But This Being Disliked By The Rest, When Roldan And Three
Others Were Getting On Horseback To Go Along With
Caravajal to the admiral,
the rabble surrounded them, declaring they would not allow them to go, and
that if any
Agreement was to be made it should be drawn up in writing,
that all might know what was proposed to be done.
Some days afterwards Roldan, by consent of his men, wrote on the twentieth
of October to the admiral, laying the whole blame of the separation on the
lieutenant; and saying, as the admiral had not sent them any assurance or
security to come and give an account of themselves, they had resolved to
send him their demands in writing, which claimed a reward for what they
had hitherto done as will appear hereafter. Though their demands were
abundantly extravagant, yet Ballester wrote the next day to the admiral,
highly extolling Caravajals discourse; and saying that since it had failed
to dissuade those people from their wicked designs, nothing less would
prevail than granting them all they demanded, he found them so resolute.
He added that he looked upon it as next to certain that most of the people
who were with the admiral would go over to the rebels, and though he might
rely on the fidelity of the men of honour and his own servants, yet these
would not be able to withstand so great a number. The admiral already knew
this by experience, having made a muster of all who were fit to bear arms
at the time when Roldan was near St Domingo that he might be ready to
oppose the rebels if necessary; and so many of the people feigned
themselves sick or lame that only seventy appeared on the muster, of whom
there were not more than forty in whom he could confide.
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