Page:Letters of Cortes to Emperor Charles V - Vol 2.djvu/348

 The provinces of Papayeca and of Champagua, who, I have already said, were the first to offer themselves to Your Majesty's service and to become our friends, were those amongst whom there was some commotion when I had first embarked, and on my return they were still rather apprehensive, so I sent messengers to calm them. Some of the natives of Champagua then came to see me, but not the chiefs, and, as they refrained from coming and sent their wives and sons and their property away from their villages, it was apparent they did not trust us. There were several among those who came daily to work in the town whom I earnestly begged to return to their homes, but they never would, sometimes saying, "to-day," and sometimes, "to-morrow," so I managed to lay hands on the chiefs, Chiwhuytl, Poto, and Mondoreto, whom I imprisoned. I gave them a certain period within which I ordered them to bring their people back from the mountains to their towns, threatening to punish them as rebels if they did not; thus I set them free and the natives have all returned to their homes quite pacified and tranquil, and willing to serve us.

The natives of Papayeca, however, would never consent to appear, especially their chiefs who kept all their  Execution of Mazatl people with them in the mountains, their towns remaining deserted; although many times summoned they persisted in their disobedience, so I sent a company of horsemen and foot-soldiers with many natives of the country thither. This force surprised one of the two chiefs of the country, named Pizacura, one night, and captured him; and, having been asked why he was so wicked and disobedient, he said that he would have returned to his village long before had his colleague, Mazatl, who was the most powerful of the community not refused; but that, if they would let him go, he would discover Mazatl's movements so that he could be captured, for if he were hanged the people would immediately be