Page:Letters of Cortes to Emperor Charles V - Vol 2.djvu/337

 certain official acts by which we acknowledged our allegiance to the audiencia instead of to your worship. He immediately furnished us with all we had asked for, and ordered an expedition to be made, in which we captured certain natives, whom he branded as slaves and took with him, without even allowing that the fifth of them should be paid to His Majesty, ordering that henceforth there should be no treasurer nor accountant, nor inspector for the royal dues, but that the said Juan Ruano, whom he left as our captain, should take all responsibility on himself, without keeping any further books or accounts.

Thus, he left us under command of the said Juan Ruano, furnished with certain requirements to be used in case any people should come here from your worship; and he promised to return quickly with such full powers that no one could resist them. After he had gone, we perceived that what we had done was not for the advantage of His Majesty's service, so we apprehended the said Juan Ruano, and sent him to the Islands, after which the alcalde and municipal officers resumed their functions as formerly, and, since then, we have been, and are, under your worship's orders, in His Majesty's name. We pray you, Sir, to pardon us the past matters, respecting Cristobal de Olid, because, throughout, we were compelled by force to act in this manner.

I replied to this address, saying that I would pardon them, in Your Majesty's name, for all that had transpired under Cristobal de Olid, and that their recent conduct was not blamable as they had been constrained by want; but that, henceforth, they were to abstain from similar novelties and scandals, for they were injurious to Your Majesty's service, and would bring punishment upon them. In order to more fully convince them that I had forgotten the past, and would never more remember it, but would rather aid and favour them, in Your Majesty's name, as long as they acted as loyal vassals to Your Majesty, I confirmed, in Your Royal name, the alcaldes and municipal officers whom Francisco de las Casas,