Page:Letters of Cortes to Emperor Charles V - Vol 2.djvu/293

 league, passing plantations and houses; but everywhere we had been detected and the inhabitants were escaping in their canoes. It was already late, and I considered it useless to follow them, so I ordered my people to halt and camp at those plantations, taking the best precautions possible; for the guide of Mazatlan told me the people were numerous and warlike and much feared by all their neighbours. The guide then offered to go in that little canoe in which the Indian had come, and cross to that town on the island, a good two leagues distant where he would speak to the lord, whom he knew very well, and who is called Canec, telling him my intentions and the reason of my coming to his country, with which he himself was perfectly acquainted as he had accompanied me. He believed that the chief would be perfectly reassured and would believe what he told him, for he was well known to him and had often been in his house. I immediately gave him the canoe belonging to the Indian who had come in it, and, thanking him for his offer, I promised that if he carried it out successfully I would reward him to his entire satisfaction; and thus he went, and returned at midnight bringing with him two distinguished persons of the town who said they were sent by their lord to see me, and to inform themselves about what my messenger had said, and to learn what I wished. I received them very well, and made them some small presents, telling them that I had come to those countries by order of Your Majesty for the purpose of seeing them, and to acquaint the lords and chiefs of the land with matters touching Your Royal service and their own welfare; that I desired them to tell their lord to come and see me without fear, and proposed that, if he hesitated, one of my Spaniards should go to the island as a hostage during the time their chief was with me. They took back this message, accompanied by the guide, and one of [sic]thaniare Spds; and, the next day, the