Authentic Letters of Columbus. 165 



one of Vv'hich he deserved to be quartered. At the request of your 

 uncle and others he was pardoned, on condition however that said 

 pardon would be revoked and he would be again liable to be pun- 

 ished in the proper way, if he would say the slightest thing against 

 me and my officers. I inclose here a copy of the record which shows 

 the whole of this business. As to Camacho, I will send you some 

 legal papers referring to him. For more than eight days he has 

 remained inside the church, without daring to leave it, for fear of the 

 trouble into which he may get for his rashness and slanders. He 

 has in his possession a will made by Terreros; but some relations of 

 this Terreros have another will, subsequent in date, which annuls the 

 former, as far as the disposition of the property is concerned. And 

 I have been requested to attend to the fulfillment of the second will 

 and the execution of all that is provided by it, — and therefore I am 

 bound to compel Camacho to make restitution of what he has 

 received. I shall attend to the preparation of the proper legal docu- 

 ments, which I shall have served on him. I believe that punishing 

 him is a work of mercy. His tongue knows no restraint. vSome one 

 has to punish him, without the use of the rod, and that punishment 

 will be harder for him and better for the conscience of the chastiser. 



Diego jNIendez is well acquainted with ]\Iaster Be/nal and his 

 doings. The Governor wanted to put him in prison, while at La 

 Espanola; but at my request he left him fre^,. They say that he 

 killed there two men, with some poison, in revenge for some wrong 

 which did not amount to three beans. 



If the permit to ride on mule-back can be obtained, without 

 trouble, I would be pleased. Then I would like also to have ■\ 

 good mule. 



Take advice with all about our business. Tell all others that 

 do not write to them because of the great pains that writing mak' 

 me suffer. But they must not imitate my example, but on the coi 

 trary write to me, each one separately, and very often. How grievei 

 I feel when I see that everyb(»dy here receives letters from there, 

 and that I, who have so many of my people there, do not receive 

 any. Give my regards to the Adelantado, to your brother an^ all the 

 others. 



Dated at. Seville, December 29. 



Your father who loves 5'ou more than himself. 



S. 



X. M. Y. 



Xpo Kerens. 



I further say that if our affairs are to be settled according to the 

 dictates of conscience, the chapter of the letter which Their High- 

 nesses wrote to me, when I sailed, in which they said they would order 

 to give you possession of all, must be shown and made iise of. And 

 then you must make use also of the instrument in writing in 

 the book of my privileges, which explains the reason why in all jus- 

 tice and equity, the third, the eighth and th^. tenth are mine There 

 will be alwavs time afterwards to make re'' actions. 



