Page:Vol 2 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/131

 

first step of Cortés on learning of Garay's arrival had been to despatch Alvarado in advance with all the forces ready for the Guatemalan campaign. He himself prepared to follow with additional troops, and had already sent his equipage to the first camp beyond Mexico, when, on September 2d, a messenger arrived with despatches from Spain, including a royal cédula forbidding Garay to interfere in any district conquered or held by Cortés. This document made his presence in Pánuco unnecessary, and he gladly availed himself of his good fortune to escape from the hardships of a march which might prove fatal

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