e of the
ship that bore their protector towards Hispaniola. A general massacre of
the colony was concerted to take place about fifteen days after Las Casas
left. The Franciscans got wind of it three days before the date fixed and
though the Indian woman Maria, when asked, denied the plot in words, she
conveyed to the friars by gestures that she had lied because the presence
of other Indians intimidated her from telling the truth. A Spanish
trading ship arrived in these days, but in spite of the colonists' prayers
to be taken on board the captain refused, so the hapless men were left to
their fate. At the last moment an effort was made to organise some defence
and twelve or fourteen pieces of artillery were mounted around the
storehouse, but when they came to examine the powder, it was found--oh,
Spanish improvidence!--to be so damp that it was useless. At sunrise they
thought to dry it, but they were too late, for with fierce war-whoops, the
Indians were upon them; three of their number were killed and the
store-house, in which the others had barricaded themselves, was set on
fire. Fortunately there was a small door that gave access to the garden,
through which they escaped from the burning building. De Soto, who had
been out to reconnoitre the town was wounded with a poisoned arrow, but
managed to reach the garden where the others were. The friars had
constructed a canal through their garden leading to the river and on this
they had a large Indian canoe capable of holding fifty persons. This
canoe was now their sole hope of safety and everybody managed to get into
it, save one unfortunate lay-brother who had taken refuge among some reeds
along the bank and was only discovered after the canoe had pushed off.
Seeing his companions borne swiftly away on the saving current, he rose
from his hiding-place with despairing gestures of appeal, but though every
effort was made to reach him it was in vain, and he, poor man, seeing that
his situation was hopeless, signalled to them with pathetic heroism to
leave him and save themselves while they could. He was killed a few
moments later when the Indians, not knowing of the egress into the garden
and believing that all the Spaniards were inside the burning building,
came round to the other side of the Storehouse. When they caught sight of
the fugitives in the canoe, they quickly launched a swift pirogue and set
out in pursuit of the canoe. The Spaniards had already doubled