how the gouernour set his men in order, and entred the towne of mauilla,

assoone as the battell and the rereward were come to mauilla, the gouernour commanded all those that were best armed to alight, and made foure squadrons of footmen. a consultation of the indians to send away their cacique. the indians, seeing how he was setting his men in order, concluded with the cacique, that hee should goe his way, saying vnto him, as after it was knowne by certaine women that were taken there, that he was but one man, and could fight but for one man, and that they had there among them many principall indians verie valiant and expert in feates of armes, that any one of them was able to order the people there; and forasmuch as matters of warre were subiect to casualtie, and it was vncertaine which part should overcome, they wished him to saue himselfe, to the end, that if it fel out that they should end their daies there, as they determined, rather then to be ouercome, there might remaine one to gouerne the countrie. for all this hee would not haue gon away: but they vrged him so much, that with fifteene or twentie indians of his owne, hee went out of the towne, and carried away a skarlat cloke, and other things of the christians goods; as much as hee was able to carrie, and seemed best vnto him. the gouernour was informed how there went men out of the towne, and hee commanded the horsemen to beset it, and sent in euery squadron of footemen one souldier with a firebrand to set fire on the houses, that the indians might haue no defense: all his men being set in order, hee commanded an harcubuz to bee shot off. the signe being giuen, the foure squadrons, euery one by it selfe with great furie, gaue the onset, and with great hurt on both sides they entred the towne. the frier and the priest, and those that were with them in the house were saued, which cost the liues of two men of account, and valiant, which came thither to succour them. the indians fought with such courage, that many times they draue our men put of the towne. the fight lasted so long, that for wearinesse and great thirst many of the christians went to a poole that was neere the wal, to drink, which was all stained with the blood of the dead, and then came againe to fight. thie gouernour seeing this, entred among the footemen into the towne on horseback, with certaine that accompanied him, and was a meane that the christians came to set fire on the houses, and brake and ouercame the indians, who running out of the towne from the footemen, the horsemen without draue in at the gates again, where being without all hope of life, they fought valiantly, and after the christians came among them to handy blowes, seeing themselues in great distresse without any succour, many of them fled into the burning houses, where one vpon another they were smothered and burnt in the fire. the death of 2500. indians. the whole number of the indians that died in this towne, were two thousand indians and fiue hundred, little more or lesse. of the christians there died eighteene; of which one was don carlos, brother in law to the gouernour, and a nephew of his, and one iohn de gamez, and men rodriguez portugals, and iohn vasquez de villanoua de barca rota, all men of honour, and of much valour: the rest were footemen. besides those that were slaine, there were an hundred and fiftie wounded with 700. wounds of their arrowes: and it pleased god that of very dangerous wounds they were quickly healed; moreouer, there were twelue horses slaine, and seuentie hurt. all the clothes which the christians carried with them to clothe themselues withall, and the ornaments to say masse, and the perles, were all burnt there: and the christians did set them on fire themselues; because they held for a greater inconuenience, the hurt which the indians might doe them from those houses, where they had gathered all those goods together, then the losse of them. here the gouernour vnderstood, the port of ochuse sixe daies iournie from mauilla. that francisco maldonado waited for him at the port of ochuse, and that it was sixe daies iournie from thence; and he dealt with iohn ortiz to keepe it secret, because he had not accomplished that which he determined to doe; and because the perles were burnt there, which he meant to haue sent to cuba for a shew, that the people hearing the newes, might be desirous to come to that countrie. he feared also, that if they should haue newes of him without seeing from florida neither gold nor siluer, nor any thing of value, it would get such a name, that no man would seeke to goe thither, when he should haue neede of people. and so he determined to send no newes of himselfe, vntill hee had found some rich countrie.