The Memoirs of the Conquistador Bernal Diaz del Castillo Vol 2 Part 22

We were altogether eighty in number, and we all set out on foot, in order first to see whether horses would be able to traverse the country.

An Indian, of Cuba, accompanied us as guide to some towns.h.i.+ps which lay thirty-two miles further up the country. When we reached these we found, to our inexpressible joy, that they contained great abundance of maise, beans, and other vegetables; besides that, the whole neighbourhood was literally sown with cocoa-nut trees. We first feasted sumptuously ourselves and then despatched a courier to our general, desiring him to send us all the Mexican troops to fetch away the maise, forwarding him in advance ten bushels of the latter as a supply for the moment, and begged of him to send our horses to us.

When Cortes learnt that we had arrived in so fertile a neighbourhood, and was told by some Indian merchants that the road to Naco, where Christobal de Oli was beheaded, led through the towns.h.i.+p where we were staying, he ordered Sandoval to follow us with the greater part of the remaining troops, and not to leave this towns.h.i.+p until he should receive further instructions.

Sandoval, on arriving in our camp, was not a little delighted to find us thus surrounded by plenty, and he immediately despatched the Mexicans with thirty bushels of maise to Cortes, who distributed this welcome supply among the colonists, and as they had not been accustomed for a length of time to any other nourishment than fruit and a little ca.s.save bread, they ate so ravenously of the maise that the greater part fell ill in consequence, and seven of them died.

During this great distress for want of provisions, it pleased the Almighty that a vessel should run into the harbour from Cuba, having on board seven pa.s.sengers, seven horses, forty pigs, eight barrels of pickled meat, and a large quant.i.ty of ca.s.save bread. The cargo belonged to a certain Antonio de Comargo, and Cortes purchased the whole of it upon credit, distributing a great part of the provisions among the colonists; but the consequences again proved fatal to many of these unfortunate persons, for they had become so enfeebled, that their stomachs were unable to bear this very nouris.h.i.+ng food, which brought on dysentery, and ten more of them died.

As this vessel had brought a few soldiers and had eight sailors on board, Cortes determined to embark in her and sail up the river to visit the towns.h.i.+ps which lay on the banks, and to explore the interior of the country. He also ordered one of the brigantines of Gil Gonsalez de Avila to be repaired, and a boat to be constructed in the shape of those used in unloading vessels; also four canoes, to be securely fastened together. On board these vessels Cortes embarked with thirty soldiers, the eight sailors, and twenty Mexicans. He may have sailed up the river to the distance of about forty miles, when he came to a large lake, which, to judge from the measurement of the eye, was about twenty-four miles in breadth, and its banks were quite uninhabited, as the whole surrounding country was subject to frequent inundations. Further up, the river continually became more rapid, until the vessels arrived at some cataracts, which none of them were able to pa.s.s; Cortes, therefore, landed his men here, and, after leaving six Spaniards in charge of the vessels, he commenced his march up the country along a very narrow path.

First, he arrived at some towns.h.i.+ps which were deserted by the inhabitants, and then to a few maise plantations, in which he captured three Indians, whom he took along with him as guides. These people conducted him to several small villages, where there was abundance of maise and fowls. The inhabitants here also kept pheasants, (which they call sacachueles,) tame partridges, and pigeons. This breeding of partridges as domestic birds I never observed in any other part of the country but in the towns.h.i.+ps on the Golfo Dulce. From this place Cortes took new guides, and next arrived in some towns.h.i.+ps which are called Cinacatan-Tencintle. The whole surrounding neighbourhood was covered with maise, cacao, and cotton plantations. When Cortes had approached within a short distance, he heard the sound of drums, trumpets, and a noise as if the Indians were in the midst of some festive orgie. Our general then concealed himself with his men on a rising ground, in order to watch for a favorable opportunity of falling upon these Baccha.n.a.lians. This he accordingly did before they were in the least aware of it, and captured ten men and fifteen women. The rest of the Indians fled to their town, armed themselves, and commenced flying their arrows at us. Cortes immediately fell upon them, and very soon cut down eight of their chiefs, which brought the others to their senses, and they despatched four old men, of whom two were papas, to our general, with a trifling present in gold, and begged hard that the prisoners might be restored to them. Cortes spoke to them through Dona Marina, who had accompanied the detachment with her husband Juan Xaramillo, and gave them to understand that they should send maise, fowls, salt, and a large supply of other provisions to our vessels. If they complied with this he would immediately restore the prisoners to their families. They accordingly set their canoes afloat, which lay in a hollow communicating with the river, and loaded them with the required provisions; but as Cortes did not release all the prisoners at once, and detained three men with their wives to bake some bread, the whole of the inhabitants again flew to arms, and showered forth their arrows, stones, and darts upon our troops, wounding twelve men, and Cortes himself in the face. During this skirmish one of the canoes upset, by which part of the provisions was lost, and one Mexican killed.

