SPANISH EXPEDITIONS. II5 



Davila. But it is time to come back to Gonzalez de Avila, 

 who is supposed to be the discoverer of Nicaragua. 



Gonzalez de Avila is supposed to have sailed from 

 Panama in the year 1522. He embarked in that port with 

 one hundred men and four horses in several small schooners, 

 and went north. The first place where he is supposed to 

 have landed is at Nicoya, governed by a Cazic of that name, 

 who received him with the greatest regard, and offered him 

 a quantity of gold and gold idols in exchange for trifles. 

 This Cazic and some of his followers were baptised. 



From there, he penetrated into the territories governed 

 by a powerful Cazic, named Nicaragua. The Capital of the 

 Cazic, was situated where now stands Rivas. 



Nicaragua received Gonzalez and his followers well, and 

 exchanges were soon made with the natives, who gave them 

 a large quantity of gold for trifles. In the relations of the 

 first historians on the conquests of the Spaniards in America, 

 it is mentioned that this Cazic was a man of great intelligence 

 and that Gonzalez was very much puzzled to give satisfactory 

 replies to his questions. It is more by fear of the devil, than 

 otherwise, that he obtained the conversion of Nicaragua and 

 nine thousand of his subjects. Gonzalez passed through six 

 laro^e Indian towns, each containinof about two thousand well- 

 built houses. Crowds of people came to see them and were 

 never tired of looking at their beards, clothes, and horses, all 

 of which were novelties to these natives. 



In the middle of his excursion, Cazic Dirian^aii pre- 

 sented himself before Gonzalez. He was accompanied by 

 five hundred men and several young women; each of the men 

 carrying a couple of turkeys, and the women gold, all of which 

 was duly offered to Gonzalez. 



Gonzalez did all what he could to convert Cazic 

 Diriangan to Catholicism, but did not succeed. Diriangan 

 replied that it was imperative that he should consult his 

 priests and women before. 



Some days after, he returned, not to be converted, but 

 with a troop, several thousand strong, armed with wooden 

 swords, arrows, and other primitive w^eapons and covered 

 with cotton cuirasses and strange helmets. 



The Spaniards defeated them easily ; but Gonzalez, 

 fearing that he could not resist successfully many more 

 such attacks with such a small troop as he had, resolved to 

 return to Panama. During his retreat he met his old friend, 

 Nicaragua, but this last had become hostile to Gonzalez, who 



