Captain Luis Marin Was Directed To March Our
Whole Party To Mexico By Way Of Guatimala, And Captain Godoy Was Ordered
To Take The Command At Naco.
All things being now settled for the
departure of Cortes, he confessed to Fra Juan and received the Sacrament,
previous to his embarkation, as he was so exceedingly ill that he thought
himself on the point of death.
The wind was favourable, and he soon
arrived at the Havanna, where he was honourably received by his former
friends and acquaintances, and where he had the pleasure, by a vessel just
arrived from Vera Cruz, to receive intelligence that New Spain was
entirely restored to peace; as all the refractory Indians, on hearing that
Cortes and we their former conquerors were alive and returning, had come
in and made their submissions.
The conduct of Salazar and Chirinos during their usurped authority had
gained them many adherents; as, by means of their confiscations and the
distribution of property among their greedy supporters, many were
interested in the maintenance of their authority. These were mostly of the
lower order, and persons of a seditious disposition; though some men of
quality, especially influenced by the contador Albornos, who dreaded the
arrival of Cortes, had formed a plot to kill the treasurer Estrada, and to
reinstate Salazar and Chirinos in the government. For the purpose of
releasing them from prison, they employed one Guzman, a white-smith, a
fellow of low character who affected to be a wit, to make keys for opening
their cages, giving him a piece of gold of the form which they required,
and enjoining the strictest secrecy. He undertook all that they asked with
the utmost apparent zeal, pretending to be very anxious for the liberation
of the prisoners; and by his affected humour and zeal for the cause,
contrived to become acquainted with their whole plan of procedure: But
when the keys were finished and the plot ripe for execution, he
communicated intelligence of the whole affair to Estrada; who instantly
assembled the friends of Cortes, and went to the place of meeting, where
he found twenty of the conspirators already armed and waiting for the
signal. These were seized, but many others made their escape. Among the
prisoners there were several very notorious characters, one of whom had
lately committed violence on a Spanish woman. They were immediately
brought to trial before Ortega, the alcalde-major of Mexico; and, being
convicted, three of them were hanged, and several of the rest whipped.
I must here digress, to mention an affair not exactly accordant in point
of time with my narrative, but relevant in regard to its subject. By the
same vessel in which Salazar had transmitted letters to his majesty
tending to criminate Cortes, other letters were conveyed and so artfully
concealed that he had no suspicion of their existence, in which a full and
true account of all his oppresions and unlawful proceedings was sent to
his majesty. All these facts had also been reported by the royal court of
audience at St Domingo; by which the reported death of Cortes was
contradicted, and his majesty was truly informed in what manner the
general was employed for his service.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 232 of 421
Words from 121418 to 121956
of 221091
