o take him to Castile and,
as there were six ships in the port ready to leave, God, who wished
to show that this, together with the other things, was a great
iniquity and injustice, sent a tempest that night that sank all the
vessels, drowning all the Christians on board of them. The said
Caonabo perished, loaded with chains, and fetters.
10. This lord had three or four very brave brothers as powerful and
valiant as himself. They, seeing the unjust imprisonment of their
brother and lord, and witnessing the destruction and slaughter the
Christians perpetrated in the other kingdoms, (particularly after
they knew that the king their brother was dead) armed themselves to
attack the Christians and avenge themselves. The Christians went
against them with some horsemen. Horses are the most deadly arm
possible among the Indians. They worked such havoc and slaughter,
that they desolated, and depopulated half the kingdom.
11. The fourth kingdom is that which is called Xaragua. This was as the
marrow, or the Court of all this island. It surpassed all the other
kingdoms in the politeness of its more ornate speech as well as in
more cultured good breeding, and in the multitude and generosity of
the nobles. For there were lords and nobles in great numbers. In
their costumes and beauty, the people were superior to all others.
12. The king and lord of it was called Behechio and he had a sister
called Anacaona. Both rendered great services to the King of
Castile, and immense kindnesses to the Christians, delivering them
from many mortal dangers: and when the King Behechio died, Anacaona
was left mistress of the kingdom.
13. The governor(81) who ruled this island arrived there once, with
sixty horsemen and more than three hundred foot. The horsemen alone
were sufficient to ruin the whole island and the terra firma. More
than three hundred lords were assembled, whom he had summoned and
reassured. He lured the principal ones by fraud, into a
straw-house, and setting fire to it, he burnt them alive.
14. All the others, together with numberless people, were put to the
sword, and lance. And to do honour to the Lady Anacaona, they
hanged her. It happened that some Christians, either out of
compassion or avarice, took some children to save them,