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How suspicion and dissent arose; how we chose Cortes captain general and chief justice, and founded Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz.

Indians who stayed behind to look after our food soon ceased their efforts, and we so suffered from hunger, for our cassava bread had become mouldy and swarmed with weevils, that we should have had nothing to eat if we had not hunted shell fish. Those of the natives who had come freely bringing gold and fowls to barter for our goods, now became shy and reserved. We anxiously awaited the return of the messengers from Mexico.

After some days Teuhtlilli appeared with many followers. They paid us respect by incensing us after their manner, and then they brought forth their presents—ten packages or loads of cloth richly worked with feathers, four chalchihuites (green stones which the Mexicans think most excellent of its kind and hold at greater value than we hold the emerald), and all kinds of gold trinkets of which the gold alone was worth about three thousand dollars. The four rich stones, they said, should be sent to our emperor, for each was of more value than a load of