d could
speak Spanish, and whom he freed for the purpose,--he made peace with
the remaining Indians, and began to build a town.

The slaves Ocampo had captured were brought to San Domingo and sold
under the clerico's very eyes; nor could he do anything to prevent it,
although, as he tells us himself, he "went raging."

He became so angry now, however, that the authorities thought they had
better do something to make peace with him. He declared he would go to
Spain and tell the King how little attention they paid to the royal
commands, and would have them all punished. They knew he was very likely
to do just what he said and so at last they went to him with a plan
which they hoped would pacify him. They wanted to go with him as
partners. That is, they wished to form a company to go and settle the
land, all of them contributing toward the expenses and all sharing in
the profits. This was a long way from being the sort of colony Las Casas
had meant to found; for these men did not care at all for the good of
the Indians; all any of them wanted was to make money; but he had not
found any men to become Knights of the Golden Spur, and unless he went
in this way it looked as if he could not go at all, so he consented.

They fitted out two ships for him, and at last he sailed, stopping at
Porto Rico to take on his laborers. But here he had another
disappointment: not one of them could be found. They had grown tired of
waiting, had heard such stories of the riches to be gained by mining or
engaging in the slave trade that they had every one gone off either
pirating or chasing Indians or something else equally bad; and Las Casas
had to go on without them.

When at length Las Casas reached the land where he had hoped to do such
great things for the natives, the Franciscans came joyfully to meet
him, chanting _Te Deums_. Now, they felt, they had a friend and
protector. They took him into their little convent,--which was only of
wood, thatched with straw,--and into their little garden, where they had
orange trees, vines, and melons, and there they talked together of what
they should do.

Las Casas built a large storehouse for his goods, and sent word to all
the Indians in that part of the country that he had been sent out by the
new King of Spain, and that he was their friend and would protect them.
They should not be ill-treated any more. He sent presents to them to
show that he wished to be friends with them.

Ocampo and his