There were such swarms of moschitoes along the banks of this river as to render it impossible for a person to live there; but Cortes bore everything with patience, and returned to Buena Vista, which had never before been so well supplied with provisions. The last towns.h.i.+p, where the inhabitants had attacked Cortes, was called Cinacan, and considered to be about 280 miles from Guatimala. In this expedition up the river our general had spent twenty-six days; but, notwithstanding the fertility of the soil, he did not consider it an eligible spot for a colony, as the population of the country was too small. He therefore wrote word to Sandoval that he would shortly march to Naco himself, but that he was first desirous of making a short expedition to Puerto de Caballos, for which purpose he would require ten of the veterans of Guacasualco, without whom it was impossible to undertake anything which required activity and perseverance.

CHAPTER CLx.x.xI.

_How Cortes embarks, with the soldiers who accompanied him on this expedition, and with all the inhabitants of Buena Vista, for Puerto de Caballos, where he founds a colony, to which he gives the name of Natividad._

Our general, considering the spot where Avila had built the town of Buena Vista every way unfavorable for a colony, embarked, with the whole of the inhabitants, in two vessels and the brigantine, and set sail for the bay of Puerto de Caballos, where he arrived in the s.p.a.ce of eight days. Finding that there was an excellent harbour in this bay, and having learnt from the Indians that there were numerous towns.h.i.+ps round about, he determined to found a colony in this place, to which he gave the name of Natividad, and appointed Diego de G.o.doy commandant of the town. He then made an excursion into the interior of the country to visit the several towns.h.i.+ps, but which, at the present day, are all destroyed. The inhabitants a.s.sured him that there were several other towns.h.i.+ps in the neighbourhood, and that Naco itself was not far off. He well stocked the new town with provisions, and wrote word to Sandoval, whom he imagined had already reached Naco, to send him ten of the men of Guacasualco, without whom, he particularly remarked in his letter, no undertaking could well succeed. From this place, he added, it was his intention to repair to the bay of Honduras, in order to visit the new town of Truxillo; and concluded by saying he was to continue the conquest of the country, and to leave a settlement in some advantageous place. Sandoval received this letter in the towns.h.i.+p where we had first halted, for we had not yet broken up our quarters for Naco. At present, therefore, we will leave Cortes in Puerto de Caballos, where, as we understood, the inhabitants were so dreadfully tormented night and day by innumerable moschitoes that every comfort was destroyed.

On the receipt of Cortes' letter, Sandoval would gladly that instant have set out for Naco if he had not previously despatched a great part of his troops into the surrounding towns.h.i.+ps in search of provisions and fodder for our horses. He was therefore compelled to await the return of these troops, which, moreover, had been detained in pa.s.sing a river, where they had left a small detachment to guard the canoe that had ferried them across. Besides this, Sandoval had had daily skirmishes with the Indians of the towns.h.i.+ps lying on the Golfo Dulce, so that he deemed it necessary to send a further reinforcement of eight men, under my command, as a further guard to the canoe. Here we were obliged to observe the utmost vigilance, for one night a great body of Indians fell suddenly upon us, in the hopes, if they found us off our guard, to capture the canoe and set fire to our huts. However silently they came creeping along, we received timely notice of their approach, and we eight men, with four Mexicans, boldly advanced against them, and quickly sent them back from whence they came, though two Spaniards and one of the Mexicans were slightly wounded by the enemy's arrows. Upon this three of us marched further on to some huts where several invalid Mexicans and Spaniards had remained behind. These people we conducted safely to Sandoval, with the exception of one Spaniard, who died of exhaustion a couple of miles from the towns.h.i.+p, where the former was quartered with the rest of the troops. This soldier was one of those who had but recently arrived from Spain, and we were obliged to leave his body on the road from want of sufficient hands to carry it.

When I had given Sandoval my report of everything that had befallen us on our march, he was excessively angry with us for not having brought the dead body either on our shoulders or on one of the horses. I told him very coolly that each of the horses as it was had carried two sick persons, and that we ourselves had been obliged to walk on foot. One of my companions, however, a certain Villa Nueva, was not quite so cool as myself, but told Sandoval in a pa.s.sion that we had trouble enough to drag ourselves along without loading ourselves with the dead, and as for himself he was perfectly tired of the many fatigues he had to undergo in the service of Cortes, and that all for nothing. Sandoval, however, persisted that we should turn back and bury the dead body. Villa Nueva and myself accordingly took two Mexicans and a spade with us, dug a deep hole, in which we put our deceased companion, and placed a cross on it.

