46
LIFE A N D VOYAGES OF
[BOOK
VIII.
thousand men.* This is probably an exaggeration : as Indians never draw out into the open field in order of battle, but lurk among the forests, it is difficult to ascertain their force, and their rapid movements and sudden sallies and retreats from various parts, together with the wild shouts and yells from opposite quar ters of the woodlands, are calculated to give an exaggerated idea of their number. The army must, however, have been great, as it consisted of the combined forces of several caciques of this populous island. It was commanded by Manicaotex, the brother of Caonabo. The Indians, who were little skilled in numeration and incapable of reckoning beyond ten, had a simple mode of ascertaining and describing the force of an enemy, by counting out a grain of maize or Indian corn for every warrior. When, there fore, the spies, who had watched from rocks and thickets the march of Columbus, came back with a mere handful of corn as the amount of his army, the caciques scoffed at the idea of so scanty a number making head against their countless multitude.† Columbus drew near to the enemy about the place where the town of St. Jago has since been built. The Indian army, under Manicaotex, was posted on a plain interspersed with clusters of forest-trees, now known as the Savanna of Matanza. Having as certained the great force of the enemy, Don Bartholomew advised that their little army should be divided into detachments, and should attack the Indians at the same moment from several quar ters : this plan was adopted. The infantry, separating into ent bodies, advanced suddenly from various directions with great din of drums and trumpets, and a destructive discharge of fire arms from the covert of the trees. The Indians were thrown
difer
* Las Casas, Hist. Ind., lib. i. cap. 104, MS.
† Las Casas, ubi sup.