We Remained Five Days Longer In Tabasco, Taking Care Of Our Sick And
Wounded, During, Which Time Cortes Used His Endeavours To Conciliate The
Natives, Whom He Enjoined To Preserve Their Allegiance To His Catholic
Majesty, By Which They Would Secure His Protection.
They promised
faithfully to perform all that he had enjoined, and thus became the first
native vassals of the Spanish monarchy in New Spain.
On Palm Sunday, with
the assistance of the natives, we erected a cross made of a large cieba
tree, on the field where the late battle was fought, as a lasting memorial
of our victory, as this tree has the power of reproducing its bark. The
natives attended us in our procession to adore the holy image of the cross,
and they likewise assisted us in our preparations to reimbark, our pilots
wishing to get away from this part of the coast, the anchorage being
unsafe for the ships, as the wind blew strongly on the shore. Every thing
being in readiness, and Cortes having taken leave of the natives, we all
embarked on the evening of Palm Sunday, and set sail next morning for St
Juan de Ulua. While we proceeded along the coast, such of us as had been
there before along with Grijalva, pointed out to Cortes the different
places which we recollected; saying here is la Rambla, there Tonala,
or St Antonio, there the river of Coatzacualco, the Sierra Nevada, or
Snowy Mountains, and those of St Martin, the Roca Partida, or Pierced
Rock, the rivers of Alvarado, and the Vanderas, Isla Blanca,
Isla Verda, Isla de los Sacrificios, and early in the evening of Holy
Thursday, 21st April, we arrived at the harbour of St Juan de Ulua. While
we were pointing out these places to the general, Puertocarrero came up to
him, saying: "These gentlemen seem to make an exhibition, as who should
say, here you have the Montesinos of France, here you see the great and
flourishing city of Paris, and so forth: But I say, here you have the land
of riches, and look well to your measures." Cortes perfectly understood
the meaning of his words, to which he answered: "GOD grant us good fortune
in arms like the paladin Orlando; for having such gentlemen as you under
my command, I shall know well how to bring our enterprize to a happy
conclusion."
[1] Diaz minutely enumerates and describes all the horses, mentioning who
they all belonged to. - E.
[2] According to Clavigero, II. 7. this armament, by which a great and
populous empire was subverted, consisted of eleven vessels, carrying
1O9 mariners, 508 soldiers, divided into eleven companies, ten
field-pieces, four falconets, and sixteen horses. Alaminos, who had
been pilot to Cordavo and Grijalva, was chief pilot of this
expedition. - E.
[3] On a former occasion, the chaplain of the expedition was named
Bartholome de Olmedo, but this other clergyman appears likewise to
have attended the expedition. - E.
[4] In Clavigero and other Spanish authors, this person is named de Olid,
but Diaz uniformly gives him the name in the text.
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