The price assigned for each Indian was two
taes of gold--each tae being slightly more than one onza--the value
formerly general among them for slaves. He promised that the sum
spent by the encomenderos for that purpose would be repaid afterward
from the royal exchequer. However, this did not seem any lessening
of the severity, for he improperly called those Indians slaves; but
[among themselves] their masters treat them and love them as children,
feed them at their tables, and marry them to their daughters. Besides,
slaves were then valued higher. To the anger of those who were about
to be sold, was joined that of the encomenderos, who were obliged to
contribute from their property for expenses--which, in their opinion,
were not very necessary--and to offend their tributaries by forcibly
seizing them; while they themselves would never collect the price
they were paying in advance, which was [to them] the most certain
thing. The governor gave out that those galleys were to assure the
country and defend it from the danger that threatened; for he knew
absolutely that the emperor of Japon was going to attack it with
a huge war-fleet.
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