Page:Narrative of the Proceedings of Pedrarias Davila (Haklyut, 34).djvu/120

 the cross, he stood gazing at it during the time you might say a creed, and then passed to the right hand side of the cross, where, without going on his knees, he worshipped with an obeisance. He then went to another side and did the same, and then to the left side, standing while you might say a creed, and gazing. Having done this, he returned to where he had first worshipped, and, without making an obeisance, he gazed during the time it would take to say two creeds. Then he returned to us with great speed, crying out twice, and pointing with his finger to St. Mary.

After this two chiefs, with twelve followers, came from Lili de los Sierros, which extends from the other side of the Rio Grande to within three leagues of the town of Lili. When they came to the river they asked a chief, who was there on an island, to supply them with fish. They besought him also to put them across the river, offering to pay him, saying that they were coming to see me, to which he consented willingly. Having crossed over and come to his houses, he seized and killed one of the chiefs, with six of his followers, moved by avarice at the sight of the gold and salt which they were bringing as a present to me. A Spanish servant of mine, who came to visit this chief and to see certain pigs that he had, found those men stretched on mats, with their heads cut off, before the house of the chief. When a boy asked what they were, the chief said that there were as many more tied up in another house, who were not dead. On appearing before me, I learnt what had passed, and to whom those chiefs were coming. When I asked them why they had come without being summoned, they replied that they had heard how well their neighbours were treated, and that, on hearing that news, they had come to offer themselves to me. When that other chief was made prisoner, he confessed what he had done before the others, and his motive. After trial, he was sentenced to death. Desiring to effect his conversion before the