Page:Vol 2 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/247

Rh The chief expedition sent out in consequence of the revolt was directed to Oajaca, where the most serious slaughter of colonists had taken place, in the Coatlan Mountains. The party consisted of about two hundred men, commanded by Chirinos, who prided himself on his military qualities, and preferred to figure as captain-general, while Salazar was only too glad to rule as sole governor. In these inclinations and qualities of the worthy pair, respectively soldier and diplomat, may be found an explanation for their continued harmony, when all other bonds were disregarded. Chirinos had evidently been content to cede the first place to his partner in civil matters, receiving in turn supreme control in the military department. A still stronger bond was perhaps that both were protégés of the king's secretary, to whom they owed everything. The leading men in Mexico attributed the present elaborate expedition chiefly to the prospect of an encounter with Pedro de Alvarado, who was also supposed to have incited the revolt in Oajaca. However this may have been, Chirinos found occupation enough with the rebels, who, unable to face him on the plains, took refuge in the hills with their treasures, and finally concentrated on the peñol Coatlan, This was impregnable, or nearly so, and the party was obliged to invest it. The siege continued, with gambling and feasting in the camp, until the natives were almost forgotten. The besieged were more watchful, and one night they surprised the camp and killed a number of men before they were driven back.