THE
C O M P A N I O N S OF C O L U M B U S .
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commanders, this Penalosa had so exasperated the natives by his misconduct, that a conspiracy had been formed by the caciques along the coast to massacre the whole of the strangers, when the party should return from the islands. Bernardo Morales and his companions, on their way in quest of Penalosa, put up for the night in the village of a cacique named Chuchama, who was one of the conspirators. entertained with pretended hospitality.
They were
In the dead of the night,
however, the house in which they were sleeping was wrapped in flames, and most of them were destroyed.
Chuchama then pre
pared with his confederates to attack the main body of the Span iards who remained with Morales and Pizarro. Fortunately for the latter, there was among the Indians who had accompanied them to the islands a cacique named Chirucà, who was in secret correspondence with the conspirators.
Some
circumstances in his conduct excited their suspicions ; they put him to the torture, and drew from him a relation of the massacre of their companions, and of the attack with which they were menaced. Morales and Pizarro were at first appalled by the overwhelm ing danger which surrounded them.
Concealing their agitation,
however, they compelled Chirucà to send a message to each of the confederate caciques, inviting him to a secret conference, un der pretence of giving him important information.
The caciques
came at the summons : they were thus taken one by one to the number of eighteen, and put in chains.
Just at this juncture
Penalosa arrived with the thirty men who had remained with him at Tutibrà.
Their arrival was hailed with joy by their comrades,
who had given them up for lost.
Encouraged by this unexpected
reinforcement, the Spaniards now attacked by surprise the main body of confederate Indians, who, being ignorant of the discovery