Struck With Awe At The Power And Abilities Of Our General, He Solicited
The Licentiate Zuazco To Mediate Between Him And Cortes, That He Might Be
Permitted To Take Possession Of The Government Of Panuco, In Pursuance Of
His Commission From The Bishop Of Burgos.
Garay shortly afterwards set out with his armament, and being driven by a
storm into the river Palmas[1]
, He disembarked there, intending to march
by land to Panuco, having first exacted an oath of fidelity from his
troops; and he even nominated the various officers of his colony, which he
intended to name Garayana. Having marched for two days along the sea-shore,
through a marshy uninhabited country, he arrived at some villages, where
the inhabitants entertained him hospitably, but many of his soldiers
straggled about robbing and maltreating the people. Garay at length
arrived at Panuco, where his soldiers expected all their difficulties
would end, but it was almost a desert, as it had been much wasted in the
war with Cortes, and the natives concealed what remained, so that they
found nothing but bare walls, where they were tormented with mosquitos and
every kind of vermin. Garay could get no intelligence of his fleet, and
learnt from a Spaniard who had fled from punishment and lived among the
Indians, that the province of Panuco was poor and unhealthy; and as this
man gave a very favourable account of Mexico, many of Garays soldiers
deserted from him, and went off for Mexico, plundering the natives on
their way. Garay found himself in a bad plight, and sent one of his
officers, named Diego de Ocampo, to sound the disposition of Vallejo, who
was governor of St Estevan del Puerto for Cortes, and to notify the
appointment of Garay to the government of this country. Vallejo gave a
favourable answer, requesting the soldiers might be restrained from
maltreating the inhabitants; but sent off an express to Cortes, soliciting
a strong reinforcement or the immediate presence of the general. On
receiving this intelligence, Cortes immediately sent off Alvarado,
Sandoval, Father Olmedo, and Gonzalo de Ocampo, brother to Diego de Ocampo,
who was with Garay, giving them a copy of the royal instructions, by which
all his conquests were left under his command till the dispute between him
and Velasquez were judicially settled.
On the arrival of Garay in the neighbourhood of St Estevan, Vallejo learnt
from five deserters that the troops were scattered negligently in a large
town called Nacoplan, on which he concerted a plan for coming on them by
surprise, and made forty of them prisoners, alleging that they had invaded
the country without a commission, and had plundered the inhabitants who
lived under his government. Garay threatened Vallejo with the vengeance of
the court of Spain for this outrage, and demanded the immediate release of
his soldiers; on which Vallejo requested to see his commission, which, if
from his majesty, he would obey in all humility. Just at this time arrived
the deputies from Cortes, and Diego de Ocampo, being then first alcalde of
Mexico, made a formal remonstrance against the entrance of Garay with an
armed force into the government of another person. Several days were spent
in remonstrances and replies on both sides, during which time many of
Garays troops deserted from him.
Two of the ships belonging to Garay were lost in a tempest, and the
remainder took shelter in the mouth of the river, when Vallejo secretly
negotiated with their officers to join the party of Cortes. He at length
contrived to inviegle the whole of the fleet up the river to the port of
St Estevan, where he made all their officers and men prisoners in the name
of Cortes; but Father Olmedo persuaded him to set them at liberty. The
unfortunate Garay entreated the officers of Cortes to restore his ships
and to compel his troops to return to their duty, promising to give up his
intended settlement at Panuco, and to retire to the river Palmas. They
agreed to this, and used every measure to induce the deserters to return,
but with little effect; as they alleged they had already discharged their
engagement in coming to Panuco, and they despised Garay. In this hopeless
state, Garay was persuaded to write to Cortes, stating his situation, and
requesting his protection and assistance, in consideration of their former
friendship. Cortes engaged to do what he desired, and invited him to come
to Mexico, where he was honourably received, and promised every redress,
referring him to Olmedo, Sandoval, and Alvarado, to agree with him on the
terms. At the suggestion of Olmedo, a marriage was proposed between Donna
Catalina Cortes y Pizarro, the daughter of Cortes, and the eldest son of
Garay, who had a command in the fleet. Cortes agreed to this, giving his
daughter a liberal fortune, and agreed that Garay should establish a
colony on the river Palmas, in which he engaged to give him every
assistance in his power. Garay now interceded with Cortes to allow Narvaez
to return to Cuba, for which favour Narvaez was extremely thankful, and
took leave of Cortes with many professions of gratitude. Soon afterwards,
Garay was seized with a pleurisy, of which he died in four days, leaving
Cortes and Father Olmedo his executors. As his armament was left without a
head, a competition arose among his officers for the vacant command; but
young Garay was ultimately made general. This gave great offence to the
soldiers, in consequence of which they dispersed about the country in
small bodies of fifteen or twenty men, pillaging the natives as if they
had been among Moors. This enraged the Indians, who laid a plot to cut off
the Spaniards, which they executed so effectually that in a very short
time they sacrificed and eat above five hundred of the soldiers of Garay,
in some of the towns upwards of a hundred of them being destroyed at one
time. In other places they fell upon the stragglers, whom they massacred
almost without resistance; and, encouraged by this success, they even rose
against the settlement of Estevan in such numbers, that they could hardly
be resisted by Vallejo and seven or eight of the veterans of Cortes, who
induced many of Garays soldiers to abide by them in the open field, where
three battles were fought, in one of which Vallejo was slain, and a great
number of Spaniards wounded.
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