Page:Letters of Cortes to Emperor Charles V - Vol 2.djvu/317

 out the most beautiful undertaking ever seen in these parts, and might have brought about their complete pacification; for, by setting them free again, and explaining the reason of my coming, and reassuring them, they would have seen how well they were treated and thus good results would have been produced; whereas exactly the contrary happened. We captured about fifteen men and twenty women, and some ten or twelve other men perished in resisting capture, among whom was their chief, who had not been recognised until afterwards when the prisoners showed me his dead body. Neither in this town did we find anything to supply our wants, for, although there was plenty of green maize in the fields, it was not the kind of food for which we came to search. I remained in this town two days to rest my people.

Having asked the Indians who were captured there whether they knew of any other town in the vicinity where dried maize could be found, they said they knew a town, called Chacujal, which was a large and ancient one, where all kinds of provisions would be found in abundance, so I departed, guided by these Indians towards the town they mentioned; and, having marched six long leagues of bad road that day, crossing many a river, I reached some large plantations which the guides told me belonged to the towns whither we were going. For about two leagues through the forest near them, we advanced so as not to be seen, and my scouts, whom I always sent ahead of me, captured eight wood-cutters and other labourers who were coming unsuspectingly through the forest towards me. About sunset, the guides told me to halt, as we were already very near the town; so I stopped in the forest till the third hour of the night. Then I again began to march, coming to a river, which we crossed in water, breast high, and so swift that the crossing was sufficiently dangerous, and only by holding one another hand in hand did we cross without losing