if he desired all his undertakings, both in peace and in war, to succeed.  The Virgin Mother of God was never deaf to the invocation of her holy name by a pure heart.  The sailor obtained a ready hearing from these naked islanders.  Upon the request of the cacique he gave him the image of the Virgin, and consecrated a church and an altar to it.  The zemes, whom their ancestors had worshipped were abandoned.  These zemes, Most Holy Father, are the idols made out of cotton, of which I have spoken at length in the tenth book of my First Decade.  Following the instructions of the sailor, the cacique El Comendador and all his people of both sexes went each day at sunset to the chapel dedicated to the Virgin.  Entering, they knelt, and reverently bowing their heads and joining their hands they saluted the image by repeated invocations, Ave Maria, Ave Maria; for there were very few who had learnt the whole prayer.

[Note 2:  Las Casas tells an identical story concerning Alonso de Hojeda, who gave an image of the Blessed Virgin to a cacique of Cueyba.  During the campaign which ended in the conquest of Cuba, Las Casas offered to trade a Flemish statue for the one Hojeda had left there, but the cacique refused, and taking his image, he fled into the woods, lest he should be forced to exchange.  The two stories, doubtless, refer to the same incident, though it seems strange that Peter Martyr should not have identified Hojeda as the “unknown sailor.”  See Las Casas, Hist. de las Indias, tom, iv., cap. xix.:  B.  Las Casas, his Life, his Apostolate, and his Writings, cap iv.]

When Enciso and his companions landed there, the Indians took them by the hands and joyfully led them to the chapel, declaring that they were going to show them something wonderful.  They pointed to the holy image surrounded, as though with a garland, by dishes full of food and drink.  They offered these presents to the image just as they formerly did in their own religion to the zemes.  They say that by such offerings they provide for the image in case it should be hungry, for they believe that it might suffer from hunger.

Listen now to a most curious story concerning the assistance they believe they have received from that image of the Blessed Virgin, and by my faith, Most Holy Father, one would willingly believe it to be true.  According to the report of our men, the effect of the fervent piety which animates those simple souls for the Blessed Virgin Mother of God is such, that they almost constrain her to come down from heaven to help them whenever they weaken in a struggle.  Has not God left pity, love, and charity amongst men, by the practice of which they may merit His grace and that of the heavenly host?  The Virgin could never abandon those who with pure heart invoke her aid.  Now El Comendador and all his chiefs declared to Enciso and his companions, that when the sailor had carried the holy image with him into battle in full view of both armies, the zemes of the enemy turned