to contend with De Olid, retreated to St. Gil de Buenavista, where he hanged Francisco Riquelme, the Governor and a clergyman, who had been guilty of sedition and other offences; and thence he passed to Choloma, where he fell into the hands of Juan Ruano, one of Olid's Captains, and his people were incorporated with Olid's forces. But the liberty which the last gave his prisoners, Las Casas and Gonzales, enabled them to conspire his ruin. They attempted to assassinate him, but he escaped from their hands and fled into the forest; being soon after apprehended, he was formally tried by a court which they established, and beheaded as a traitor, pursuant to its sentence. The two commanders, thus restored to freedom, united their forces; and having made several settlements in the country, set out for Mexico to put themselves under the protection of Cortes, and to solicit aid from him to confirm their enterprises.

He

XXII. The Governor General, soon after the departure of Las Casas, had sent him assistance in a vessel commanded by Pedro Gonzales de Truxillo; who having sailed as far south as the port of Cavallos, and meeting with tempestuous weather, returned to Panuco, and asserted that Las Casas had perished by the storm. But Cortes, receiving certain intelligence of his capture by Olid, resolved to march in person, over land, to Honduras. considered the revolt of this officer of the most dangerous tendency; that if not punished it would serve as an example to his other lieutenants, each of whom, according to the practice of the age, might be disposed to carve out a kingdom for himself, which should be dependent only on the Spanish But the punishment of Olid was not the only inducement to this extraordinary march of three thousand miles. He was desirous of inspecting the whole extent of country, over which he pro

crown.

bably expected to reign during life; to investigate its capability for commerce, its productions, and more particularly, its mines.

*

XXIII. When the Emperor advanced Cortes to the government of New Spain, he, at the same time appointed certain commissioners to receive and administer the royal revenue there, with independent jurisdiction. These officers, who arrived about this time, consisted of Alonzo de Estrada, treasurer; Rodrigo de Albornoz, contador, or accountant; Gonzalo de Salazar, factor; and Peralmendez Chirinos, inspector. Selected from inferior stations in the public offices of Madrid, they took great state upon them in Mexico; but official habits had so contracted their understandings that they were incompetent to judge of matters beyond the verge of their bureaus; and they consequently, not only gave Cortes much immediate trouble in his administration, but misrepresented his conduct and views in their correspondence with the royal ministers. They were received by Cortes with great respect and honour. At his departure for Honduras, he committed the government of Mexico, to Estrada and Albornoz, and took Salazar and Chirinos with him, as far as Guacacuálco, whence he unfortunately despatched them, to exercise with the others, joint authority in the government. Their divisions subsequently produced much scandal, and greatly retarded the public business.

XXIV. The preparations which the Conqueror made for his journey were no longer those of the simple soldier; but such as might well become an eastern Satrap or the Viceroy of an extensive, rich, and enslaved empire. Quauhtimotzin, Coanacotzin, and Tetepanquetzatl, the vanquished monarchs of the Vale of Mexico, with several of their most pow

July or August, 1524.

erful nobles, formed a striking feature of the pageant, and assured him of the obedience of their late subjects. Three thousand Mexicans attended their chiefs, beside the usual domestics. Cortes' personal attendants consisted of a steward and paymaster, a keeper of the plate, of which there were large services in gold and silver, a major domo, two stewards of the household, a butler, a confectioner, a chambermaid, a physician and surgeon, a number of pages, two armour bearers, eight grooms, two falconers, five musicians, a stage dancer, a juggler and puppet player, a master of the horse and three muleteers.* His Spanish force was composed of one hundred and fifty horse, and as many foot, whose number were nearly doubled during the march, by the addition of the veteran troops who had settled upon their encomiendas in Guacacualco. Orders were given to despatch from Vera Cruz, in appropriate vessels, an abundant supply of provisions and warlike stores, to follow the army along the coast, from which the General did not design far to deviate. A large herd of swine followed for the supply of the tables of the General and his officers. These preparations indicate expectation of an easy and pleasant excursion, which was converted into one of unexampled toil and privation.

XXV. Before his departure,t Cortes addressed, to the emperor, thanks for his appointment, with an account of his administration, and a present of eighty thousand crowns in gold, and a culverin of the same metal, valued at twenty-four thousand pesos. This extraordinary piece of artillery, was named the Phoenix, and bore a motto, complimen

The reader will observe that the arrangement of this list is by B. Diaz. + October, 1524.

tary to the king, and expository of the merits of the donor.*

XXVI. It would be fruitless to follow Cortes throughout the whole of this astonishing expedition, which employed him for nearly two years and a half; in which he scaled mountains never crossed by human foot, traversed profound and rapid rivers, sometimes on rafts, at other times on bridges, which endured afterwards for many years; passed over deserts of burning sand and through forests which had never before been penetrated; sustaining hunger and thirst and every species of privation, combating with ferocious nations, who had grown confident in arms, from the Spanish dissensions; and suffering fatigue which could be equalled only by the constancy with which it was borne. In his progress he founded several colonies, particularly, one in the country of Pontonchan, and another in the bay of St. Andrews; and extended his dominion over all the nations, through which he passed as a tremendous meteor, whose course was followed by torrents of blood.

XXVII. No act of Cortes' life has been more severely censured, than the execution of the Mexican princes, during his march to Honduras. But, if credit be given to the Spanish historians, their death was exacted by every principle upon which men in the situation of the Spanish leaders could reason. These unfortunate potentates, beholding the state of misery to which this long and painful journey had reduced the Spanish force, contrasting its numerical strength with that of their

* Esta Ave nacio sin par: Yo en servir os sin segundo; Y vos sin igual in El Mundo.

Which may be literally rendered:

This bird is born without a peer; In your service I am
unrivalled;

And you have no equal in the world.

to be that of Cortes, the factor Salazar proclaimed himself Captain General and Governor of New Spain; and to maintain his power oppressed the natives and conducted himself in the most tyrannical manner with the friends of Cortes, and that the death of the General and his party might be deemed certain, issued an order commanding the wives of the soldiers who had gone with Cortes, to consider their husbands as dead in law, and immediately to marry again. He publicly ordered a matron who refused to credit the death of her husband in any combat with the Indians, and who, Penelope like, patiently awaited the return of her lord, to be publicly whipped.

Whilst these tumults were at their height, Las Casas and Gonzales arrived at Mexico, and publicly asserted the existence of Cortes, of whom they had intelligence in their route. They took part against Salazar, declaring that if Cortes were dead his proper successor would be Alvarado; and that officer was induced by their instances to quit his district for New Spain; but becoming fearful of assassination he soon returned to it. The usurper then seized on Las Casas and Gonzales, and prosecuted them for the murder of De Olid, for which they were sentenced to death, and were with difficulty saved, by an appeal to the Emperor. He transported Zuazo to the island of Cuba, and actually tortured and hanged De Paz, the private treasurer of Cortes, who refused to surrender the deposits put by his master in his charge.

XXX. Cortes resolved to return to Mexico by the vessel that brought him these unwelcome tidings; but having been twice compelled to disembark, by adverse winds and injuries to his ship, he was seized with the superstitious belief that God had destined him to remain to complete the colonization of this country. He recalled his troops,