against
slavery while he continued to possess slaves himself. Therefore he went
at once to the governor and told him what he had resolved to do. The
governor was very much astonished, and begged Las Casas to consider well
what he was doing and at least to take fifteen days to think it over.
But Las Casas refused to take even one day, saying that his mind was
made up.

Four Dominicans, who had been sent from Hispaniola to found a community,
arrived in Cuba about this time. They and Las Casas preached constantly
and earnestly on the sin of holding the natives in slavery; but although
the Spaniards were frightened, they were not turned from their evil
ways, and Las Casas resolved to go to Spain and see if he could not so
present the matter to the King that the whole system of dividing up the
Indians and their lands among the white men, to be their property,
might be done away with.

He wrote to his friend and partner Renteria, telling him that he was
about to go to Spain on a very important mission, which he was sure
would give him great joy when he heard what it was, and he asked him to
hasten home, as otherwise he might not see him, it being necessary to
leave at once.

Renteria was in Jamaica, where he had gone to buy seed, stock and so on
for their farm. While there he had stayed in a Franciscan convent during
the season of Lent, and had given much time to prayer and meditation.
For a long time he had been troubled about holding the Indians as
slaves, but he had thought that if he and his partner were to give up
the savages, they would only be worse off. Now, however, as he thought
and prayed, a plan occurred to him: He would go to Spain and get
permission to found schools, where the Indian children might be gathered
in and taught, and thus some of them might be saved; for he saw clearly
that if things kept on as they were, it would not be long before all the
Indians on the islands would be destroyed.

As soon as Renteria received Las Casas' letter he hurried home,
wondering why his friend also wanted to go to Spain, and eager to tell
him what he had in mind.

Renteria was a very popular man, so when he landed, not only Las Casas
was there to meet him but the governor and many other friends;
therefore, it was night before the two partners had a chance to talk
quietly together. Then each listened in astonishment to the plan of the
other. Finally they decided that as the plan of Las Casas was the more
important,