Page:The Mastering of Mexico.djvu/133

Rh the fort. We got it ready for the roof, and then suggested to Cortes that already we had been three months in the country and it was now high time for us to see what the boasted power of this great Montezuma might be, and time to try to make an honest competence for ourselves. But before we started we ought first to send our salutations to our king, and give him account of what had happened since we left Cuba. In this question we also debated whether we should send his majesty all the gold we had bartered for and received in presents.

Answering us, Cortes said our ideas exactly agreed with his own. In the matter of the gold, however, one circumstance made him hesitate, namely, if each man took the portion which fell to his share, there would be too little to send. Our wish was, he and some men good in business said, to send the king a treasure, and as it was our first, it ought to be something valuable. To make it greater, each of us, they thought, ought to give up his share which he had up to that moment made. Upon this the soldiers to a man signed a paper revoking their portion of the gold. The best ship in the fleet, with full supplies of stores and fifteen sailors, we chose to convey the treasure to Spain.

With the ship we agreed also to send letters telling his majesty of our adventures. In that account, drawn up by all the officers and soldiers, we did not