Page:Letters of Cortes to Emperor Charles V - Vol 2.djvu/335

 of inquiring into certain matters between Cristobal de Olid and Gil Gonzalez. He brought a full stock of provisions and arms which belonged to His Majesty; and we all rejoiced greatly at this news, giving thanks to our Lord, and believing that our necessities would be relieved. The municipal officers and some of the householders immediately went and besought him to provide for us, explaining our miserable plight; but, upon their arrival, he armed the men on his caravel and would allow no one to go on board, so the most we could obtain from him was that four or five without arms should go aboard. They first explained to him how we had come there to settle for your worship, in the name of His Majesty, and that, on account' of the captain having left in a caravel with all we owned, we were in the utmost extremity, as well for want of provisions, arms, and iron tools, as for clothing and other things, and that in as much as God had conducted him hither for our relief and his caravel belonged to His Majesty, we prayed and besought him to provide for us, as by so doing he would serve His Majesty, besides which we bound ourselves to pay for everything he gave us. He answered that he had not come there for the purpose of relieving us, and would give us nothing unless we paid cash down in gold or gave him slaves in payment.

Two merchants who had come on the ship, and a certain Gaspard Roche, a resident of the island of San Juan, advised him to give us what we asked for, offering to stand surety for the payment, up to five or six thousand castellanos, within such period as he should fix as they knew we were able to pay, and they were willing to do this in Your Majesty's service; they likewise felt sure that your worship would repay them, besides being grateful for it. Not even then, however, would he give us the least thing, but he sent us away saying he intended to leave; and thus actually put us out of his caravel.

Afterwards, he sent one Juan Ruano, who had come with him, and had been the principal promoter of Cristobal de Olid's treason; he secretly spoke to  Intrusion of Juan Ruano the municipal officers and some of us, telling us that, if we would obey him, he would obtain all we needed from the