighteen years of age, having been
heard to say one day that he would form a scheme to release the governor
from prison, the officers and Domingo de Irala had him arrested,
and applied the torture to him, to find pretext for punishing and
ill-treating others whom they hated. They offered him his liberty if
he would incriminate others whom he had named in his evidence. These
were all taken and disarmed. Anton Bravo was publicly bastinadoed in
the street, proclaimed a traitor, and accused of being unfaithful to
His Majesty by trying to deliver the governor from prison.
[360] In original, hidalgo, from _hijo de algo_, _i.e._, a person
of good birth.
CHAPTER THE EIGHTIETH.
_How they tortured those who were not on their side._
THIS was the cause of many other cruel torturings to find out if the
persons accused had concerted measures for the release of the governor
from prison. They sought to know who were the persons concerned in the
scheme, how he was to be delivered, and if the ground were mined. Many
were deprived of the use of their limbs by these tortures. Inscriptions
having been found on the walls, which said, "Thou shalt die for thy king
and thy law," the officers, Domingo de Irala, and the magistrates, took
steps to find out who were the authors, swearing and threatening to
punish them, and they arrested a number of persons, whom they put to the
torture.
CHAPTER THE EIGHTY-FIRST.
_How they wished to kill a sheriff who had made them a requisition._
AFFAIRS being in the state I have described, a certain Pedro de Molina,
a native of Guadix, and judge of that town, having been witness of
the misfortunes and troubles that were taking place in the country,
determined, in His Majesty's interests, to enter the stockaded enclosure
where Domingo de Irala and his officers were residing, and in the
presence of all, doffing his cap, he asked Martin de Ure, the notary,
to read to the officers a requisition that the evils, murders, and
injustice occasioned by the arrest of the governor might cease. He
demanded that Alvar Nuñez should be set free, and that he should be
allowed to invest some fitting person, with his authority, to govern the
province in the name of His Majesty, and maintain peace and justice. The
notary at first refused to read it because the insurgents were present,
but at length he took it, and said to Pedro de Molina that if he wished
it read he must pay him his fee. Pedro de Molina drew his sword and
handed it to him. The notary declined the sword as a pledge for payment.
Then Pedro de Molina took off his woollen hood and gave it to him,
saying: "Read it, I have no better pledge to offer." Martin de Ure took
the hood and the requisition, and threw them both down at his feet,
declaring that he would not notify it to those gentlemen. Thereupon
Garcia Vanegas, the deputy-treasurer, addressed some insulting words to
Pedro de Molina, threatening to have him beaten to death, and that he
deserved it for daring to speak in that way. Pedro de Molina then went
out, raising his cap, considering himself fortunate in escaping without
further ill-treatment.
CHAPTER THE EIGHTY-SECOND.
_How the insurgents gave the Indians permission to eat human flesh._
THE officers and Domingo de Irala, wishing to gain favour among the
natives, gave them permission to kill and eat their Indian enemies.
Many of those who availed themselves of this license were converted
Christians. The insurgents had adopted this expedient, unbecoming to the
service of God and His Majesty, and horrible to all who knew of it, in
order to prevent the Indians from leaving the country, and attaching
them to their party. They told them the governor was a bad man, inasmuch
as he would not authorise their killing and eating their enemies, and
that he had been arrested on that account, and that they now gave them
free permission to do this.
In spite of all their efforts, the officers and Domingo de Irala, seeing
that the tumults and quarrels would not cease, but were daily on the
increase, decided to remove the governor from the province, while those
who took this step chose to remain where they were and not return to
Spain; they only desired to expel him and some of his friends. The
partisans of the governor, on hearing this resolution, were much
excited. They said that since the officers had usurped the power of
deposing the governor and arresting him, and had given their supporters
to understand that they would go with him to Spain, to explain their
conduct to His Majesty, they must keep their promise, and if they all
refused to go, that two, at all events, should accompany him, and that
the other two might remain in the province. So they arranged it in
that way, and, in order to take him to Spain, they equipped one of the
brigantines which he had built for exploring and conquering the country.
