Las Casas Unfortunately Agreed
To Treat, And Remained At Sea; Partly For The Purpose Of Finding Some
Better Place Of Disembarkation, And Partly Induced By Letters From The
Friends Of Cortes Who Were Along With De Oli.
That same night a heavy
storm arose, by which the vessels of Las Casas were driven on shore and
utterly lost, and above thirty of the soldiers perished.
All the rest were
made prisoners two days afterwards, having been all that time on shore
without food, and almost perished with cold, as it was the season of
almost incessant rain. De Oli obliged all his prisoners to swear fidelity
to him against Cortes, and then released them all except Las Casas.
The party which he sent against De Avila returned about this time, having
been successful in their errand. Avila had gone with a party to reduce the
country about the _Golfe Dolce_, and had founded a settlement to which he
gave the name of _St Gil de buena vista_; and the troops sent against him,
after killing his nephew and eight of his soldiers, made himself and all
the rest prisoners. De Oli was now much elated by his success, in having
made two captains belonging to Cortes prisoners, and sent off a full
account of his exploits to his friend Velasquez. He afterwards marched up
the country to a place called Naco in a very populous district, which is
all now laid waste. While here, he sent off various detachments in
different directions, among which one was commanded by Briones, who had
first instigated him to revolt; bat Briones now revolted from him in his
turn, and marched off with all his men for New Spain. He was a seditious
fellow, who had on some former occasion had the lower part of his ears cut
off, which he used to say had been done for refusing to surrender in some
fortress or other. He was afterwards hanged at Guatimala for mutiny.
De Oli was personally brave but imprudent, and permitted Las Casas and
Avila to be at large, disdaining to be under any apprehensions from them;
but they concerted a plan with some of the soldiers for putting him to
death. Las Casas one day asked him, as if half in jest, for liberty to
return to Cortes; but De Oli said he was too happy to have the company of
so brave a man, and could not part with him. "Then" said Las Casas, "I
advise you to take care of me, for I shall kill you one of these days". De
Oli considered this as a joke, but measures were actually concerted for
the purpose; and one night after supper, when the servants and pages had
withdrawn to their own apartment, Las Casas, Avila, Juan de Mercado, and
some other soldiers attached to Cortes, suddenly drew out their penknives
and fell upon De Oli. Las Casas seized him by the beard, and made a cut at
his throat, and the rest gave him several wounds; but being strong and
active, he escaped from their hands, calling loudly to his people for
assistance, but they were all too busy at their suppers to hear him.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 205 of 421
Words from 107300 to 107834
of 221091
