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…
scourged. Those sentenced tothe gallows were Pastrana, Valverde, and Escobar; the names
of theothers I have forgotten.
As for the locksmith, he durst not venture out of doors for severaldays; fearing the partisans
of the factor would assassinate him in revengefor having betrayed the secret.
Although it may be thought rather out of place here, I must observe that the factor had
indeed despatched to Spain the vessel, mentionedin a former chapter, with the gold which
he had collected for hismajesty. In his despatches he stated Cortes' death as a fact of which
there was not the slightest doubt; he then went on to magnify thegreat confidence which all
parties placed in him (the factor); and heconcluded by petitioning his majesty to confer the
appointment ofgovernor on him. However, by this same vessel, other letters weresecretly
forwarded to his majesty, in which his majesty was duly apprizedof every circumstance that
had transpired in New Spain, with a fullaccount of the tyrannical and cruel government of
the factor. Hismajesty was also at the same time informed by the royal court ofaudience at
St. Domingo and the Hieronymite brotherhood that Corteswas alive and busily occupied in
subduing and colonizing the countryalong the coast of the Honduras. When, therefore, the
council of theIndies and the comendador-mayor of Leon communicated with hismajesty on
the affairs of New Spain, it is said that the emperor expressed himself as follows: "The
people of New Spain have done verywrong indeed in rising up against Cortes, and have
greatly injured thetrue interests of the crown; but as Cortes is still alive, I trust that, onhis
return to Mexico, he will severely punish the villains who havecaused so much disorder."
I must now return to father Altamirano, who set sail from Vera Cruz,and arrived, after a
most favorable passage of two days, in Truxillo.As soon as the inhabitants of this town
observed a large vessel in thehorizon, they immediately concluded it came from New Spain
to conveyour general thither. Altamirano, the instant he arrived in theharbour, stepped on
shore, with several others, and repaired to Cortes'abode, who gave them all a most hearty
welcome, and again recognizedseveral of them whom he had previously known in Mexico.
The wholeof them then went to church to offer up their prayers to God.
On their return to Cortes' quarters, Altamirano minutely relatedevery circumstance that had
taken place in Mexico during his absence.Our general was sorely grieved at what he heard,
and yet he returnedfervent thanks to the Almighty that matters were not worse, and that
peace had been restored to the city. He said, however, that he wouldreturn to New Spain by
land, as he was afraid of the sea, after havingtwice set sail, and each time been obliged, by
contrary winds and heavycurrents, to put back into the harbour; besides which, he thought
he was in too weak a state of health to bear the fatigues of a sea voyage. The pilots,
however, assured him that, being now the month of April,there was less apprehension of
boisterous winds, and the best of weatherwas to be expected at this time of the year. By
these representations Cortes was induced to alter his determination, and he made up his
mind to journey thither by sea, but would postpone his departure until the return of
Sandoval, whom he had despatched with a detachment oftroops to Olancho, a distance of
about 600 miles from the coast, todrive out of this province a captain named Rojas, who
had been sentout to explore the gold mines of the country by Pedro Arias, after thelatter
had beheaded Francisco Hernandez.
[Pg 299]
The Indians of Olancho had journeyed all the way to Truxillo to makebitter complaints to
Cortes of the Spaniards at Nicaragua, who, theysaid, had fallen hostilely into their country,
plundering them with impunity,and carrying off their wives and daughters.
Sandoval, on this expedition, was only accompanied by sixty men, and, on arriving in
Olancho, at first was going to imprison Rojas, butseveral cavaliers stepping in as mediators
between the two captains, theycame to more amicable terms, and parted the best of friends,
afterRojas had presented Sandoval with one of his Indian pages. Whilethe latter was yet
here, he received Cortes' letter, in which, after givinghim a short account of what had taken
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/32475/32475-h/32475-h.htm 198/282