terribleness of the
attacks which were always suffered in the stomach because of the
hardships of the painful journey and country ride, bad resting-places,
worse roads and lack of assistance, rest and tranquillity, which would
put his health in evident danger, so that all felt he ought to give up,
or at least postpone his journey until he was more hale and hearty in
health; in spite of all these and other objections nothing arose from
all these representations, and fears which sufficed to change the
fervent zeal of the bold President who, in replying, first thanked them
all for the great attention and affection with which they looked to his
convenience, and then said that the greatest safety lay only in his
being the first in all dangers in the service of Both Majesties."

The gallant old President (who appears to have been subject to
apoplectic seizures) wished to be in command of the army, but in case
he were forced to fall back at any time to a place of safety, he
appointed an assistant, who was Don Bartolome de Amezquita, Fiscal of
that Audience of Guatemala.

Amezquita, then, was Captain General of the entrada, taking the Chiapas
division. Captain Juan Diaz de Velasco was made leader of the Vera Paz
division. Don Tomas de Mendoza y Guzman was made leader of the
Huehuetenango division.

When the pay, supplies, and baggage had been distributed among the
soldiers, the President gave out his final orders as to the length of a
day's journey. He had already sent ahead to the Alcalde Mayor of
Ocozingo in Chiapas ordering that suitable _ranchos_ be put up in
certain places to shelter the royal army when it should arrive. While
the Indians of Ocozingo were working on these they had been attacked by
some Lacandon Indians when scarcely a house had been completed. All
these unmistakable evidences of the proximity of the notorious
Lacandones made Barrios choose the Chiapas division for himself, as it
was the most likely to come across them.

At the same time the President ordered Don Tomas (de Mendoza?) de
Guzman to go ahead with one hundred men and act as escort for the
Indians while they were putting up the houses near Ocozingo or any more
convenient place. Barrios had already informed Ursua that he intended
to set out in January, 1695, and the latter was to enter the unsubdued
area from the north at the same time. Surveyors were to go ahead of the
main body of men, and by means of smudges were to afford the greatest
po