Page:The Mastering of Mexico.djvu/72

44 a grey mare, the same which Cortes had bought for him with the gold border from his cloak; and she was capitally trained for battle. Juan Velasquez de Leon, a grey mare also, a noble animal full of fire and eager for battle—we commonly called her Bobtail. Cristobal de Olid, a dark, chestnut, fine-spirited horse. Francisco de Montejo and Alonzo de Avila, between them, a sorrel horse of little use in battle. Francisco de Morla, a dark chestnut horse, wonderfully swift and easily guided, while Juan de Escalente had a light chestnut horse with three white stockings, not worth much, and Diego de Ordas had a grey mare that was tolerably good, but not swift. Gonzalo Dominguez, a small, dark chestnut horse, very swift. Pedro Gonzalez de Trujillo had also a chestnut that was a good goer. Moron had a very handy dappled horse, Baena a dappled horse that was a bad leaper. Lares an excellent, light-chestnut goer, Ortiz, the musician, and Bartolome Garcia, between them, a good dark horse, which they called The Mule-driver, and Juan Sedeno, a chestnut mare. This Juan Sedeno was thought the richest soldier in the fleet, for he had a ship of his own, his own lading of cassava bread and salt pork, a negro and a horse—and about that time horses and negroes were worth their weight in gold.

Let us turn back for a moment to Diego Velasquez. When he knew for certain that his brother-