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Show THE FIRST SPANISH EXPLORERS 105 to us, and told us how the Christians had penetrated the country before, and had destroyed and burnt the villages, taking with them half of the men and all the women and children, and how those who could escaped by flight. Seeing them in this plight, afraid to stay anywhere, and that they neither would nor could cultivate the soil, preferring to die rather than suffer such cruelties, while they showed the greatest pleasure at being with us, we began to apprehend that the Indians who were in arms against the Christians might ill-treat us in retaliation for what the Christians did to them. But when it pleased God, our Lord, to take us to those Indians, they respected and held us precious, as the former had done and even a little more, at which we were not a little astonished, while it clearly shows how, in order to bring those people to Christianity and obedience to your Imperial Majesty, they should be well treated, and not otherwise. Fac-simile of signature of Nuiio de Guzman, governor of New ‘“They took us to a village on the crest of a mountain, be reached only by a very steep trail, where we found a people, who had gathered there out of dread of the These received us very well, giving us all they had; over and loads of maize, which we distributed among people who led us to this place. were wont to do) Galicia which can great many Christians. two thous- the poor, famished The next day we despatched four runners, to call together as many (as we as could be reached to a village three journeys away; and on the next day we followed with all the people that were at the place, always meeting with signs and vestiges where the Christians had slept. |