Page:Letters of Cortes to Emperor Charles V - Vol 1.djvu/340

316 being loyal vassals of Your Highness from henceforth, they would be well treated by me, and their rebellion and past error forgiven. These natives left, and three days later some of the principal persons came and asked pardon for their error, saying that they could not have acted otherwise, because they had done what their chief commanded them, but that they promised from henceforth, inasmuch as their chief had gone and left them, to serve Your Majesty well and loyally. I reassured them, telling them to return to their homes, and to bring back their wives and children who were in other places and towns of their allies; and I told them likewise to tell the inhabitants of those towns to come to me and I would pardon them the past, for they would not like that I should be obliged to come to them, as then they would sustain much damage, which would greatly grieve me. Thus it was done, and within two days that city of Izzucan was again populated; and its dependencies came to offer themselves as vassals of Your Highness, and all that province remained very secure, and, with those of Guacachula, our friends and allies.

A certain difference arose as to whom the province of this city of Izzucan belonged in the absence of the  Disputed Succession at Izzucan chief who had gone to Mexico. The former rightful chief of this province had been put to death by Montezuma, who, in his place put the present ruler, whom he had married to one of his own nieces; and a dispute had arisen as to the right of succession between a bastard son of the murdered chief and the son of his legitimate daughter, who had married the chief of Guacachula. It was agreed amongst them, that the lordship should be inherited by that son of the chief of Guacachula who descended by the legitimate line from the old chief, for, although the other was a son, he could not inherit