A Princely Pioneer [pp. 38-46]

1886.] A Princely Pioneer. 45
tie-natured probably, for he was that in John with the chiefs. At the time Arran landed,
Paston's eyes when he' was still young: his the Spanish soldiers were passing from one
wife another's, his children dead, his posses- Indian village to another, pillaging, burning,
sions confiscated, an exile and a wanderer and making slaves of the inhabitants. The
on the earth, it would not be strange if he leader the next year wrote an account of his
took the monastic life under which so many heroic journey, to be sent to the young king,
broken hopes and lost ambitions were buried Charles, and his mother, Queen Joanna, in
out of sight, or that some of the brother Spain, and in this report ingenuously relates
monks from Picardy had told the Spaniards how he killed, by blows from the guns, great
who he really was. numbers of the natives, who were too fright The ship on which he sailed arrived in ened at the sight of the Spaniards' horses to
Porto Rico safely. At that place Las Casas stir from where they stood; how he tortured
wished to go the rest of the way to San Do- the captives to make them give up gold; and
mingo (Hayti) upon the Commissioners' how his soldiers dragged a wounded chief
vessel, but the friars objected that the odium along the ground in chains, and finally threw
which he had brought upon himself in the him to the dogs, which destroyed him. They
eyes of the settlers by his course would be carried a Franciscan monk with them, to
felt by them also if they came in his imme- whom they confessed before battles, and
diate company. They landed at San Domin- who baptized some women and children; but
go, the end of their voyage, December 20th, the captain adds, with a simple frankness,
and went to stay with the Franciscan friars for that "not one adult Indian wished to emthree days. And the records, which omit so brace our religion." On the Day of the
much that we would know, do not forget to Transfiguration, he mentions that they massay that they were regaled with grapes and sacred for six hours. "Your majesty will
figs from the monks' garden. Then the Com- see," he says piously, after reaching home in
missioners went to the palace, where royal de- safety, "your Majesty will see by this relation
crees were read, stated their authority, and en- that God has, so to speak, led us by the hand,
tered upon their duties and powers. Among and since He has been so favorable to us in
the earliest matters which occupied them this life, we must hope that He will be so in
was, of course, the religious welfare of the the other also."
community; and the friars of the different In this year, three missionaries were killed
orders were distributed among the islands, and eaten by cannibals in the West Indies,
and sent to the neighboring coasts of Cuma- their garments being used for banners. The
na and Darien, now Venezuela and Columbia. entire Dominican monastery at Cumana was
In the West Indies, at that time, all was destroyed, and the monks massacred by the
lawless cupidity and inhumanity on one side, enraged Indians, to whom the Spanish solsuffering and hopeless resentment on the diers had broken an oath, and had carried
ote. Coumu ha bee dea te yers awytercie..swf ndcide,a