232 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 73 
to receive him and his men and favor them with food. Those of Coza thought very 
highly of this offer, and in the hope of its fulfillment kept the Spaniards such a lung 
time with them, giving them as much maize each day as was possible, the land being 
so poor and the villages few and small. The Spaniards were nearly 300 men between 
small and big [young and old] ones, masters and servants, and the time they all ate 
there was three months, the Indians making great efforts to sustain such a heavy ex- 
pense for the sake of their companionship as well as for the favors they expected 
from them later. All the deeds in this life are done for some interested reason and, 
just as the Spaniards showed friendship for them that they might not shorten their 
provisions and perhaps escape to the forests, so the Indians showed their friendship, 
hoping that with their aid they could take full vengeance of their enemies. And the 
friars were watching, hoping that a greater population might be discovered to convert 
and maintain in the Christian creed. Those small hamlets had until then neither 
seen friars nor did they have any commodities to allow monks to live and preach 
among them; neither could they embrace and maintain the Christian faith without 
their assistance. . . . 
Very bitter battles did the Napochies have with those from Coza, but justice was 
greatly at variance with success. Those from Coza were in the right, but the Napochies 
were victorious. In ancient times the Napochies were tributaries of the Coza people, 
because this place (Coza) was always recognized as head of the kingdom and its lord 
was considered to stand above the one of the Napochies. Then the people from Coza 
began to decrease while the Napochies were increasing until they refused to be their 
vassals, finding themselves strong enough to maintain their liberty which they abused. 
Then those of Coza took to arms to reduce the rebels to their former servitude, but the 
most victories were on the side of the Napochies. Those from Coza remained greatly 
affronted as well from seeing their ancient tribute broken off, as because they found 
themselves without strength to restore it. On that account they had lately stopped 
their fights, although their sentiments remained the same and for several months they 
had not gone into the battlefield, for fear lest they return vanquished, as before. When 
the Spaniards, grateful for good treatment, offered their assistance against their enemies, 
they accepted immediately, in view of their rabid thirst for vengeance. All the love 
they showed to the Spaniards was in the interest that they should not forget their 
promise. Fifteen days had passed, when, after a consultation among themselves, 
the principal men went before the captain and thus spoke: 
"Sir, we are ashamed not to be able to serve you better, and as we would wish, but 
this is only because we are afflicted with wars and trouble with some Indians who are 
our neighbors and are called Napochies. Those have always been our tributaries 
acknowledging the nobility of our superiors, but a few years ago they rebelled and 
stopped their tribute and they killed our relatives and friends. And when they can 
not insult us with their deeds, they do so with words. Now, it seems only reasonable, 
that you, who have so much knowledge, should favor and increase ours. Thou, 
Senor, hast given us thy word when thou knowest our wish to help us if we should 
need thy assistance against our enemies. This promise we, thy servants, beg of thee 
humbly now to fulfill and we promise to gather the greatest army of our men [people], 
and with thy good order and efforts helping us, we can assure our victory. And when 
once reinstated in our former rights, we can serve thee ever so much better." 
When the captain had listened to the well concerted reasoning of those of Coza, he 
replied to them with a glad countenance, that, aside from the fact that it had always 
been his wish to help and assist them, it was a common cause now, and he considered 
it convenient or even necessary to communicate with all the men, especially with the 
friars, who were the ministers of God, and the spiritual fathers of the army; that he 
would treat the matter with eagerness, procuring that their wishes be attended to 
and that the following day he would give them the answer, according to the resolutions 
taken in the matter. 
