Page:Letters of Cortes to Emperor Charles V - Vol 2.djvu/209

 him, I agreed to everything he asked. So, with mutula consent, a binding agreement was made, under oath, leading to the consummation of the said marriage, on condition that Your Majesty, after learning the contents of our agreement, should approve of it; thus, besides our ancient friendship, we were joined by the mutual contracts and engagements which we made for our children, and were both satisfied with the conditions thereof, especially the adelantado.

In the preceding chapter, Most Powerful Lord, I told Your Catholic Majesty of all my alcalde mayor had done to collect the adelantado's men, who were scattered over the country, and the steps he had taken for this purpose, which, in spite of their being so many, were not sufficient to calm the dissatisfaction felt against Francisco de Gar ay; for they feared they would, in accordance with the orders published by the public crier, be forced to accompany him. The deserters had penetrated to the interior of the country in bands of three and six together, in different places, so that they could not be captured. This led to much disturbance amongst the Indians, who saw the Spaniards scattered over the country, and the many disorders, which they aroused by seizing the native women and supplies, and to a general rising of the whole country; for the natives believed what the adelantado had published on his arrival, namely: that there existed dissension among the different commanders, as I have already related to Your Majesty. Thus, the Indians astutely got information as to where those several Spaniards were, and, both by day and night, they would fall upon them in the towns where they were scattered and, taking them unawares and disarmed, they easily killed a good number of them. Their boldness grew to such a pitch that they came to Santistevan del Puerto, which I had settled in the name of Your Majesty, where they pressed the inhabitants very hard with their fierce