Page:The Mastering of Mexico.djvu/42

16, the king, to whom I shall write, will reward you. Therefore, my son, join yourself to the fleet I am getting ready, and I will tell the captain to treat you with honor,"

The account we had brought back that houses in the newly discovered country were built of stone, had spread a vast idea of the riches of its people, and, added to this, one of our Indians had said there was gold. So soldiers, and settlers who owned no Indians in Cuba, were eager to go to the new land, and in a very short time we mustered two hundred and twenty companions. Every one of us, out of his own funds, furnished what he could of arms, stores and other things for himself.

With four men of courage and energy and means Velasquez soon came to terms—one of them, Juan de Grijalva, a kinsman of his, was to have chief command of the expedition, while the other three should each control a ship. These officers were also to furnish stores of cassava bread and salt pork, and Diego Velasquez to provide crossbows, guns, and supply of beans, and beads and other things for barter.

The instructions Velasquez gave our officers, so far as I could learn, were to barter for all the gold and silver they could find, and to form a settlement, If they deemed it advisable; if not, then to return to Cuba.