Page:Letters of Cortes to Emperor Charles V - Vol 2.djvu/45

 before. Four or five days later the aguacilalguacil [sic] mayor returned with the Spaniards, bringing with him the said Don Fernando. A few days afterwards, I learned that, as he was a brother of the lords of this city, the sovereignty belonged to him, although there existed other brothers. For this reason, and because the province was without a ruler, inasmuch as his brother Guanacacin, the lord of it, had deserted it and gone to Temixtitan, and also because Don Fernando was a very good friend of the Christians, I, in Your Majesty's name, caused him to be acknowledged as ruler. The inhabitants of this city, although at that time there were very few left in it, elected him, and thenceforward obeyed him; many others who were absent, or who had fled, began to return to the city and province of Aculuacan, and they obeyed and served the said Don Fernando; and thenceforward the city began to be rebuilt and well populated.

Two days after this was done, the lords of Coatinchan and Guaxuta came, and told me they had positive information that all the power of Culua would come against me and the Spaniards, for the whole country was full of foes; and that they could not decide whether they should bring their wives and children where I was or if they should take them to the mountains; for they were very much afraid. I told them not to be at all afraid, but to stay in their homes without making any change, adding that I desired nothing so much as to meet the Culuans on the battle field. I advised them to be prepared, and to place their watchmen and scouts over all the country, and, as soon as they saw or learned that the adversaries were advancing, to let me know. So they went away well admonished as to what I had commanded them. That night I prepared all our force, and placed many watchmen and scouts everywhere that was needful; and we never slept the whole night nor thought of anything but this. Thus we were expecting them during