Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 16.djvu/241

 that they would carry nothing with them but the pinnesses and souldiers which should fight, and that it were best to leaue behind them all the Indians which they brought from Peru, with the women and the sicke men. Whereunto the Generall Don Ferdinando would not agree, because he knew that when they were gone the people of the countrey would kill them all.

Lopez de Agira hearing this, and longing to be chiefe gouernour himselfe, tooke vnto him 30 of his owne countreymen of his disposition, and on the sudden slew Don Fernando, whom not many dayes before he had sworne to obey: and now by his subtill practises, being withall eloquent in his talke, he caused the souldiers to appoint himselfe their gouernour, and made them beleene that all the cruelties committed were for their saueguard: neither did the tyrannie of this wretched man here ende. He was borne in Biskay a countrey neere vnto France, wherefore I beleeue him rather to haue beene a Frenchman then a Spaniard, for that in the heart of a Spaniard could not be so much crueltie as this man shewed.

Now being ready to goe his way, he determined not to carry with him any gentlemen or persons of qualitie, and therefore he slew all such persons; and then departing onely with the common souldiers, he left behind him all the Spanish women and sicke men, with all other creatures. If I should rehearse all the cruell murthers of this wicked man one by one, I should be ouer tedions vnto you. Onely in fewe words I say, that this man proceeded downe the riuer, hauing with him onely foure hundred men: but before he passed the riuer, and was come to Margarita, he had no more left but two huudred and thirty men, for the rest hee had put to death, and left on shore among the people of the countrey: all which tyranny he vsed, because he ever stood in feare of his life; for had he seene at any time but two souldier talking together, he would streight suspect that they were conspiring of his death, and therefore he vsed the practises abouesaide. And he neuer went any way, but that hee had in his company thirtie Biscaines of his owne will and minde readie to execute his cruell purposes.

As these souldiers with their Captaine came downe the riuer, they sawe many Canoas with golde in them passing too and fro, and people on both sides of the riuer, and in their passage many times they landed,