garding the prosecution of this business. He comes here with no
more knowledge than we have; the only thing of which he leaves us
in no doubt is that he comes without the means to pay or succor
these poor troops. If this be true, I am much astonished at it;
and it appears to me that this is afflicting them too much and will
give them an occasion to make trouble and rebel some day, taking one
of the galleys and the artillery and going where they list, as has
already been done in two cases. In the one case a barangay and four
soldiers mutinied and went away, no one knows where. Although they
took an officer, he had no power to prevent them, for they rose in arms
against him. The best that he could do was to have them put him ashore
and in this way he came back to this fort. The three soldiers who were
posted on the galliot which was at Vutil conspired and took the small
boat and fled. Your Grace may see, from the eve of the feast, what
sort of feast-day may be expected, especially from troops suffering
privation and hunger, who do not leave their arms day or night,
working for others and receiving no pay. With so small a ration of
rice they are ill sustained for any length of time; for the little
meat and fish which was sent was so insignificant and arrived in so
damaged a condition that there is not enough for eight days. Finally,
on this ground of pay they would be justified in mutiny. They are
seeking all about for food and clothes, which, if they had received
the pay, they would not have lacked; and at the same time they could
be commanded and obliged to serve and keep the regulations--which are
every day broken, and we cannot punish them. Another band attempted
flight a few days past, one of whom I hanged--although it weighs on
my conscience now that I have done it; for, in a sense, they have
excuse enough. Since I did not shirk it, I inform you of it now,
to relieve my conscience, before God and his Majesty.

While writing this, word came to me from the captains who are up
the river, that from the mountain ridge, from a creek called Malago,
there had come a chief with several peaceful Indians. This is worthy of
note, since they have come so late, without waiting for a suggestion,
since they have never seen our faces, and since they have come many
leguas, dressed in clothes of cotton and of medrinaque, which is a good
sign. They say that there are many people in their country. I hope,
through God, that soon all will