196 INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



of til Spaniards, knowing the immense number of 

 Indians on the island, and the difficulty of conquer- 

 ing it, represented to the general the rashness of his 

 undertaking ; but, says the historian, carried away 

 by his zeal, faith, and courage, he answered that, 

 having in view the service of God and the king, and 

 the drawing of miserable souls from the darkness of 

 heathenism, under the favour and protection of the 

 Virgin Mary, whose image he carried on the royal 

 standard, and engraven on his heart, he alone was 

 sufficient for this conquest, even if it w^ere much 

 more difficult. 



He embarked with one hundred and eight soldiers, 

 leaving one hundred and twenty, with auxihary In- 

 dians, and two pieces of artillery, as a garrison for 

 the camp. The vicar blessed the vessel, and as the 

 sun rose she got under way for the island, two 

 leagues distant. The vicar offered up a prayer, and 

 the Spaniards cried " Viva la ley de Dios !" Half 

 way across he encountered fleets of canoes filled 

 with warUke Indians ; but taking no notice of them, 

 and moving on toward the island, the Spaniards 

 saw assembled immense numbers, prepared for war ; 

 Indians crowded the tops of the small islands around ; 

 the canoes followed them on the lake, and enclosed 

 them in a half moon between themselves and the 

 shore. As soon as within reach, the Indians, by land 

 and water, poured upon them a shower of arrows. 

 The general, Don Martin Ursua, cried out in a loud 

 voice, " Silence ! let no one begin fighting, for God 