In one of his pockets we found a little gold, a number of dice, and a small sc.r.a.p of paper containing an account of his birthplace, his parents, and of some property which he possessed in the island of Teneriffe. This doc.u.ment we subsequently forwarded to the latter place.

May G.o.d have mercy on his soul: Amen.

We now marched further on to some towns.h.i.+ps, in the neighbourhood of which gold mines were discovered three years afterwards. From this place we came to Quinistan, and the following day in the forenoon we arrived at Naco, which at that time was a towns.h.i.+p of considerable magnitude, but there was not a single inhabitant to be seen, and we quartered ourselves in a large courtyard, where Christobal de Oli was beheaded. In some houses we were fortunate enough to find a good supply of maise, beans, and even some salt, of which latter we were in great want. In this place we quartered ourselves as comfortably as if we never meant to leave the spot again.

In Naco there was a well which contained the most delicious water I ever tasted in the New World. Here likewise stood a wide spreading tree, under the shade of which, even during the hottest part of the day, the air was so cool that our very hearts became refreshed and invigorated.

From this tree there also continually fell a very delicate dew, which produced a most comfortable feeling to the head. The surrounding neighbourhood abounded in various kinds of provisions, and numerous small towns.h.i.+ps lay dispersed in all directions. But I will break off here, and reserve what I have further to relate for the next chapter.

CHAPTER CLx.x.xII.

_Sandoval commences to subdue the province of Naco, and the opposition he meets with from the natives._

Immediately upon our arrival at Naco we took possession of the storehouses, and then dispersed ourselves among the maise plantations, where we captured three of the chiefs of this towns.h.i.+p. Sandoval behaved in the kindest manner to these men, presented them with some Spanish toys, and begged of them to go and call the princ.i.p.al caziques, with whom he was anxious to live on friendly terms. These personages faithfully fulfilled their commission, and returned with two of the caziques, though they had not been able to persuade the inhabitants to return to their dwellings, who contented themselves by forwarding us from time to time a small supply of provisions. In this way matters continued for several days, and neither party thought of commencing hostilities.

The reader will remember that Cortes had written to Sandoval for ten of the veterans of Guacasualco, all of whom he had mentioned by name, and mine was put at the head of this list; but as I was very unwell at the time, I desired Sandoval to excuse me from leaving him on the present occasion, and to acquaint our general that I should not be able to accompany him, owing to the bad state of my health; which was really the fact. Sandoval accordingly allowed me to stay behind, and he despatched eight soldiers to Cortes, men who would face any danger; but on this occasion they showed so much reluctance to march out that they cursed Cortes' proposed expedition in the strongest terms: and certainly they were in some manner justified, for it was impossible to say whether the country whither they were going to march was friendly disposed or not.

Before these eight soldiers departed, Sandoval requested the caziques to despatch five distinguished personages to accompany them to Puerto de Caballos, declaring to the caziques at the same time that, if these Spaniards received the slightest annoyance on their journey, he would burn down their towns.h.i.+ps, and fall upon the inhabitants. He then ordered them to provide our men with the best of provisions on their route.

Cortes was just about embarking for Truxillo when the eight Spaniards marched into Puerto de Caballos. He was greatly rejoiced at their arrival, for he knew what excellent soldiers they were, and soon after set sail with his troops, leaving Diego de G.o.doy as commander-in-chief of the new colony, consisting of forty persons belonging to Buena Vista, and of the pa.s.sengers lately arrived from Cuba. G.o.doy had scarcely sufficient patience to wait until Cortes' vessel was out of sight before he marched out with those who were in tolerable good health to visit the neighbouring towns.h.i.+ps, two of which he obliged to submit to his arms; but as the Indians soon found that his men were in bad health, and daily dying away, they troubled themselves very little about him, and withheld their supplies of provisions. As the Spaniards themselves durst no longer leave the town in search of these, a real famine existed among them, which, in a short time, carried off half of the inhabitants, three of whom deserted the spot altogether and fled to Naco.

Here affairs likewise began to a.s.sume a different aspect; for when Sandoval found that the Indians obstinately refused to return to the towns.h.i.+p, he determined to adopt some stronger measures, and to compel them to reoccupy their dwellings. We therefore marched out and visited Girimonga, Aculaco, and three other towns.h.i.+ps, which all lay in the neighbourhood of Naco, and they submitted to the Spanish crown without offering any resistance. We were equally successful in Quizmitan and with the tribes which inhabited the mountains, who even came out to meet us in order to declare themselves va.s.sals of our emperor. In this way we lived on terms of friends.h.i.+p with the inhabitants of the whole surrounding country; and as we demanded nothing of them, but only accepted of what they gave us of their own free choice, the inhabitants of Naco at length also reposed more confidence in us, and returned to their homes. In this peaceable condition the whole country continued until Cortes founded the town called Puerto de Caballos.

