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…
In proof of this and other matters, our agents produced copies ofletters we had written to
his majesty, besides other important documents; so that Velasquez's party were unable to
confute them on anypoint.
With respect to the armament of Narvaez, continued our agents, Velasquez had fully
deserved punishment of death, as he had fitted itout against Cortes without any authority
from his majesty, and againstthe wishes and express orders of the royal court of audience at
St. Domingo, and of the Hieronymite brotherhood, whom the emperor had appointed
viceroys of the West Indies. Diego Velasquez had, uponthe whole, troubled himself very
little about his majesty, but hadalways applied to the president of the council of the Indies.
In his hatred he had forgotten the true interests of the crown, for which reason he had
continually bred disturbances among the troops in NewSpain, though it was so necessary
towards the conquest of the country,and the conversion of the inhabitants, to maintain the
strictest unionamong the men. Velasquez had gone so far in his refractory and disrespectful
behaviour towards the authorities of St. Domingo, that hehad ordered to be imprisoned and
sent back to Cuba the licentiateVasquez de Aillon, whom the royal court of audience had
expresslydespatched to New Spain to admonish Narvaez not to commence hostilitieswith
Cortes. As Narvaez was now himself present, and had hadthe audacity to accuse Cortes and
his troops of crimen læsæ majestatis, they must retort this charge upon him, and they
demanded that punishmentof death might be pronounced against him, as the moment he
landed in New Spain he sent word to Motecusuma that his only object for visiting his
dominions was to liberate him from prison, and to hangCortes, with the whole of his men,
as traitors. By this he had causedan insurrection throughout the whole country, which up to
that momenthad enjoyed perfect tranquillity. This conduct was the less excusablein him,
since Cortes, immediately upon Narvaez's arrival in Vera Cruz,had written a most polite
letter to him, and requested him to produce his appointment, as, if he possessed such an
instrument, signed by hismajesty, Cortes was ready to acknowledge his authority. To this
Narvaez not only refused to reply, but had called Cortes and the wholeof his men traitors,
proclaimed war against them, and even declared them outlaws. Notwithstanding all this,
Cortes had repeatedly offeredNarvaez peace, and earnestly requested him not to create a
rebellion in the country; for this was threatened by his conduct, and New Spain would
certainly be lost again to the Spanish crown. Cortes had even offered to share the
government of New Spain between himself andNarvaez, and to allow the latter his choice
of the provinces. But even to this Narvaez had returned no answer; so that Cortes found
himselfcompelled to pursue a more determined course, and to demand satisfactionof him
for having imprisoned a royal auditor. Cortes at lengthproposed a personal interview with
him, which Narvaez had certainly accepted, but this never took place, for his intentions
were to seizeCortes during the conference. This could be proved by Duero, whonow stood
before the honorable commissioners, as at that time he helda command under Narvaez, and
had himself warned Cortes of thelatter's treacherous designs against his life.
[Pg 203]
Neither could Velasquez's agents confute any part of these statements;our agents therefore
continued: With regard to the expedition of Garay, Cortes had not been the cause of its
failure, but the inhabitants of Panuco, who had risen up in arms against the troops, the
whole of whom, with Garay, would certainly have been cut off to a man,if the latter had
not, in the imminent danger in which he was placed,begged assistance of Cortes; for which
purpose Garay had repaired inperson to Mexico, where he met with the kindest reception
from Cortes;but that a few days after he caught a violent cold, of which he died, andnot of
poison, as had been imputed to Cortes, who could have had nocause whatever to adopt such
a course, even if he had in any way fearedGaray, as the latter did not possess the requisite
talents for command,and had himself caused great discontent among his troops, who even
rebelled against him, on account of his having marched them immediatelyupon landing to a
pestilential part of the country, full of swampsand uninhabitable, on account of the vermin
with which it swarmed. When his men therefore heard of the riches of Mexico and the
liberalityof Cortes, they dispersed of their own accord, and traversed the countrylike so
[Pg 204]
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/32475/32475-h/32475-h.htm 137/282