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                           48.

and his retainers were on amicable terms with the Indians, bestowing upon them gifts, for which they received food in return. I am well aware that this may be considered as entitled to little more weight than a well grounded surmise, and, that I may not be misunderstood, I wish distinctly to state that I make no dogmatic assertion, for I know the danger that lies in doing so, and that I have no pet theory to which I wish to make facts and dates subservient.  Therefore I offer with some hesitation, as a rational deduction, drawn from a careful scrutiny of the facts at my command, the [[underlined]] conclusions at which I have arrived; and, as regards the bearing of any of my discoveries upon Spanish American history, I shall be very happy to yield my opinion when one more plausible is advanced.  Until then I can but continue to feel reasonably confident that the pistareen now before me once crossed the mailed palm of some sturdy follower