One may be released after paying the sum decreed; until then he is a slave. It was a law that if, when two timaguas were together, either of them insulted the other, he must pay a sum of money according to the nature of the insult, which was decided by the judge.  If the insult were a gross one, the fine was large accordingly; and if the culprit had not the means to pay more than five taes, he became the slave of the injured person.  If the delinquent begged from the chief or some other friend the favor of lending him the money, he became the slave of him who loaned the money.  This slavery extended only to the culprit, and not to his children or relatives, except to children who were born during his slavery.

It is usual among the natives of this island to aid one another with money-loans.  He who borrowed from a chief or a timagua retained the money until a fixed time had elapsed, during which he might use the money that was lent to him; and besides, he divided with the lender the profit that he made, in acknowledgment of the favor that he had received.

It was a law that if he who borrowed the money became insolvent, and had not means to pay his debt, he was considered a slave therefor, together with the children born during his slavery; those already born were free.

It was a law among these people, when two men formed a business partnership in which each placed the same amount of money, that if one of them went to traffic with the money belonging to both, and while on a trading journey were captured by enemies, the other man who remained in the village must go to ransom his partner, with half of the ransom-price agreed upon; and the captive was then released from liability—­not only for what was due to the partnership, but for the amount which was afterward given for his ransom, and was not obliged to pay anything.  If the man who lost the money lost it in gambling, or by spending it with women, he was obliged to repay to the partnership the amount which he had drawn therefrom, and he and his children were obliged to pay it.  If the amount were so great that they could not pay it within the time agreed upon, he and half his children would become the slaves of the partner.  If there were two children, one was a slave and the other was free; if four, two were slaves, and two free; and so on with any larger number.  If the children were able to pay their father’s debt afterward, they were set free.

It was a law that he who killed another must die; but if he begged for mercy he would become the slave of the dead man’s father, children, or nearest relatives.  If four or five men were concerned in the murder, they all paid to the master of the slave the price which the slave might be worth; and then the judge sentenced them to such punishment as he thought just.  If the men had not means to pay the fine, they became slaves.  If the dead man were a timagua, the penalty of death was incurred by those who were proved to be his murderers; but if