This gave rise to serious altercations, owing to the discontent that
prevailed at seeing they were about to take Alvar Nuñez from the
province. The officers resolved upon arresting the leaders of the
malcontents, but durst not carry out their intention. In this dilemma
they had again recourse to the governor, conjuring him to put an end to
all the scandals and disorders; that if his friends would give their
word not to attempt his release, that they on their side, and their
magistrates, would promise not to arrest anybody, or do any injury to
anybody, and would set those free whom they had arrested, and they swore
it. As the governor had now been in prison a long time, and nobody had
seen him, it was suspected and feared that they had secretly murdered
him. They were accordingly asked to allow two monks and two gentlemen to
enter his prison and see him, so that they might certify the people he
was still alive. The officers promised they would do this three or four
days before it was time for him to embark, but they broke their word.
CHAPTER THE EIGHTY-THIRD.
_How the insurgents had to write to His Majesty and send him a
report._
AT this juncture the officers prepared several memoirs to send to Spain,
accusing the governor and making him odious to everybody. To lend a
favourable colour to their own criminal acts, they wrote things that
never happened and were entirely untrue. While the brigantine was being
equipped for her voyage, the friends of the governor arranged with the
carpenters to hollow a timber as big as a man's thigh, and three spans
long, and place inside it a general act of accusation which the governor
had addressed to His Majesty, and other important papers collected by
his friends when he was arrested. This packet was taken and enveloped in
a waxed cloth, and the piece of timber was fastened to the poop of the
brigantine with six nails above and six below. The carpenters said that
they had placed it there to strengthen the brigantine, and the secret
was kept so well that nobody discovered it. The master carpenter told
a sailor of it, so that when the vessel arrived in Spain the documents
might be taken out. It had been arranged with the officers that the
governor should be seen by his friends before he embarked, but neither
Captain Salazar nor anybody saw him. One night, towards midnight, Alonso
Cabrera, the supervisor, and Pedro Dorantes, his factor, accompanied by
a large number of arquebusiers, presented themselves at the prison; and
each arquebusier carried three lighted fuses in his hand, so as to make
the number appear greater than it was. Then Alonso Cabrera and Pedro
Dorantes entered the room in which he lay; they seized him by the arm
and lifted him out of the bed with the chains round his feet; he was
very ill, almost to death. They carried him in this state to the gate
leading into the street, and when he saw the sky, which he had not seen
till then, he entreated them to let him render thanks to God. When he
rose from his knees, two soldiers took him under the arms and carried
him on board the brigantine, for he was extremely weak and crippled.
When he saw himself in the midst of these people, he said to them:
"Sirs, be my witnesses that I appoint, as my deputy, Juan de Salazar de
Espinosa, that he may govern this province instead of me, and in the
name of His Majesty, maintaining order and justice till the King should
have been pleased to make other dispositions." Hardly had he finished
speaking than Garcia Vanegas, deputy treasurer, rushed upon him, dagger
in hand, saying: "I do not recognise what you say; retract, or I will
tear your soul from your body." The governor had, however, been advised
not to say what he did, because they were determined to kill him, and
these words might have occasioned a great disturbance among them, and
the party of the King might have snatched him from the hands of the
others, everybody being then in the street. Garcia Vanegas having
withdrawn a little, the governor repeated the same words; then Garcia
sprang with great fury on the governor, and placed a dagger to his
temple, saying to him as before: "Withdraw what you have said, or I
will tear your soul from your body." At the same moment he inflicted a
slight wound on his temple, and pushed the people who were carrying the
governor with so much violence that they fell with him, and one of them
dropped his cap. After this they quickly raised him again, and carried
him precipitately on board the brigantine. They closed the poop of the
vessel with planks, put two chains on him which prevented him from
moving; then they unmoored and descended the river.