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

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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… Our general, considering the spot where Avila had built the townof Buena Vista every way unfavorable for a colony, embarked, withthe whole of the inhabitants, in two vessels and the brigantine, andset sail for the bay of Puerto de Caballos, where he arrived in thespace of eight days. Finding that there was an excellent harbour inthis bay, and having learnt from the Indians that there were numerous townships round about, he determined to found a colony in this place, to which he gave the name of Natividad, and appointed Diego de Godoycommandant of the town. He then made an excursion into the interiorof the country to visit the several townships, but which, at the present day, are all destroyed. The inhabitants assured him that therewere several other townships in the neighbourhood, and that Naco itselfwas not far off. He well stocked the new town with provisions, andwrote word to Sandoval, whom he imagined had already reached Naco,to send him ten of the men of Guacasualco, without whom, he particularlyremarked 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 concludedby saying he was to continue the conquest of the country, and to leavea settlement in some advantageous place. Sandoval received this letterin the township where we had first halted, for we had not yet broken upour quarters for Naco. At present, therefore, we will leave Cortes inPuerto de Caballos, where, as we understood, the inhabitants were sodreadfully tormented night and day by innumerable moschitoes thatevery comfort was destroyed. On the receipt of Cortes' letter, Sandoval would gladly that instanthave set out for Naco if he had not previously despatched a great partof his troops into the surrounding townships in search of provisionsand fodder for our horses. He was therefore compelled to await the return of these troops, which, moreover, had been detained in passinga river, where they had left a small detachment to guard the canoethat had ferried them across. Besides this, Sandoval had had daily skirmishes with the Indians of the townships lying on the Golfo Dulce,so that he deemed it necessary to send a further reinforcement of eightmen, under my command, as a further guard to the canoe. Here wewere obliged to observe the utmost vigilance, for one night a greatbody of Indians fell suddenly upon us, in the hopes, if they found usoff our guard, to capture the canoe and set fire to our huts. Howeversilently they came creeping along, we received timely notice oftheir 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 woundedby the enemy's arrows. Upon this three of us marched further on to some huts where several invalid Mexicans and Spaniards had remainedbehind. These people we conducted safely to Sandoval, with the exception of one Spaniard, who died of exhaustion a couple of miles from the township, where the former was quartered with the rest of thetroops. This soldier was one of those who had but recently arrivedfrom Spain, and we were obliged to leave his body on the road fromwant of sufficient hands to carry it. [Pg 270] When I had given Sandoval my report of everything that had befallenus on our march, he was excessively angry with us for not havingbrought 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 passion that we had troubleenough 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 placeda cross on it. In one of his pockets we found a little gold, a number of dice, and a small scrap of paper containing an account of his birthplace, his parents, and of some property which he possessed in theisland of Teneriffe. This document we subsequently forwarded to thelatter place. May God have mercy on his soul: Amen. [Pg 271] https://www.gutenberg.org/files/32475/32475-h/32475-h.htm 180/282
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… We now marched further on to some townships, in the neighbourhoodof 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 township of considerablemagnitude, but there was not a single inhabitant to be seen, and wequartered ourselves in a large courtyard, where Christobal de Oli wasbeheaded. In some houses we were fortunate enough to find a goodsupply of maise, beans, and even some salt, of which latter we were ingreat want. In this place we quartered ourselves as comfortably as ifwe never meant to leave the spot again. In Naco there was a well which contained the most delicious waterI ever tasted in the New World. Here likewise stood a wide spreadingtree, 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 delicatedew, which produced a most comfortable feeling to the head. Thesurrounding neighbourhood abounded in various kinds of provisions,and numerous small townships lay dispersed in all directions. But Iwill break off here, and reserve what I have further to relate for thenext chapter. [Pg 272] CHAPTER CLXXXII. Sandoval commences to subdue the province of Naco, and the oppositionhe 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 township. Sandovalbehaved in the kindest manner to these men, presented them with some Spanish toys, and begged of them to go and call the principalcaziques, 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 forwardingus from time to time a small supply of provisions. In thisway matters continued for several days, and neither party thought ofcommencing hostilities. The reader will remember that Cortes had written to Sandoval for ten of the veterans of Guacasualco, all of whom he had mentioned byname, and mine was put at the head of this list; but as I was veryunwell at the time, I desired Sandoval to excuse me from leaving him on the present occasion, and to acquaint our general that I should notbe able to accompany him, owing to the bad state of my health; whichwas really the fact. Sandoval accordingly allowed me to stay behind,and he despatched eight soldiers to Cortes, men who would face anydanger; but on this occasion they showed so much reluctance to marchout that they cursed Cortes' proposed expedition in the strongestterms: and certainly they were in some manner justified, for it wasimpossible to say whether the country whither they were going tomarch 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 theseSpaniards received the slightest annoyance on their journey, he wouldburn down their townships, and fall upon the inhabitants. He thenordered them to provide our men with the best of provisions on theirroute. Cortes was just about embarking for Truxillo when the eight Spaniardsmarched into Puerto de Caballos. He was greatly rejoiced at theirarrival, for he knew what excellent soldiers they were, and soon afterset sail with his troops, leaving Diego de Godoy as commander- https://www.gutenberg.org/files/32475/32475-h/32475-h.htm 181/282
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The Memoirs of the Conquistador Bernal Diaz del Castillo Vol. 2

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