Page:Letters of Cortes to Emperor Charles V - Vol 1.djvu/301

Rh rebel on seeing me, and also because I thought to make some sort of arrangement with Narvaez for stopping the great evil at the outset. I thereupon started the same day, leaving the fort well provided with maize and water, and a garrison of five hundred men, with some cannon. Taking the others (some seventy men), I pursued my road, accompanied by some of Montezuma's principal people.

Before I left, I made some explanation telling him "to look to the fact that he was a vassal of Your Highness, and that now he would receive the favours from  Cortes Leaves Mexico to Meet Narvaez Your Majesty for the services which he had rendered to you; that I entrusted to him those Spaniards, who would take care of all the gold and valuables which he had given me, or ordered me to give Your Highness; that I was longing to see the people who had arrived, and to learn who they were, as I did not yet know, but that I believed they were bad people and not vassals of Your Highness. He promised to provide those left behind with everything necessary and to take great care of all I left there, belonging to Your Majesty, and that his people who went with me would guide me by a road without quitting his country, and would provide me with everything I needed. He prayed me also, that, if these were bad people, to let him know, and he would immediately raise many warriors to attack them, and drive them out of the country. I thanked him for all this, and assured him that Your Majesty would order many favours to be shown him, and I gave many jewels and stuffs to him, to his son, and to many other lords who were with him at the time.

In the city, called Churultecal, I met, returning with all his people, Juan Velasquez, the captain, whom, as I have said, I had sent to Quacucalco. Separating those who were indisposed, whom I sent to the city, I pursued my road with him and the others. Fifteen leagues