THE people of this land are well made, rather tall than short. They are swarthy as leopards, of good manners and gestures, for the greater part very skillful, robust, and tireless, and at the same time the most moderate men known. They are very warlike and face death with the greatest resolution. For a long time they have had great wars and differences amongst themselves, and all their prisoners of war they either eat or enslave. When they besieged a town and the people surrendered without resistance they were held as vassals by the conquerors, but if they had to use force they were reduced to slavery. They kept a certain discipline in their wars, for they have their captain-generals, and their captains of four hundred men, and other captains of two hundred.⁹ Each company has its ensign, who carries the banner¹⁰ attached to his [20] back on its staff in such a way that it does not hinder him from fighting, nor interfere with anything he wishes to do; and he carries it so well attached to his body, that unless he is cut to pieces it cannot be untied nor taken away by any means. It is their regular custom to give good pay and rewards to those who serve with valor in the wars, signalizing themselves by some heroic feat of arms, and if one such were among the vilest slaves, they would make him a captain and Lord, and give him vassals, and hold him in such esteem that wherever he goes they pay him the same respect and reverence that they give to their own Lord. He who has so distinguished himself is marked by a special manner of wearing the hair, so that he may be known as a man who has done some great action by everybody at the first glance, for it is not their custom to wear any covering on the head. Every time that he performs some notable action, he is marked in some other similar way, and the great Lords always make him presents.¹¹