The Memoirs of the Conquistador Bernal Diaz del Castillo Vol. 2

1/25/22, 8:50 PM The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Memoirs of the Conquistador Bernal Diaz del Castillo written by himself, containing a true an…
were to be destroyed. The priests were also to erect crosses in every township, and they
were provided with a number of images of the Virgin Mary topresent to the inhabitants.
After Cortes had strongly impressed all this on Oli's mind, he bidhim and all his troops an
affectionate farewell. When Oli arrived inVera Cruz he found everything in readiness, so
that he was enabled toembark immediately with his troops, and set sail; but I have forgotten
both the year and the day of the month when he left. [34] However, hehad a very favorable
passage to the Havannah, where he found the horses, with the provisions and other
necessaries, in readiness. Here he was also joined by five of the veteran Conquistadores,
who had beenbanished from New Spain by Diego de Ocampo, in the height of hiswrath,
during the investigation into the affairs of Panuco, after Garay'stroops had occasioned an
insurrection in that province. These menwere the first who whispered the idea into Oli's ear
of revolting againstCortes, and Briones had frequently spoken to him to the same effect;
but Diego Velasquez, governor of Cuba, and the mortal enemy of Cortes,urged him in the
strongest terms to refuse all further obedience to ourgeneral. He even visited Oli on board
the vessels, and they came to asecret agreement between themselves jointly to subdue the
Higuerasand Honduras in his majesty's name. Oli was to take upon himselfthe active part,
and Velasquez, on his side, was to procure him everynecessary, and to support him with his
money. His majesty was to beduly apprized of all this, and to be petitioned to confer upon
them thegovernment of all their conquests.
With respect to Christobal de Oli, I must observe that he was a manof uncommon bravery,
and excelled both as a cavalry and foot soldier;but he certainly did not possess sufficient
talent for a commander-in-chief, but was second to no man under command. About this
time he may have been in his forty-sixth year, and was either a native of Baëza or of
Lunares. His outward appearance was extremely handsome;high of stature, carrying with it
the very expression of muscular power; his limbs were beautifully proportioned, and his
shoulders broad, while a ruddy hue, most pleasing to the eye, was constantly upon his
cheek.There was only one fault to be found with his features, which was adeep cut in his
under lip. In language he was rather imperious and coarse, but in other respects very
agreeable in conversation; he had,upon the whole, many good qualities, particularly a noble
frankness ofdisposition, which gained him the confidence of every person. As longas he
staid in Mexico he was quite devoted to Cortes, but subsequentlyhis ambitious desire for
command, and not to be commanded, with the bad advice of evil-minded persons,
completely blinded him. It mustalso be remembered that in his early youth he had served
underVelasquez, and he could not forget the bread which, as a boy, he had eaten in his
house. In this way it happened that he quite forgothe was vastly more indebted to Cortes
than to Diego Velasquez.
[Pg 176]
After he had thus come to a secret understanding with the governorof Cuba, he was visited
by many of the inhabitants of this place, whoall strongly advised him to throw off the yoke
of Cortes, thereby strengthening him in his evil designs. The armament being now fully
equipped, he set sail from the Havannah, and arrived on the 3d of May, after a very
prosperous voyage, about sixty miles on the otherside of Puerto Caballo, and disembarked
his men in a small bay, wherehe immediately began to lay the foundations of a town, to
which hegave the name of Triunfo de la Cruz, and, according to the instructionshe had
received from Cortes, he selected the alcaldes and regidors from among the veteran
Conquistadores above mentioned. He likewise took possession of the country for his
majesty in the name of Cortes, andotherwise punctually obeyed the orders he had received,
that the latter's friends might not discover what his real intentions were, until a good
opportunity should offer itself of gaining them over to his side. Ihave likewise been assured
that, if he found these provinces did notproduce much gold or silver, he was determined to
return to Mexico,and assure Cortes that his only reason for making that secret agreement
with Velasquez was to procure troops and provisions at the latter'sexpense; the best proof of
which would be his having taken possessionof the country in Cortes' name.
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/32475/32475-h/32475-h.htm 120/282