At This Time The Captains Las Casas And De Avila, Who Had Beheaded
Christoval De Oli, Arrived In Mexico, And
Publickly asserted the existence
of Cortes, reprobating the conduct of Salazar, and declaring if Cortes
were actually dead, that Alvarado
Was the only fit person to have been
raised to the government, till his majesties pleasure could be known.
Alvarado was written to on the subject, and even set out for Mexico; but
becoming apprehensive for his life, he returned to his district. Finding
that he could not bring over Las Casas, De Avila, and Zuazo to his party,
Salazar caused the two former to be arrested and prosecuted for the murder
of De Oli, and even procured their condemnation; and it was with the
utmost difficulty their execution could be prevented by an appeal to his
majesty; but he was obliged to content himself with sending them prisoners
to Spain. He next sent off the licentiate Zuazo in irons to Cuba, under
pretence of making him answer for his conduct while acting as a judge in
that island. Salazar collected all the gold he could lay his hands upon,
and seized Rodrigo de Paz, alguazil-major of Mexico, who had been major
domo to Cortes, demanding of him an account and surrender of all the
treasure belonging to the general; and as he either could not or would not
discover where it was, he caused him to be tortured by burning his feet
and legs, and even caused him to be hanged that he might not carry his
complaints to his majesty. His object in collecting gold was to support
his negociations at court; but in this he was counteracted by almost all
the other officers of government in New Spain, who determined to send
their own statements of the affairs of the colony to court by the same
conveyance with his. He arrested most of the friends of Cortes, several of
whom joined his party as he gave them Indians, and because they wished to
be of the strongest side; but Tapia and Jorge Alvarado took sanctuary with
the Franciscans. To deprive the malcontents of arms, he brought the whole
contents of the arsenal to his palace, in front of which he planted all
the artillery for his defence, under the command of Captain Luis de Guzman,
son-in-law to the duke of Medina Sidonia. He formed likewise a body guard
for his own individual protection, partly composed of soldiers who had
belonged to Cortes, to the command of which he appointed one Arriaga. This
letter likewise mentioned the death of Father Bartholomew de Olmedo, who
was so much revered by the native Mexicans, that they fasted from the time
of his death till after his burial. Zuazo, in the conclusion of his letter,
expressed his apprehensions that the colony of Mexico would be utterly
ruined by these confusions. Along with this long and melancholy letter
from Zuazo, Cortes received letters from his father, informing him of the
death of the bishop of Burgos, and of the intrigues of Albornos at court,
already mentioned on a former occasion, and the interference of the Duke
of Bejar in his behalf. He also told him that Narvaez had been appointed
to the government of the country on the river Palmas, and one Nuno de
Guzman to the province of Panuco.
The intelligence from Zuazo made us all very melancholy, and it is
difficult to say which of the two we cursed most heartily in secret for
our misfortunes, Cortes or Salazar, for we gave them ten thousand
maledictions, and our hearts sunk within us to think of our miserable
plight after all our fatigues and dangers. Cortes retired to his chamber,
and did not appear again till the evening, when we unanimously entreated
him to hasten to Mexico, that he might recover the government from the
usurper. He replied kindly: "My dear friends, this villainous factor is
very powerful. If I go along with you to Mexico, he may waylay us by the
road and murder us all. I think it better for me to go privately to Mexico
with only three or four of you, that I may come upon him at unawares, and
that all the rest of you rejoin Sandoval and go along with him to Mexico."
When I saw that Cortes was resolved on going privately to Mexico, I
anxiously requested to attend him, as I had hitherto accompanied him in
all his difficulties and dangers. He complimented me on my fidelity, but
insisted on my continuing with Sandoval. Several of the colonists of
Truxillo began to grow mutinous, because Cortes had neglected promoting
them to offices; but he pacified them by promises of providing for them
when he should be replaced in his government of Mexico. Previous to his
intended departure, he wrote to Diego de Godoy, to quit Puerto Cavallos
with his settlers, where they were unable to remain on account of
mosquitos and other vermin, ordering them to relieve us in the good
settlement of Naco. He also ordered that we should take the province of
Nicaragua in our way to Mexico, as it was a country in his opinion worth
taking care of. We took our leave of Cortes, who embarked on his intended
voyage, and we set out cheerfully for Naco to join Sandoval, as Mexico was
now the object of our march. The route to Naco was as usual attended with
much difficulty and distress, yet we got safe there, and found that
Captain De Garro had set off for Nicaragua, to inform his commander
Hernandez that Cortes was setting out for Mexico, and had promised to give
him all the assistance in his power.
Two confidential friends of Pedro Aries had come to the knowledge of the
private correspondence between Hernandez and Cortes, and suspected that
Hernandez meant to detach himself from the command of Aries, and to
surrender his province to Cortes. The names of these men were Garruito and
Zamorrano, the former of whom was urged by an ancient enmity to Cortes, on
account of a rivalship between them in Hispaniola when both young men,
about a lady, which ended in a duel.
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