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…
been many days at sea before he was overtaken by a violent storm, and his vessel was
wrecked off the coast of Guacasualco; the factor narrowly escaped onshore in the boat, and
here this project ended.
The first thing which Nuño de Guzman and his colleagues did wasto institute an inquiry
into the government of the treasurer Estrada,to which he very patiently submitted. If this
man had shown thedetermined character we had expected of him, he would certainly have
continued governor of New Spain, for it was only a few months previouslythat his majesty
had conferred this appointment on him, with every approbation of the conduct he had
pursued in the governmentof the country; besides which, Guzman had no further powers
thanthose conferred upon him as president of the royal court of audience,and even then he
could not make any distribution of lands or ofIndians, unless it met with the approbation of
his colleagues. Every inhabitant of Mexico, and the whole of the Conquistadores would
havethe more zealously supported Estrada if he had shown any determinationto maintain
his authority, as he had evinced the utmost impartiality in his government, and had
scrupulously acted up to the commandsof his majesty; but the inquiry had scarcely lasted a
few dayswhen he grew weary of offering any further resistance to the court ofaudience,
and he died shortly after of downright vexation.
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This new court of audience was altogether opposed to Cortes and hisadherents, in which
partisan-like spirit they instituted an inquiry intothe conduct of Jorge de Alvarado, in his
government of Guatimala, andfor this purpose a certain Orduña, the elder, of Tordesillas,
was despatched thither; but I am totally ignorant of the result of his investigation. In the
same way they attacked the government of Cortes,and specially appointed for this purpose
the fiscal and the factorSalazar. During this investigation, Cortes was accused in open court
of so many base actions, and was altogether so grossly calumniated, that the licentiate
Altamirano, to whom Cortes had intrusted the sole careof his possessions in New Spain,
with cap in hand, stepped up in front of the president and the auditors, and respectfully
begged of them tobridle the slanderous tongue of the factor, and to forbid him henceforthto
utter his low abuse of the marquis, a cavalier of unblemished character, and the faithful
servant of his monarch. He then demandedjustice of the factor, but very little notice was
taken of his remonstrances, for the next day the factor produced even more infamous
accusations,and the auditors countenanced this in so far that very highwords arose between
the licentiate Altamirano on one side, and thefactor and the auditors on the other. At length
Altamirano lost allpatience, drew his dagger, and would certainly have killed the factoron
the spot if he had not flown for protection behind the auditors.The whole city broke out into
open insurrection at this circumstance.Altamirano was thrown into prison, and the factor
was confined in hisown house. The whole of us Conquistadores, however, went in a body
to the president and interceded for Altamirano, so effectually, indeed,that three days after,
he was set at liberty again, and a reconciliation was brought about between him and the
auditors.
After this affair had blown over, another of a more serious naturetook place; namely, there
arrived about this time in Mexico a relationof Pamfilo Narvaez, named Zavallos, who had
been despatched from Cuba by Maria de Valenzuela, Narvaez's wife, to gain some
informationrespecting her husband, who had been appointed governor of thecountry on the
river Palmas; but, as was currently reported, had perishedon the expedition thither. Maria
de Valenzuela had also given Zavallos full authority to take possession of her husband's
property wherever he might find it, for she imagined he had taken considerable property
with him to New Spain. This man was secretly advised by the auditors to bring actions
against all those of the Conquistadores who had accompanied Cortes on the expedition
against Narvaez, injured his person, burnt his property, and killed so many of his men.
Zavallos immediately lent a willing ear to this, and forthwith commenced an action of
indemnification against the Conquistadores, whoall happened at that time to be staying in
the metropolis. There werealtogether 250 of us, and the whole were condemned in the sum
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