Cortes Therefore Gave Orders
To Sandoval To Set Out Immediately With Six Soldiers For The Coast, To
Ascertain What Number Of Men De Oli Had With Him, As He Meant To Fall Upon
Him By Surprise, Being Quite Ignorant Of The Revolution Which Had Happened
In This Quarter.
Sandoval set out accordingly with three guides, and on reaching the sea
shore, he soon perceived a canoe; and
Concealing himself where he expected
it might anchor for the night, was fortunate enough to get possession of
the canoe; which belonged to some Indian merchants who were carrying salt
to _Golfo dolce_. Sandoval embarked in this canoe with a part of his men,
sending the rest along the shore, and made for the great river. During the
voyage, he fell in with four Spaniards belonging to the settlement, who
were searching for fruit near the mouth of the river, being in great
distress from sickness and the hostilities of the Indians. Two of these
men were up in a tree, when they saw Sandoval to their great astonishment,
and soon joined him. They informed him of the great distress of the
settlement, and of all the events which had occurred, and how they had
hanged the officer whom Avila had left in the command, and a turbulent
priest, for opposing their determination to return to Cuba, and had
elected one Antonio Niote in his stead. Sandoval resolved to carry these
people to Cortes, whom he wished to inform as soon as possible of the news,
and sent a soldier named Alonzo Ortiz, who soon reached us with the
agreeable intelligence, for which Cortes gave him an excellent horse, and
all of us gave him something in proportion to our abilities.
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