with these weapons, for fear of their commander.  Now as there are so few of us, and the country breathes nothing but war, we have not ventured into the forests to see if there is good wood for these lances.  For the lack of these lances here, we have no lance-practice, nor is there a squadron to train the soldiers; although, because of the great need, I have contrived to make some lances from poles and bamboo, with iron and steel from China.  I have made one hundred iron points.  I do not dare to issue orders for target-practice (which the young soldiers need especially), not even for a day, in order not to use up my miserably small quantity of powder and lead.

99.  Because of the many hardships in this country, the soldier must be ready at any moment to execute the commands of those in authority.  For this reason, we find the consignments of married men a great inconvenience; for they are not of much use here, as they are generally very poor and old.  It seems to me that, for the present, we do not require the services of married men, unless there might be some one of the nobility, whose family would set a good example.

100.  As the soldiers suffer so many hardships, they become sick; and although many even die, they are all so poor that they cannot leave anything.  They have no medicines, and are always ready to beg them, as they have no other resource.  When I came, I had a hospital built; but the corsair burned it.  This served as a lodging-place for poor people; and, for this purpose, I brought a man from Nueva Espana to attend the sick.  We who are here consider this an excellent institution, and, because without an endowment there would be no hospital when a soldier was dying, I apportioned about one thousand Indians to the hospital, whom it now enjoys because of this need.  For the future, will your Majesty please order that a sum sufficient for its needs be paid from the treasury, and that those Indians be apportioned to the royal crown.  We need also another house for convalescents where they may be compelled to follow a certain diet, such as a bit of fowl.  When I find a little leisure from so many toils, I will build such a house, and establish suitable rules regarding the food.  Thus, besides the service of God, many can be supplied with food, by means of the person who conducts the house.

101.  It is necessary to maintain suitable order for the conservation of the fort and artillery; and, as an inducement for those soldiers who perform sentinel duty there, and the gunners who serve there, to live within the fort, it is necessary to maintain them at the separate expense of the fort.  It is necessary also that, for the same purpose, the governor of the fort should keep it in repair; and these expenses should not be confused with those of your Majesty’s treasury of the three keys.  I have discovered by experience that each account divided by itself is much more satisfactory.