THE TREASURE REVEALED 225 



In 1535 Las Casas composed a treatise that had great influ- 

 ence in the church. It was radical for its time, for it held to 

 two propositions; one, that men were to be brought to Chris- 

 tianity only by persuasion; and the other, that it was unlawful 

 for Christians to make war on infidels merely because they 

 were infidels. The Spanish colonists who had captured Indian 

 slaves by strength of arms naturally detested this argument. 

 Las Casas, at this time in Guatemala, found himself derided 

 for his ideas, and they dared him to attempt pacification of 

 the warlike natives with only kind words. He was the man to 

 take this challenge. He and other Dominican fathers began 

 to master the Quiche language. Their intent was to tackle the 

 most difficult of the border states, called 'The Land of War," 

 because in three attempts the soldiers had failed to conquer 

 it. In 1537 Las Casas made a formal agreement with the gov- 

 ernor to go into the mountains and pacify these Indians no 

 other Spaniard dared approach. He and some others decided 

 to risk all and visit the Land of War on a mission of con- 

 version. 



The Dominicans fasted and prayed. But Las Casas was both 

 a holy man and a man of worldly wisdom and of many devices. 

 First of all he had the story of creation, the loss of Paradise, 

 the life of Christ, and the final redemption translated into 

 simple Quiche verse forms and set to native music. It was a 

 close thing whether Las Casas would be eaten or be well 

 received alive; but in 1538 he won over the chief to complete 

 the conquest by art and love where force had failed. Fortu- 

 nately at this juncture Alexander Farnese, Pope Paul the 

 Third, pronounced that the Indians were worthy of receiving 

 the faith and demanded a halt to their enslavement and the 

 taking of their possessions. With this help Las Casas pene- 

 trated even to Coban on new missions setting up pueblos 

 for the converts. His final triumph was the willing visit of the 

 wild chieftain Don Juan to meet Alvarado, his former enemy. 



