HISTORY OF THE SPANISH CONQUEST OF YUCATAN AND OF THE ITZAS

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with the children which the King had concealed there. These he
immediately brought forth, and he bade all those present (especially
those of his family and district) to bring their little children to
receive their names (for this is what they called baptism). And he told
the priests who were present there, about three or four in number,--'It
is proper that all your children should come to receive their names and
to be washed.' With this example of the King in being the first to
bring his children to be baptized, the other Indians imitated him in
bringing theirs in great haste, so that in the three days and a half
during which they delayed in giving their answer to my message, I
performed very nearly three hundred baptisms, without my having an
opportunity to stir from that temple, on account of my seeing the
assemblage of Indian men and women, who brought their children of their
own accord to be baptized. I gladly administered the said holy rite,
since the King, (who in everything showed himself very friendly towards
me) and three other priests who were his relatives had told me that
they were only waiting for two caciques with their captains, in order