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…
Barrios, but also men recently arrived from Spain. Assoon as he reached the territory of the
Zapotecs, he despatched amessenger to a certain Alonso Herrera to repair to his camp. This
Herrera had been sent with a detachment of thirty men into these provinces, during the
administration of Marcos de Aguilar.
Figuero had, no doubt, been empowered to take the command overHerrera, for the latter
obeyed his orders and arrived in his camp; butthey had not been long there together before
a terrible dispute arosebetween them, which ended in their drawing swords, and in Herrera
severely wounding Figuero, besides three soldiers who came up todefend him. As the latter
officer, on account of his wounds was unableto use his arm, he gave up all idea of marching
to the mountainsof the Minxes, which were very difficult of access; besides which, hismen
had no notion of the warfare of this country; so that in the endhe solely turned his attention
towards discovering the burial places ofthe caziques, to open their graves for the sake of
the gold ornamentswhich the inhabitants of olden times were accustomed to bury withtheir
chiefs. This employment he prosecuted with so much vigour, andhis endeavours proved so
successful, that he collected in this mannerabove 100,000 pesos worth of gold, and with
this treasure, added tosome other valuable matters he had found in two of the townships, he
determined to retire, and he consequently relinquished the expeditionagainst the Zapotecs
and Minxes altogether. He then returned to Mexico with the intention of spending his
money quietly in Spain; forwhich purpose he shortly after set sail from Vera Cruz, but had
not been long at sea before he was overtaken by so terrific a storm that the vessel, he
himself, with five other passengers and all his gold went tothe bottom.
[Pg 322]
Thus terminated all the governor Estrada's warlike undertakingsagainst these provinces, nor
was the rebellion put down until we, theinhabitants of Guacasualco, marched against them
and completelysubdued the country; though it was no very easy matter for us either,and as
the cavalry was of no use among the high mountains there: Iwas obliged three several times
to march out against these tribes; forif we did subdue them during the spring and summer
months, they were sure to revolt again when the rainy season set in, and they put every
Spaniard they could lay hold of to death. But as we each timevigorously pursued them to
their retreats, they at length sued forpeace, and then it was that the town of San Alfonso
was founded intheir country.
The governor Estrada, in the meantime, was determined that Herrera should not go
unpunished for wounding his friend Figuero, and issuedorders for his apprehension; but he
had escaped to the mountains beforethe arrival of the alguacils, who, in order not to return
withempty hands to Mexico, brought back with them in chains a soldier,whom Herrera had
generally about his person. This man's name wasCortejo, and he was a hidalgo by birth, yet
the governor without somuch as bringing him to trial, ordered his right hand to be cut off.
About this time also one of Sandoval's grooms got into high words with one of the
governor's servants, so that at length they drew swordsand wounded each other. Even this
paltry affair the governor thought it worth his while to resent, and he ordered one of the
groom's handsto be cut off. Cortes and Sandoval were not then in Mexico, but hadretired
to Quauhnahuac, partly to enjoy more peace and get out of theway of the constant cabals,
and partly to bring about a good understandingbetween two caziques of the latter place who
had come toblows with each other. They were, however, immediately informed ofwhat had
taken place in Mexico, and with the severe punishment withwhich Sandoval's groom was
threatened. They hastened, therefore,to Mexico, but too late to prevent the sentence being
put into execution.
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Cortes was so enraged at this insult, that he said the most bitterthings to the governor in
Sandoval's presence, which alarmed him to such a degree that he considered his life in
danger from him, and heformed a body guard for the protection of his person, and only
selectedfor this purpose men in whose fidelity he could place implicit reliance.In order,
however, still further to strengthen his party against Cortes, he liberated the veedor and
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