Accidents > Dangers of the deep, or, Narratives of shipwreck and adventure at sea

RECEPTION BY THE SPANIARDS. 231
diers, all with their spados drawn, who sur¬
rounded us as if they had the most formidable
enemy to take charge of, instead of three poor
helpless wretches, who, notwithstanding the
good living we had met with amongst these
kind Indians, could hardly support ourselves.
They carried us to the top of a hill, and there
put us under a shed; for it consisted of a
thatched roof, without any sides or walls,
being quite open; and here we were to lay
upon the cold ground. All sorts of people
now came to stare at us as a sight; but the
Indian women never came empty-handed;
they always brought with them either fowls,
mutton, or some kind of provision to us; so
that we lived well enough. However, we
found a very sensible difference between the
treatment we had met with from the Indians,
and what we now experienced from the Spa¬
niards. With the former, we were quite at
liberty to do as we pleased ; but here, if we
only went ten yards to attempt at getting rid
of some of the vermin that devoured us, we
had two soldiers with drawn spados, to attend
us. About the third day, a Jesuit from Cas¬
tro came to see us; not from a motive of com¬
passion, but from a report spread by our In-