Expanding the encomienda

With your line of credit established, you confer with your loyal servant Diego. You sit down at a table with him in your house, waiting patiently for his opinions. The portly little man looks over the information with a careful eye, looking profoundly thoughtful in his own unique way.

"It is not much Senor, that is true." He stops for a moment to take a puff of tobacco from his pipe. "Ahh, much better. I know some people I can get with this much money. They are not the finest gentlemen in town, but they can use a blade" he says, looking a bit resigned.

Satisfied, you order him to recruit the new guards at his leisure. In the meantime, you order your natives to build a series of small wooden shacks for your guards-to-be. You've also ordered the creation of some bricks made of local clay for the church. Even a small chapel deserves to be made of finer stuff than a common shack; it is a house of God after all. Maximilian has promised to put you in touch with a priest, though it may take a while before he arrives. Once he does, he will be a great asset in bringing the local savages into Spanish culture and Christian civilization.

Almost as soon as the shacks are done, Diego shows up with a ragged looking group of men, about a dozen ruffians and young knaves. You present each man with a sword of common quality and a fresh set of clothes. You assign them each a shack and give them a brief tour of the encomienda. You can't help but blush in embarrassment as they hoot and holler at the native workers, especially the women. These men likely never left the port area, and full-bloodied Taino are still rather rare in the major Spanish settlements. You explain to them their duties, which will mostly be patrolling the area, watching for petty crime, and intervening in disputes. Some of them seem to find this funny; they are likely more used to being on the other side of the law. Were your options not so limited, you would probably dismiss the lot of them.

After you set the group at ease, you talk to DIego. "You'll help me keep these scoundrels under control, won't you?"

He nods knowingly. "Of course Senor. A bit of discipline and they'll shape up, I'm sure"