Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 16.djvu/355

 commeth to passe, except it be by the iust iudgement of God, that of so much gold and precious stones as haue beene gotten in the Antiles by so many Spaniards, little or none remaineth, but the most part is spent and consumed, and no good thing done.

In this yeere 1524. Cortes sent one Christopher de Olid with a fleete to the Island of Cuba to receiue the vitailes and munition which Alonso de Contrares had prepared and to discouer and people the countrey about Cape De Higueras and the Honduras; and to send Diego Hurtado de Mendoça by sea, to search the coast from thence euen to Darien to finde out the Streit which was thought to run into the South sea, as the Emperour had commanded. He sent also two ships from Panuco to search along the coast vnto Florida. He commanded also certaine brigandines to search the coast from Zacatullan vnto Panama. This Christopher de Olid came to the Island of Cuba, and made a league with Diego Velasquez against Cortes, and so set saile and went on land hard by Puerto de Cauallos standing in 10. degrees to the north, and built a towne which he called Triumpho de la Cruz. He tooke Gil Gonzales de Auila prisoner, and killed his nephew and the Spaniards that were with him all sauing one childe, and shewed himselfe an enemie to Cortes, who had spent in that expedition thirty thousand Castellans of gold to doe him pleasure withall.

Cortes vnderstanding hereof the same yeere 1524. and in the moneth of October he went out of the citie of Mexico to seeke Christopher de Olid to be reuenged of him, and also to discouer, carrying with him three hundred Spanish footemen and horsemen, and Quahutimoc king of Mexico, and other great Lords of the same citie.

And comming to the towne called La villa del Espiritu santo, he required guides of the Lords of Tauasco and Xicalanco: and they sent him ten of their principall men for guides: who gaue him also a map of cotton wooll, wherein was painted the situation of the whole countrey from Xicalanco vnto Naco, and Nito, and euen as farre as Nicaragua, with their mountaines, hils, fields, meadowes, vallies, riuers, cities and townes. And Cortes in the meane time