nt necessity when a person was severely wounded, or unable to do
duty; for we should be prepared to receive the enemy at a moment's
notice.

Besides these the usual articles of war were again read over, which,
among other things, threatened punishment of death to the sentinel who
deserted his post or fell asleep while on duty. The same punishment
would be inflicted on any soldier who left his quarters without his
captain's permission, or who left his commanding officer in a moment of
danger and took to flight.

CHAPTER CXLIX.

_The manner in which Cortes selects the men who were to row the
brigantines; of the commanders who were appointed to each, and of
other matters._

Cortes on selecting the men who were to serve on board the brigantines
could not find a sufficient number of sailors to row them. All the
sailors who had come with us, with Narvaez, and with the vessels which
had recently arrived from Jamaica, had been duly noted down, but even
then there was not a sufficient number. Besides which many would not
condescend to this work, saying, it was unreasonable to think of making
rowers of them.

Cortes then turned his attention to those who daily went out a fishing,
and found they were mostly natives of Palos, Moguer, Triana, or other
coast towns, which were celebrated for producing capital sailors. All
these persons were commanded under threats of severe punishment, to
enter without delay upon the service of the brigantines. Many, indeed,
who were men of noble birth, remonstrated with our general, and told
him, it was insulting to think of setting them to such work; but Cortes
paid no respect to persons, and by these means he mustered one hundred
and fifty capital oars, who indeed had better days of it than we who had
to fight on the causeways, and obtained a much greater share of booty
than we did, as will be sufficiently seen hereafter.

As soon as each brigantine was fully equipped for war, Cortes ordered a
flag, bearing the royal arms, to be hoisted; and a second one, bearing
the number of the vessel. The following were the commanders appointed:
viz. Pedro Barba, Garcia Holguin, Juan de Limpias, the deaf Carvajal,
Juan Xaramillo, Geronimo de la Mota, the other Carvajal, who now lives
at an advanced age in the street San Francisco; a certain Portillo, an
excellent soldier, who had just arrived from Spain and had brought a
beautiful wife with him. The naval captain Zamora, who lives at