The caciques of the island had always been contented with little, for they lived a peaceful and tranquil life.  When they saw the Spaniards establishing themselves upon their native soil, they were considerably troubled, and desired above all things either to expel the newcomers or to destroy them so completely that not even their memory should remain.  It is a fact that the people who accompanied the Admiral in his second voyage were for the most part undisciplined, unscrupulous vagabonds, who only employed their ingenuity in gratifying their appetites.  Incapable of moderation in their acts of injustice, they carried off the women of the islanders under the very eyes of their brothers and their husbands; given over to violence and thieving, they had profoundly vexed the natives.  It had happened in many places that when our men were surprised by the natives, the latter strangled them, and offered them as sacrifices to their gods.  Convinced that he should put down a general insurrection by punishing the murderers of the Spaniards, Columbus summoned the cacique of this valley, lying at the foot off the Ciguano Mountains, which are described in the preceding book.  This cacique was called Guarionex.  He had been pleased to give his sister to be the wife of that Diego Columbus who had been from his infancy brought up by the Admiral, and had served him as interpreter during his occupation of Cuba.  Guarionex had hoped by these means to establish a more intimate friendship with the Admiral.  He afterwards sent one of his officers to Caunaboa, cacique of the mountains of Cibao, which is the gold region.  The people of this Caunaboa had besieged Hojeda and fifty soldiers in the blockhouse of San Tomas and, had they not heard of the approaching arrival of Columbus in person at the head of imposing reinforcements, they would never have raised the siege.[3] The Admiral chose Hojeda as his envoy, and while the latter was engaged in his mission, several caciques[4] sent from different parts to urge Caunaboa not to allow the Christians to settle in the island, unless he wished to exchange independence for slavery; for if the Christians were not expelled to the last man from the island, all the natives would sooner or later become their slaves.  Hojeda, on the other hand, negotiated with Caunaboa, urging him to come in person to visit the Admiral, and contract a firm alliance with him.  The envoys of the caciques promised Caunaboa their unlimited support for the expulsion of the Spaniards, but Hojeda threatened to massacre him if he chose war rather than peace with the Christians.  Caunaboa was very undecided.  Besides, the consciousness of his crimes disturbed him, for he had cut off the heads of twenty of our men whom he had surprised.  If, therefore, he desired peace on the one hand, on the other he feared the interview with the Admiral.  Having carefully planned his treachery, he decided that under cover of peace he would seize the first occasion to destroy