Vera Cruz at the place of his
landing. He caused his men to elect a full corps of municipal officers
from their number. To this organization he frankly resigned his
commission and the power that he had by the appointment of {131}
Velasquez, which the latter had tried so hard to revoke. They
immediately elected him captain-general of the expedition with vastly
increased prerogatives and privileges. Thus he could now, in form at
least, trace his authority to the crown, as represented by this new
colonial municipality and he therefore had behind him the whole power
of the expedition!

With a skill, which showed not only his adroitness, but his
determination, he next caused his men to acquiesce in the scuttling of
the ships which had conveyed them to Mexico! After saving the cordage,
rigging and everything else that might be useful, which was carefully
stored away in the little fort rapidly building, the vessels were
destroyed beyond repair. Before this was done, Cortes offered to
reserve one ship for certain malcontents and partisans of Velasquez in
which they might return if they wished. Nobody took advantage of his
offer.

By this bold and original stroke, he added to his expeditionary force
some one hundred and twenty hardy mariners, who thereafter took part
with the soldiery in all the hazards and undertakings. With,
therefore, less than six hundred men, sixteen horses, ten small cannon,
and one woman, Cortes prepared to undertake the conquest of this mighty
empire. It was a small force, but its fighting quality was
unsurpassed. Lew Wallace thus characterizes them:

"It is hardly worth while to eulogize the Christians who took part in
Cortes's crusade. History has assumed their commemoration. I may say,
however, they were men who had acquired fitness for the task by service
in almost every clime. Some had tilted with the Moor under the walls
of Granada; some had {132} fought the Islamite on the blue Danube; some
had performed the first Atlantic voyage with Columbus; all of them had
hunted the Carib in the glades of Hispaniola. It is not enough to
describe them as fortune-hunters, credulous, imaginative, tireless;
neither is it enough to write them soldiers, bold, skilful, confident,
cruel to enemies, gentle to each other. They were characters of the
age in which they lived, unseen before, unseen since; knights errant,
who believed in hippogriff and dragon, but sought them only in lands of
gold; missi