blood of the dead, and then came again to fight. The Governor seeing this, entered among the footmen into the town on horseback, with certain that accompanied them, and was a mean that the Christians came to set fire on the houses, and broke and overcame the Indians, who running out of the town from the footmen, the horsemen without drove in at the gates again, where being without all hope of life, they fought valiantly, and after the Christians came among them to handy blows, seeing themselves in great distress, without any succor, many of them fled into the burning houses, where one upon another they were smothered and burnt in the fire. The whole number of the Indians that died in this town, were two thousand and five hundred, little more or less. Of the Christians there died eighteen; of which one was _Don Carlos_, brother-in-law to the Governor, and a nephew of his, and one _John de Gamez_, and _Men Rodriguez_, Portuguese, and _John Vasquez de Villanova de Barca Rota_, all men of honor, and of much valor; the rest were footmen. Besides those that were slain, there were a hundred and fifty wounded, with seven hundred wounds of their arrows: and it pleased God that of very dangerous wounds they were quickly healed. Moreover there were twelve horses slain, and seventy hurt. All the clothes which the Christians carried with them to clothe themselves withal, and the ornaments to say mass, and the pearls, were all burnt there; and the Christians did set them on fire themselves; because they held for a greater inconvenience, the hurt which the Indians might do them from those houses, where they had gathered all those goods together, than the loss of them. Here the Governor understood that _Francisco Maldonado_ waited for him at the Port of _Ochuse_, and that it was six days' journey from thence (_Mavilla_), and he dealt with _John Ortiz_ to keep it secret, because he had not accomplished that which he determined to do; and because the pearls were burnt there, which he meant to have sent to _Cuba_ for a show, that the people hearing the news, might be desirous to come to that country. He feared also, that if they should have news of him without seeing from _Florida_ neither gold nor silver, nor anything of value, it would get such a name, that no man would seek to go thither, when he should have need of people. And so he determined to send no news of himself until he had found some rich country.