“And there being among the Spaniards some who are not only cruel, but very cruel. When a man occasionally wished to punish a slave, either for some crime that he had committed, or for not having extracted the usual quantity of silver or gold from the mine, when he came home at night, instead of giving him supper, he made him undress, if he happened to have a shirt on, and being thrown down on the ground, he had his hands and feet tied to a piece of wood laid across, so permitted under the rule called by the Spaniards the Law of Bajona, a law suggested, I think, by some great demon; then with a thong or rope he was beaten until his body streamed with blood; which done, they took a pound of pitch or a pipkin of boiling oil, and threw it gradually all over the unfortunate victim; then he was washed with some of the country pepper mixed with salt and water. He was thus left on a plank covered over with a cloth until his master thought he was again able to work. Others dug a hole in the ground and put the man in upright, leaving only his head out, and left him in it all night, the Spaniards saying that they have recourse to this cure because the earth absorbs the blood and preserves the flesh from forming any wound, so they get well sooner. And if any die (which sometimes happens) through great pain, there is no heavier punishment by law than that the master shall pay another (slave) to the king. Thus, on account of these very great cruelties in the beginning, some of them escaped from their masters, and wandered about the island in a state of desperation.” PRINTED BY BALLANTYNE, HANSON AND CO. EDINBURGH AND LONDON. FOOTNOTES: [A] The scene, well-deserving to be painted, might be described in the following lines:-- “As rolls the river into ocean, In sable torrent wildly streaming; As the sea-tide’s opposing motion, In azure column proudly gleaming, Beats back the current many a rood In curling foam and mingling flood; Through sparkling spray, in thundering clash, The lightnings of the waters flash In awful whiteness o’er the shore, That shines and shakes beneath the roar.” _The Giaour._ [B] “Valiant sea-captains! Great sea-kings! And thou, Columbus! my hero! greatest sea-king of all!” _Carlyle._ [C] _Viaggi de_ Amerigo Vespucci. [D] “Voyages of the Companions of Columbus;” by Washington Irving. [E] Duke of Veragua. [F] Helps. [G] Navarrete. [H] Psalm ii. 8. [I] _Vide_ Robertson. [J] NOTE.--“_Y esta fue la empresa de Fernando Magallanes, caballero portugues, cuya osodiía y constancia grande en inquirir este secreto, y no menos feliz suceso en hallarle, con eterna memoria puso nombre al estrecho que con razon por su inventor se llama de Magallanes._”