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Show Poea eaLa eeae a2 Patyoaa aimG eS ieheih > ae ae Md et ee ld a ian eT ee ee ee er ae ee Ck Wa peas OeBd etCEGaie ee ae eet La hes eet) eae t ms oe 10 ae 3 THE SPANISH ARCHIVES OF NEW MEXICO THE SPANISH ARCHIVES OF NEW MEXICO einer bit ~~ ae Re oo _ Race Fe Ea) Sind seen on horseback, armed with an arquebus, sword, dagger and other Spanish military equipment, and with a sash of red taffeta, which they recognized as belonging to the convent of Galisteo, around his waist. By favoring him the soldiers finally induced him to enter the plaza of the Villa in order to talk to the governor. Here Otermin chided him for having betrayed the confidence which had been imposed in him, to which the Indian replied that it could not now be helped, since already many religious and other Spanlards had been killed, and that the Indians who came with him were fully determined to complete their plans by sacking the Villa and killing all the Spaniards who were there, unless they were willing to withdraw from the country. And that they might know the decision of the Spaniards in this regard, they had brought with them two crosses, one red and the other white, between which the besieged must choose, the former signifying resistance on their part and the latter that they would abandon the province. Otermin, however, was unwilling even to consider this alternative, and instead admonished them to cease their hostile actions and return to their homes, promising to pardon them for their treason against the King and for the crimes and sacrileges which they had already committed. But no such promise from the Spaniards, whom they had come to distrust, was to be considered, and accordingly Juan returned to his people, who received him back in their midst with great Deak dt tiled bot aes a awe ad nS Mat Sac shouts, the ringing of bells, and the burning of the chapel of San Miguel. The die was now cast and nothing remained but to fight. Thinking it best, therefore, to attack this body of Indians before the main division of the allies came up, Otermin de- spatched a troop of soldiers to dislodge them from the plain erect ‘‘Thinking that this was but the beginning of the end, the joy of the Indians knew no bounds, for they believed that all must certainly perish the next day. Accordingly tle raged. By evening the Indians were nearly conquered, and having lost many of their warriors they collected a large number of cattle, set fire to the houses on that side of the Villa, and, gathering up. their dead, withdrew. Nota single casualty is reported on the side of the Spaniards, though the number of Indians killed was considerable. fury every overture of peace that had been made to them, and realizing further the impossibility, in their present precarious condition, of remaining another day shut up in the Cae hr ed ene te li Ne” ites oF people themselves. they took their stand around the royal houses singing their SESE EE TCIE RSE BEG baa Per ba rea ac ai TAS ei SSL IL SE VERE Davis says that the Spaniards had a few killed in this engagement, but I can find no authority for such a statement. The total loss on the side of the Spaniards during the whole siege, as will be seen, was only five. ‘* At just this critical moment, however, the expected aid arrived from the Tewa, Taos, and Picuriés Indians, who now threw themselves on the other side of the Villa. In this extremity the Spaniards, in order that the northern allies might not take complete possession of the Villa, were forced to abandon the pursuit of the Tanos, who then escaped in flight. It was already past sundown when the fresh warriors arrived. These at once began the attack with such ‘shamelessness and daring’ that they were able to gain an eminence behind the royal houses, where they pitched their camp, and from where they discharged many arquebuses at the besieged in the houses. The attempt of the Spaniards to dislodge them from this strategic position served only to increase their fury, and soon afterward they became masters of the cemetery at the same time sacking and setting fire to the church and many houses of the Villa, in which work of destruction they were aided by more and more people who kept assembling all the time. ‘‘The Spaniards during all this time continued to hold their own until the Indians, failing in their attempt to set fire to the doors of the ‘Hermita de Nuestra Sefiora’ which was situated in one of the towers of the royal palace, by a strategem were able to cut off the water supply, conducted from the river to the royal houses, for a space of two days and one night, during which time the cattle and horses began to die of thirst, not to mention the suffering of the of San Miguel. Immediately upon seeing the Spanish soldiers leave the Royal House, the Indians met them on the outskirts of the Villa, and so furiously did they fight that in order to save the day the governor was obliged to go in person with reénforcements for his men. The Indians fortified themselves behind the houses of the Villa, however, where they fought with the arms and munitions of those they had already killed elsewhere, and all day long the bat- ee 11 Ey ‘ ewig Bese LILPEAL SEAR PST FLT ae ereme a sy Ve ee Pe ot SE ESP i be wi 3k Ba Wd xb EL YE Ud OG WE rs ¥ ot OC a? res ie el ge ee PYPSE MLS . at re Sega beat Pur od ee be de de ae aaa eae MONE PE DERE Yi aay we a as Be SE SA ke Sed ks he Bd Sl eS ee) victory song and shouting loudly in their glee that ‘God the father of the Spaniards and Santa Maria their mother were dead,’ and that their own gods whom they obeyed had never died. ‘‘Realizing that no terms could be made with the Indians, who during the siege had resented with redoubled royal houses, Otermin called a council of war, at which it was decided that it would be better to die fighting than of |