Page:Narrative of the Proceedings of Pedrarias Davila (Haklyut, 34).djvu/118

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NARRATIVE OF

and lord, and gave an account of what had been done, the lord made festivals and rejoicings in the land. When I sent eight men on horseback to the town of Pasto, with letters to be sent forward to the Marquis Don Francisco Pizarro; the chief learnt they were on the road, for they had to pass near his village. His brother came out to receive them for nearly four leagues, with Indians and provisions, to escort them to the house of the chief, where no Spaniards had ever been before. At a distance of nearly a league from the village, five hundred souls had come out, men and women, dancing and rejoicing, to conduct the Spaniards to the chief, who had made a great festival. On their return, they came out to meet them again for four leagues, and induced them to tarry certain days in the village. The chief then sent to ask me to come to his land, as he wished to become a Christian, with all his people. He engaged that all the neighbouring chiefs should do likewise, saying that they respected him, because he was a greater chief than they.

Having done all that was practicable in the way of conversion in these provinces, I returned to that of Lili, where they were very resolute in their refusal to hear or receive anything that was said to them. At length the chief of that province had to come every morning to make me some houses, with his people, and he embraced me, and said that he was very fond of me. I replied, that I also liked him very much, for he had served me better than the others, and therefore I liked him best. I told him that if he wished to know God and become a Christian, I should like him better than my own son. Fifteen days after I talked to him concerning these things, he came to me, crying out, that he wanted to be baptised, with all his people. He and I agreed that the baptism should be performed three leagues from the town, where there was a large village. At this conversion a servant of the chief, whose house was on a