Of another guazábara or skirmish that the Spaniards had with the Indians of the island of Boriquen or San Juan.

          After the battle mentioned in the preceding chapter was over, most of the Indians on the island of Boriquen came together; and when the governor Juan Ponce learned this, he heard that the assembly of the Christians' adversaries was taking place in the province of Yaguaca, and with full determination that either all Indians should die or that they should finish killing all the Christians, since there were few of them, and they knew them to be mortal like themselves. And with much diligence the governor assembled his captains and a little over eighty men and went to look for the Indians, who had more than eleven thousand men: and when they came in sight of each other, almost at sunset, the Christians pitched camp after a few slight skirmishes; and as the Indians saw the Spaniards with such good spirit and will to fight, and that they had come to look for them, they began to feel them out to see if they could quickly overcome them or put them to flight. But the Christians, resisting and standing them off, established their camp very close to the enemy despite their adversaries, and some fast, brave Indians came out to provoke battle.
          But the Christians stood fast, alert and in good order beside their banners, and some of our fast boys sallied out and returned to their battalion after a good thrust of dart or bolt. And so with both sides delaying, each waited for his opposite to begin the battle; and as they were awaiting each other thus, it happened that a musketeer felled an Indian with a single shot; and we believe he must have been a very important man, because straightway the Indians lost the courage they had displayed up to that point, and pulled their army back a little out of musket range.
          And as the night was quite dark, the governor withdrew from the place, and got out with all his people, although against the will and advice of some, because they thought he was refusing battle out of fear; but in short it seemed to him to be tempting God to fight so many and to risk the few he had with him, and that in his deeds he would accomplish more in a prolonged war than in risking everything in a single day: in which he thought like a prudent captain, as appeared from the outcome and result of matters later on.