j84 TRAVELS through 



I fhall add here, by the way, that when the 

 Spaniards difcovered the ifles of St. Domingo and 

 C«^^, they found them well peopled with In- 

 liians, whom they murdered under pretence of a 

 religious principle, but really in order to get 

 their gold. Therefore a Cacique or petty king 

 of the ifland, efcaping from the Spaniards, gave 

 }iis people to underftand, that gold was the 

 deity of their enemies, fmce they came fo far, 

 and expofed themfelves to fo many dangers, in 

 order to get pofTcfiion of it ^ and that it was ncr 

 cefTary they fhould abandon every thing, in or- 

 der to be left in quiet. Another Cacique being 

 condemned to be burnt by the inquifition, was 

 folicited by a Jefuit to become a Chriftian, in 

 order to go to Paradife -, but he openly declared 

 J)e would not go there, if there were any Spa- 

 niards in it. Thefe unhappy Indians abhorred 

 the Spaniards fo much, that they did not even 

 conyerfe with th.eir wives for fear of begetting 

 (laves to fuch mailers : and whenever they eat 

 of their 0efh, it was more through revenge than 

 any appetite -, for they plainly faid, th^t the flelb 

 pf a Spaniard was good for nothing. 



J forgot to tell you in my laft, that I have 

 JDcen invited to the feaft of war, given by the 

 gr?ind chief of the Illinois^ in order to raife war- 

 riors, 



