later he asked in his offhand manner: 'Your big chiefs, do they have much of the . . .' He tapped his steel again.
'Much, much!' And both men left it there.
Two members of the army were aware that Cardenas had been trapped by this clever manipulator: El Turco knew it, and so did Garcilaco. Reporting to his master after evening meal one night, Garcilaco said: 'Captain, El Turco is a great liar.'
'You should know something about that.'
'I do. My father Marcos lied because he dreamed of doing good. El Turco lies to do something bad.'
'He's told us about gold in his land, and that's what we've come north to find.'
'Captain, he did not tell us about gold. We told him about it.' And he tried to explain how El Turco never told them anything but what they had already betrayed as their need or interest. But Cardenas and the others wanted to believe El Turco, and they did.
El Turco also impressed the Spaniards by making shrewd guesses about the past and future, the kind of clever nonsense any reasonably observant person could make, but when some of them proved true, and the Spaniards asked how he had gained this power of clairvoyance, he said slyly: 'Sometimes the devil comes to visit with me, telling me what will happen.'
When Coronado heard about this he became intensely interested, for he had always suspected that the devil hovered near his army, and since it was essential that the Spaniards know what El Turco was up to, Coronado kept close watch on him. One night, as the general was passing where the prisoner was kept, he heard El Turco talking with the devil, who was hiding in a jug.
'Devil, are you in there?' El Turco whispered, tapping on the jug.
'You know I am. What do you want?'
'Where do you want me to lead them?'
'Take them anywhere but Quivira in the east,' the devil said, 'because if they march there, they'll find all that gold I've collected. They must not have it.'
'Where shall I lead them?'
To the north. Get them lost in that emptiness.'
I shall do so, Prince of Evil.'
'If you keep them away from the east, I'll reward you.' And with those clever words El Turco tricked Coronado into going east toward nothingness.
Seeking to have his army in the best possible condition for the march, Coronado decided that if his men had to fight in winter,
they would require three hundred sturdy cloaks, which he ordered the villages of the area to provide. When this proved impossible, for there was no surplus, the soldiers went on a rampage, stopping any Indian they encountered and ripping from his shoulders the cloak he was wearing. In this rough way they collected their three hundred, and also the enmity of the owners.
During the confusion, a Spanish cavalryman whose name was known but never disclosed because of the great guilt that lay upon him, went to a quiet part of one village, summoned an Indian to hold his horse, went inside the pueblo, climbed to an upper room, and raped the man's wife. In order to avert trouble, Coronado ordered all his mounted soldiers to line up with their horses so that the husband could identify the culprit, and since the husband had held the horse for nearly half an hour, he could easily identify it, but the owner denied that he had been in that part of the village and the wronged husband got no satisfaction.
Next day the enraged Indians assaulted the Spaniards in a most effective way. They stole many of their horses and drove them into an enclosed area where the animals had to run in wild circles. Then the Indians, screaming with delight, proceeded to kill them with arrows.
Furious, Coronado summoned Cardenas, and ordered: 'Surround the village and teach them a lesson.' After Cardenas had disposed his troops in a circle that enclosed the pueblos, he directed two captains, Melgosa and Lopez, to perform an extremely hazardous action: 'Break into those tall houses where the lower floors are not defended. Fight your way to the roof, and shoot down into the streets.' As Melgosa started
'Much, much!' And both men left it there.
Two members of the army were aware that Cardenas had been trapped by this clever manipulator: El Turco knew it, and so did Garcilaco. Reporting to his master after evening meal one night, Garcilaco said: 'Captain, El Turco is a great liar.'
'You should know something about that.'
'I do. My father Marcos lied because he dreamed of doing good. El Turco lies to do something bad.'
'He's told us about gold in his land, and that's what we've come north to find.'
'Captain, he did not tell us about gold. We told him about it.' And he tried to explain how El Turco never told them anything but what they had already betrayed as their need or interest. But Cardenas and the others wanted to believe El Turco, and they did.
El Turco also impressed the Spaniards by making shrewd guesses about the past and future, the kind of clever nonsense any reasonably observant person could make, but when some of them proved true, and the Spaniards asked how he had gained this power of clairvoyance, he said slyly: 'Sometimes the devil comes to visit with me, telling me what will happen.'
When Coronado heard about this he became intensely interested, for he had always suspected that the devil hovered near his army, and since it was essential that the Spaniards know what El Turco was up to, Coronado kept close watch on him. One night, as the general was passing where the prisoner was kept, he heard El Turco talking with the devil, who was hiding in a jug.
'Devil, are you in there?' El Turco whispered, tapping on the jug.
'You know I am. What do you want?'
'Where do you want me to lead them?'
'Take them anywhere but Quivira in the east,' the devil said, 'because if they march there, they'll find all that gold I've collected. They must not have it.'
'Where shall I lead them?'
To the north. Get them lost in that emptiness.'
I shall do so, Prince of Evil.'
'If you keep them away from the east, I'll reward you.' And with those clever words El Turco tricked Coronado into going east toward nothingness.
Seeking to have his army in the best possible condition for the march, Coronado decided that if his men had to fight in winter,
they would require three hundred sturdy cloaks, which he ordered the villages of the area to provide. When this proved impossible, for there was no surplus, the soldiers went on a rampage, stopping any Indian they encountered and ripping from his shoulders the cloak he was wearing. In this rough way they collected their three hundred, and also the enmity of the owners.
During the confusion, a Spanish cavalryman whose name was known but never disclosed because of the great guilt that lay upon him, went to a quiet part of one village, summoned an Indian to hold his horse, went inside the pueblo, climbed to an upper room, and raped the man's wife. In order to avert trouble, Coronado ordered all his mounted soldiers to line up with their horses so that the husband could identify the culprit, and since the husband had held the horse for nearly half an hour, he could easily identify it, but the owner denied that he had been in that part of the village and the wronged husband got no satisfaction.
Next day the enraged Indians assaulted the Spaniards in a most effective way. They stole many of their horses and drove them into an enclosed area where the animals had to run in wild circles. Then the Indians, screaming with delight, proceeded to kill them with arrows.
Furious, Coronado summoned Cardenas, and ordered: 'Surround the village and teach them a lesson.' After Cardenas had disposed his troops in a circle that enclosed the pueblos, he directed two captains, Melgosa and Lopez, to perform an extremely hazardous action: 'Break into those tall houses where the lower floors are not defended. Fight your way to the roof, and shoot down into the streets.' As Melgosa started
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