Page:Letters of Cortes to Emperor Charles V - Vol 1.djvu/332

308 for. All this grieved su as much as our own past troubles, but perchance this rout would not have happened to them if they had united with me at first, as I have already recounted to Your Highness; for I was then well inforned about everything in these parts, and they would have had such advice from me that what had happened could not have occurred, especially as the lord of that river and country, called Panuco, had given himself as a vassal to Your Majesty. In recognition of his allegiance he had sent me certain gifts by his messenger to the city of Temixtitan, as I have already stated. I have written to Vera Cruz, that if the captain of Francisco de Garay desires to leave, to lend him assistance, and help him to dispatch his ships.

After having pacified and subjugated to the royal service of Your Highness all of this province which has been pacified, Your Majesty's officials and I con Founding of Segura de la Frontera ferred many times respecting the measures to be taken for its security. Seeing that the natives had first given themselves as vassals of Your Highness, and then rebelled and killed the Spaniards, and that they were on the road and pass where the traffic of all the sea-ports had to pass towards the interior, we considered that, if it were left to itself as before, the natives of this country, and also of Culua who were very near, would again try to seduce them into rebellion, from which would follow much harm and impediment to the pacification of these parts, and to the service of Your Highness; and the said traffic would cease, especially as on the road to the coast there are two very steep and rough passes, which confine with the said province, where the natives could defend themselves with little difficulty. For this, as well as for other reasons and weighty causes, it seemed to us that, to prevent the aforesaid evils, a town should be founded in the best part of the said province of Tepeaca, where the necessary