We must now see how matters stood in Truxillo.

CHAPTER CLx.x.xIII.

_How Cortes disembarks in the harbour of Truxillo, and the inhabitants rejoice at his arrival._

Cortes had embarked at Puerto de Caballos with a considerable body of the best troops; and, after a favorable voyage of six days, he arrived in the harbour of Truxillo. The colonists there were excessively rejoiced on learning that Cortes himself was among the newly arrived.

The whole of the inhabitants a.s.sembled on the beach to receive him and to pay their homage to him; and as great part of the colony was composed of those who had been expelled from Panuco, and of those who had taken an ostensible part in the revolt of Christobal de Oli, their very first step was to beg forgiveness of Cortes for the past. This he granted them without any hesitation, discoursed with them in a most friendly manner, and in their company proceeded direct to church to make his devotions.

The most comfortable mansion was prepared for him, and the chief inhabitants then detailed every circ.u.mstance respecting Francisco de las Casas' arrival, his capture, with that of Gonsalez de Avila, and the subsequent beheading of Christobal de Oli; how the two former officers had then departed for Mexico, but that they themselves had in the meantime subdued several of the towns.h.i.+ps of this province.

After our general had been apprized of everything that had taken place, he expressed his satisfaction, and confirmed the several authorities of the town in their respective offices, both civil and military, but appointed his cousin Saavedra captain-general of the whole country, which met with universal approbation. He then summoned the inhabitants of the whole surrounding neighbourhood to send him amba.s.sadors, and to declare themselves va.s.sals of our emperor, which they were not long in complying with when they understood that Malinche, the conqueror of Mexico, had arrived in person; and they brought at the same time a quant.i.ty of provisions for him.

As the caziques of the four princ.i.p.al towns.h.i.+ps happened to stand all together in the presence of Cortes, he took the opportunity of addressing them at some length, which was interpreted to them by Dona Marina. He first spoke to them about our holy religion, and then of our great emperor Don Carlos of Austria, who had dominion over so many countries and nations; how his majesty had sent us expressly into these countries in order to abolish from among them all idolatry, theft, the sacrificing of human beings, the eating of human flesh, and other abominations; also to accustom them to live in peace and harmony with each other. It was therefore their duty, he added, to subject themselves to a monarch who was so mercifully inclined, and to lend us every a.s.sistance in their power; but, on the other hand, he should be compelled to punish those severely who in any way broke the peace.

After this, father Juan de las Varillas and the two Franciscan monks preached an edifying sermon to them, which two Mexicans, who understood the Spanish language, and other persons, interpreted to the caziques, who listened with great attention to all that was said, and readily acknowledged themselves va.s.sals of our emperor, and promised to obey Malinche in everything. Our general then ordered them to furnish the colony with provisions, and to send a number of Indians with the necessary tools to level a rising ground which lay in the town and obstructed the view of the harbour and of the sea. He also desired them to repair with their canoes to some towns.h.i.+ps of the Guanajas islands to request the inhabitants there to supply him with fish, which they had in abundance. The inhabitants of these islands readily complied, and brought a present consisting in fowls and fish, Cortes, in return, giving them some of the swine he had taken with him on this expedition; for he had been a.s.sured by a Spaniard that these islands were peculiarly adapted for breeding pigs, provided the animals were allowed to go at large. This indeed was found to be a fact; for, a couple of years after, they had so increased that people went thither regularly to hunt them.

But all this is rather foreign to my narrative, and I will rather acquaint the reader that the caziques sent so large a body of Indians to level the hill, that, in the s.p.a.ce of two days, there was a good prospect of the sea from the town. They likewise constructed fifteen houses, of which one for Cortes was of larger dimensions. As there were still a great number of towns.h.i.+ps which refused obedience, Cortes desired the caziques of Papayeca, which, at that time, was a very extensive towns.h.i.+p, to enumerate the several tribes which had omitted to send amba.s.sadors. The whole of them, he was informed, dwelt among the mountains, and had equipped themselves for war. Our general then despatched thither Saavedra, with a strong detachment of troops, among whom were also the eight soldiers of Guacasualco, to compel these Indians to sue for peace. Most of these towns.h.i.+ps, on the approach of our troops, very wisely submitted without offering any resistance; but there were three which obstinately refused to do so, and, if I am not mistaken, are called the Acaltecas, against which Saavedra immediately marched his men. Cortes' name was so feared and respected among all the inhabitants of this country that even the distant tribes of Olancho, where subsequently so many lucrative mines were discovered, sent amba.s.sadors to him to declare themselves va.s.sals of our emperor.

