rs that Las Casas had spent in the convent, many
important events had taken place in the New World. Cortez had conquered
Mexico, Alvarado had conquered Guatemala, Pedrarias had overrun and laid
waste Nicaragua, and Pizarro had commenced his conquest of Peru.

About 1528 Las Casas went once more to Spain, to obtain a decree from
the King which should prevent the Indians of Peru from being enslaved.
While there he preached several times at court, with the old fiery zeal
and eloquence. He obtained the royal order and returned with it to
Hispaniola. A new prior was about to be sent to the monastery of San
Domingo, in Mexico, and with him went Las Casas, intending to go on to
Peru, with some brothers of the order, not only to make known the royal
commands with regard to the Indians but to found convents in that
country. However, this turned out to be impracticable, and after a short
stay the party returned to Nicaragua.

King Charles had desired the Bishop of Nicaragua to establish
monasteries in his diocese. The arrival of Las Casas and his two
companions presenting the opportunity of carrying out the King's wish,
the bishop begged them to stay with him, and they consented, and began
at once to learn the language of the country.

But Las Casas got into difficulties with the governor by stirring up a
formidable opposition to him and preventing him from undertaking an
expedition into the interior, which he desired to make. The clerico had
good reason for this course, for the most outrageous cruelties had been
practiced against the Indians in that province, and he tells us that it
had been known to happen that when a body of four thousand Indians had
gone with such an expedition to carry burdens, but six returned alive,
and that often when an Indian was sick or overcome with weariness and
want of food, and could not go on, in order to get the chain free (for
they went chained together), his head was cut off and his body thrown
aside, without the necessity of stopping the train.

About this time the Bishop of Nicaragua died, and the Bishop of
Guatemala urged Las Casas to come into his diocese, as he had only one
priest to help him. The feud with the governor having become more
violent than ever, it seemed wise to accept this invitation. Therefore,
abandoning the convent he had established, Las Casas with all his
brethren went into Guatemala, making their home for a time at Santiago,
in a convent that had stood vacant for six