Page:Letters of Cortes to Emperor Charles V - Vol 2.djvu/285

 this alone was sufficient for them to deserve death; their case, however, remains open so that at any time they relapse they may be punished accordingly, though it is not probable that they will again conspire, for they think that I discovered this by some magic, and that nothing can be hidden from me; for they have noticed that to direct the making of the road I often consult the map and the compass, especially when the road approaches the sea, and they have often said to the Spaniards that they believed I learnt it by that compass; also they have sometimes said, wishing to assure me of their good disposition, that I might know their honest intentions by looking into the glass and on the map, and that there I would see their sincerity since I knew everything by this means. I also allowed them to think that this was true.

This province of Acalan is very large, and well populated; many of its towns were visited by my Spaniards. It abounds in honey and other products and there are many merchants who trade in different places and who are rich in slaves and merchandise. It is completely surrounded by lagoons, all of which extend to the bay and port called Los Terminos, by means of which they carry on a considerable trade by water with Xiculango and Tabasco. It is believed, also, though the exact truth is not known, that the lagoons extend to the other sea, thus making the country known as Yucatan an island: I shall endeavour to ascertain the secret of this so as to inform Your Majesty truthfully about it. According to what I learn, they