Throughout this country Cortes was known by the name of the captain Hue, Hue of Marina, which means the old captain who has Marina with him.

During our general's stay in Truxillo, his cousin Avalos, the two Franciscan monks, the licentiate Pedro Lopez, the officers of his household, Carranza and Guinea, Juan Tlamena and several of the men he had brought with him, besides many of the colonists, were all suffering from bad health. Cortes, therefore, determined to send the whole of them, as soon as the weather was favorable, either to Cuba or to St.

Domingo. For this purpose he fitted out a vessel and sent on board the best provisions that were to be had, and likewise took this opportunity of forwarding despatches to the Hieronymite brotherhood, in which he gave them a full account of the hazardous expedition to the coast of the Honduras, and of the arrangements he had made in Mexico for the government of New Spain, during his absence. He likewise mentioned every circ.u.mstance from the day he had despatched Oli with an armament to the Honduras, down to the tragical death of the latter; and concluded by giving an account of the country and of the rich gold mines it possessed.

In order that these pa.s.sengers, on arriving at Cuba, might have sufficient credit there, he gave them a number of valuable jewels out of his private treasure, besides several pieces of his golden dinner service. As chief in command of this vessel, he appointed his cousin Avalos, whom he desired to touch at the island of Cozumel, and to carry away prisoners from thence twenty-five soldiers, who had been left there by some officer to levy contributions upon the inhabitants.

The vessel set sail with a favorable wind, and had alternately good and bad weather. She had already doubled the cape of Sant Antonio, and had arrived within seventy leagues of the Havannah, when a heavy storm arose, in which she was wrecked off the coast. The Franciscan monks, the captain Avalos, and a great number of others met with a watery grave; only a few, by great exertions, saved themselves in the boat, and others drifted on sh.o.r.e by clinging to pieces of wood.

The persons who thus luckily escaped soon spread the news through the island of Cuba that Cortes, with his whole army, was still in existence.

The licentiate Pedro Lopez, who had also escaped destruction, hastened to St. Domingo, and there related to the royal court of audience every circ.u.mstance relative to Cortes' expedition to the Honduras, and how he was then staying at Truxillo occupied in subduing the surrounding country. He likewise stated that the troops were in great want of provisions, wine, and horses; that he had despatched a vessel with a quant.i.ty of gold to Cuba, in order to purchase these necessaries, but which was unfortunately wrecked off the coast of the latter island, and he himself had narrowly escaped destruction.

The news of Cortes being still alive and well spread universal joy, for it was generally believed that he, with the whole of his troops, had perished in the expedition to the Honduras. From Hispaniola the glad tidings also reached New Spain, where Cortes' death had also been currently reported. In St. Domingo the spirit of speculation was soon stirred up and two vessels were quickly despatched to Truxillo, with horses, s.h.i.+rts, military caps, and Spanish toys, to all of which these speculating merchants unfortunately forgot to add provisions, and only sent one pipe of wine.

Cortes himself had remained at Truxillo, where his time was fully occupied in making various regulations. While he was staying here several of the inhabitants of the Guanajas islands came and complained to him about a vessel which lay at anchor in front of their towns.h.i.+p.

This vessel, they said, had a great number of Spaniards on board, all armed with matchlocks and crossbows, and they were intent upon carrying off the inhabitants into slavery. To all appearances, added they, these Spaniards were pirates, and the same who had visited their country some years previously in a similar manner, and forcibly dragged away a considerable number of their countrymen.

Upon this information, Cortes hastily fitted out one of the brigantiues with the largest piece of ordnance, and sent twenty men on board, under the command of one of his best officers, who was ordered, at all events, to bring the strange vessel, with all her hands, into the harbour of Truxillo. The Indians likewise promised to man all their canoes and accompany the brigantine to where the vessel lay moored.

When the strange vessel observed a well-armed brigantine approaching, with several canoes belonging to these islands, she easily guessed how matters stood, quickly weighed anchor, made off at the utmost of her speed, and so eluded the pursuit of the brigantine. We subsequently learnt that this vessel was commanded by the bachelor Moreno, whom the royal court of audience at St. Domingo had despatched on certain business to Nombre de Dios, and he had either been driven by contrary winds off these islands, or had purposely repaired thither to carry away a cargo of slaves.

CHAPTER CLx.x.xIV.