Page:Letters of Cortes to Emperor Charles V - Vol 2.djvu/331

 ever, he made common cause with those servants of Diego Velasquez, who had come with him, and went through certain formalities which made it clear that he had renounced obedience to your worship; although most of us disapproved of this, we did not dare to oppose him because he threatened us with the gallows, but, on the contrary, we consented to all he did, the more so as certain servants and relatives of your worship did the same, for neither did they dare to act otherwise. This being accomplished, and, having heard from six messengers whom he caused to be imprisoned, that certain people of Gil Gonzalez de Avila were coming down upon him, he stationed himself near the ford of a river where they had to cross, so as to capture them.

After waiting some days in vain, he left there a lieutenant with some force, and returned to this town, where he began to fit out two caravels, and to provide them' with artillery and ammunition, intending to attack the settlement of Spaniards, which the said Gil Gonzalez had founded higher up the coast. While thus engaged, Francisco de las Casas arrived with two ships, and, as soon as Cristobal de Olid knew that it was he, he ordered the artillery on his ships to fire on him, in spite of the fact that Francisco de las Casas hoisted flags of peace, and shouted the information that his ships belonged to your worship. The artillery, however, continued to play under his orders, and, after the ships had anchored, he still fired ten or twelve shots, one of which went through one of the vessels and came out on the other side. When Francisco de las Casas perceived his intentions to be hostile, the suspicions he already entertained against Olid were confirmed, and he saw he could not temporise with such an enemy; so he manned his boats and began to use his artillery, taking possession of those two vessels that were in the port as their crews had deserted them and gone ashore. After these ships were taken, Cristobal de Olid began to sue for terms, not, however, with the intention of observing them, but to temporise until the men he had sent against Gil Gonzalez de Avila should return, for he did not feel himself strong enough to cope with Las Casas; he, therefore, sought to deceive him, and Las Casas allowed himself