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…
royal court of audience at St. Domingo had despatchedon certain business to Nombre de
Dios, and he had eitherbeen driven by contrary winds off these islands, or had purposely
repairedthither to carry away a cargo of slaves.
CHAPTER CLXXXIV.
How Sandoval, during our stay at Naco, takes forty Spanish soldiers with
their captain prisoners, who, on their march from the provinceof Nicaragua,
had everywhere plundered and otherwise ill-used theinhabitants.
While Sandoval was staying at Naco, occupied in the friendly subjectionof the surrounding
country, four caziques arrived in our camp from the two townships of Quecuscapa and
Tanchinalchapa, complaining bitterly of some Spaniards, who, they said, had horses, and
were otherwise armed like ourselves. These men plundered the inhabitants of all their
property, and forcibly carried off their wives anddaughters in iron chains.
[Pg 278]
Sandoval, it may be imagined, was exceedingly vexed at this intelligence.On inquiring of
the caziques how far distant their townshipslay, they told him only one day's journey. He
then immediatelymarched out with sixty of us, all well-armed, and we arrived in theabovementioned
townships before the Spaniards there had the leastnotice of our approach; yet the
instant they saw us they flew to theirarms, but we came so suddenly upon them, that we
took the greaterpart of the men with their captain prisoners, without so much as adrop of
blood being spilt on either side. Sandoval, to use a commonphrase, blew them up in fine
style, and asked them whether theirs was justifiable conduct thus to ill-use his majesty's
subjects, and whetherthe course they pursued was the proper method of making conquests
in his majesty's name? He then commanded the men and womenthey had taken prisoners,
and around whose necks they had fastenediron collars, to be instantly released and restored
to the caziques ofthe district.
We then marched back to Naco, carrying along with us our Spanish prisoners and their
captain, whose name was Pedro de Garro. Almostthe whole of these men had horses, and
were followed by numbers of female Indians of Nicaragua, some of whom were
uncommonly handsome; besides a great many female slaves to attend upon them. We
others, who had suffered so many hardships in this expedition, hadnone of these comforts,
and, in comparison with our miserable appearance, these Spaniards looked like so many
wealthy noblemen. Whenwe arrived in Naco, Cortes quartered each of them according to
hisrespective rank and station, as there were several men of distinctionand quality among
them.
When these men found that we formed part of Cortes' troops, theircaptain, Garro, did all in
his power to ingratiate himself in Sandoval'sand our favour, and the whole of them declared
they were delighted tobe with us. Respecting their arrival in this neighbourhood, they gave
the following explanation.
Pedro Arias de Avila was governor of Terra Firma, and had sent outFrancisco Hernandez,
one of his most distinguished officers, with a considerablebody of foot and horse, in order
to make conquests in the provinces of Nicaragua and Leon, which he subdued and
colonized.Hernandez, finding that everything went on so successfully, and thinkinghimself
sufficiently far removed from Pedro Arias de Avila, to do what he liked, listened to evil
counsellors, and came to some secret understanding with the bachelor Moreno, above
mentioned, who had been despatched, by the royal court of audience at St. Domingo, to
Terra Firma, to make inquiries into the death of Balboa, whom Arias de Avila had most
[Pg 279]
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/32475/32475-h/32475-h.htm 185/282