348 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 102 



tured its Governor, Alcaldes, and other officials and highly placed 

 citizens, Pedro Alonso revolted at the thought of standing his inhuman 

 cruelties any longer. This excellent man had come down out of Peru 

 with Gov. Pedro de Ursua, and at several critical moments had 

 come near losing his life with this tyrant. Feeling that he was not 

 safe with him, and trusting himself rather to the stormy billows 

 of a swollen sea, he ran away one night and in a small dugout crossed 

 to the mainland, bringing word everywhere of the corsair's approach, 

 so that they might anticipate him and arm themselves. 



1053. At this time Capt. Monguia tendered his allegiance to the 

 Provincial, Fray Francisco Montesinos, and Aguirre's cruelties alien- 

 ated Ensign Villena, who was surfeited with them ; he was guest 

 of one of the leading ladies of that city, named Ana de Rojas, so 

 the tyrant had her hanged, and her husband with her, who was one 

 of the chief pioneers in that country ; and he made a soldier named 

 Figueroa, his peer in evil habits and deeds, murder three friars in 

 the Franciscan convent, and among them one sainted old man who 

 was loved and revered for his virtue and sanctity by everyone, Fray 

 Andres de Valdes. The corsair perpetrated many other cruelties 

 and murders, and left the poor city looted and devastated, and most 

 of its residents murdered. Then he went to the port of Borburata, 

 where he knifed and killed two of his own soldiers because they 

 could no longer stand his inhumanities, and the attacks, assaults, and 

 other crimes they committed on the girls and honorable married 

 women, and the other robberies and cruelties. 



1054. From Borburata he went on to Nueva Valencia, which had 

 already been deserted by its inhabitants, fleeing from his infernal 

 madness, although he did capture one noble gentleman, a resident of 

 the city, named Don Julian, who had been unable to get away quickly 

 enough with his wife and children and mother-in-law ; Pedro Arias 

 his father-in-law had escaped, so Aguirre ordered him to go and 

 bring him back, under penalty of knifing his wife, children, and 

 mother-in-law if he did not ; so the wretched gentleman had to go 

 after him and bring him to the slaughterhouse, thinking in this way 



to save his dear pledges from the bloodthirsty wolf. J 



1055. Pablo CoUado was Governor at this time in the city of Barqui- ^ 

 simeto. When he learned of the corsair's fury, he thought he would 

 abandon the country with some of his followers ; but as the tyrant's 

 approach had already been heralded all over the country, many gentle- 

 man pioneers flocked in from all sides to resist the corsair, though 

 inadequately armed. Among them were valiant Marshal Gutierre 



