Page:Letters of Cortes to Emperor Charles V - Vol 1.djvu/230

206 and, as I had surprised them, I found them unarmed, and the women, and children, running naked through the streets; and we did them some harm. Seeing they could offer no resistance, a certain number of the inhabitants came to beseech me not to do them further injury, for they desired to become vassals of Your Highness, and my friends, and they recognised that they were at fault in not having trusted me, but that henceforth I would see that they would always do what I commanded them in the name of Your Royal Highness, as your very true vassals. Immediately there came to me more than four thousand of them, suing for peace, and they took us out to a fountain where they gave us good food.

Thus I left them pacified, and returned to our camp, where I found the people who had remained there much frightened, believing I might have been in some danger, as they had seen the horses and mares returning the night before. When they heard afterwards of the victory which God had been pleased to give us, and how I had left those towns at peace, they were very glad, for I certify to Your Majesty, that there was no one amongst us who was not very fearful at penetrating so far into this country, and amongst so many people, where we were so entirely without hope of help from anywhere. Indeed I had already heard with my own ears, privately, as well as publicly, that I was a Pedro Carbonero, who had got them into this difficulty from which they could never get out. And even more, I heard it said in one of the huts of certain companions (I being in a place where they could not see me), that if I had gone mad, and was going whence I could never escape, they need not do the same, but should rather return to the sea-coast, and that if I wished to return with them, very well, but if