BARBAROUS KXECUTION OF INDIANS. II7 



Ballas, started from Leon to visit the villages, and the 

 Indians beloncfinsf to them, but thev never came back. 



Pedrarias sent a small troop to arrest the supposed 

 murderers. Seventeen or eighteen were arrested and 

 strangled by dogs. 



The execution took place on the public square of Leon 

 on the i6th of June, 1528, in the following manner: — 

 A stick was given to each, and was told to defend him- 

 self against the dogs. Five or six young dogs, which 

 their masters wanted to train, to Lidian hunting, were set loose 

 against each Indian. These young, inexperienced animals, 

 barking all the time, ran round the Indian, who easily kept 

 them at bay ; but when believing to be victorious, two of 

 the old trained dogs were loosened, and in an instant threw 

 the Indian down, the other dogs flew at him, strangled and 

 devoured his bowels. It was a most cruel and disgusting 

 scene. The seventeen prisoners, v>'hich were from the 

 vallev of Olocaton, were killed in the same manner, the 

 bodies remaining there, by order of the authority, threatening 

 that the same should be done to those who tried to take them 

 away ; but on the second day the smell of these corpses was 

 so intolerable that the Governor gave orders to carry them 

 away. 



Oviedo adds that as soon as the order was given, some 

 Indians came, cut the bodies to pieces, carried them into their 

 houses and feasted upon them ; but I doubt the veracity of 

 this author very much, and I think that he spoke of things 

 which he did not see. 



From that time up to 182 1, Spain retained possession of 

 Nicaragua, but never conquered completely" the mountainous 

 Indians of Chontales, nor the Mosquito Indians. They 

 built several towns; one of the principal is Realejo, close to 

 the Pacific, where the Kings of Spain had many of their 

 ships built. In that time, it was a port of great importance. 

 In 1524, Pedro de Alvarado, instructed by Cortez, took 

 possession of Guatemala, and received from the Emperor, 

 Charles -Quint, the title of Captain-General of Guatemala, 

 which he kept up to the time of his death, which took place 



in 1545- 



At that time, Guatemala was the Capital of that Captaincy. 

 It included what we know now-a-days as the five central Ameri- 

 can Republics of Guatemala, HojiduraSj Salvador^ Nicaragua 

 and Costa Rica. It remained so during three centuries until 

 the 15th of September, 1821, when the provinces of Central 



