He Wished Therefore To Have These Passages Expunged, But
Some Of Us Roundly Told Him, That His Majesty Must Not Only Be Informed Of
The Truth, But Of The Whole Truth.
When this important affair was completed, our agents set sail from Villa
Rica on the 26th July 1519[2], with strict injunctions not to touch at the
Havanna or the port of el Marien, as we wished to keep the whole from
being known to Velasquez.
Yet they went directly to the Havanna, the pilot
Alaminos being over-persuaded into this measure, under pretence of
Puertocarrero being sick, and that Montejo wanted to procure provisions
from his estate of El Marien. As soon as the ship came to anchor, Montejo
sent letters on shore to Velasquez, giving an account of all that had
taken place during the expedition; and as the messenger went through the
island, he everywhere communicated the news of all that had occurred to
our army. On receiving this intelligence from Montejo, Velasquez was
highly enraged against Cortes, and heartily cursed his secretary and
contador, who had persuaded him to confide the expedition to his guidance.
He immediately dispatched two armed vessels to detain our ship, but soon
got the unwelcome news that she was considerably advanced on her voyage to
Europe. Besides writing to his patron the bishop of Burgos, he lodged a
complaint against Cortes before the royal audience at St Domingo; but the
members sent him an answer highly favourable to us, with whose good
services they were already acquainted. All these untoward circumstances
gave the adelantado infinite vexation, insomuch that from being very fat,
he became quite lean. But he used every exertion to collect a powerful
armament on purpose to overwhelm us as rebels against his legitimate
authority, going about the whole island in person to incite the settlers
to take up arms in his cause, and prepared a fleet of eighteen sail of
vessels for the expedition against us, which was confided to the command
of Pamphilo de Narvaez, of which we shall give an account hereafter.
Our agents passed through the Bahama channel, under the direction of the
pilot Alaminos, being the first ship which took that passage from the West
Indies for Europe. After touching at the island of Tercera for
refreshments, they proceeded for Seville, and arrived a few days
afterwards at Valladolid, where the court was then held. Our agents
immediately waited on the bishop of Burgos, who was president of the
council of the Indies, expecting a favourable reception, and requested him
to transmit our letters and present them with all speed to the emperor,
who was then in Flanders. The bishop gave them a haughty and repulsive
answer, saying, That he would make a proper representation of our conduct,
for having thrown off our obedience to Velasquez. The arrival of Benito
Martinez, chaplain to the governor of Cuba, contributed to place our
affairs in an unfavourable light; and as Puertocarrero made a remonstrance
to the bishop, he caused him to be thrown into prison, on a frivolous
charge of having taken away with him a woman from Medellin to the Indies.
The bishop made a represention of our affairs to his majesty, stating
every thing in the most favourable light for Velasquez, and as much as he
possibly could against us, suppressing all mention of our letters and
present, and even appropriated a great part of the latter to his own use.
But our agents concerted matters with Martin Cortes, our generals father,
and the licentiate Nunez, his near relation, who had an office in the
royal council, and by means of some noblemen who were jealous of the
bishop and disgusted with his haughty demeanour, they procured duplicates
of all our letters to be transmitted to his majesty, together with
complaints of the partiality of the bishop.
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