nd those of other
townships, whose names I have forgotten; after these came the Quilenes,
and other tribes who speak the Zoque language. All these tribes
expressed their utter astonishment that we should have been able to
vanquish the Chiapanecs with so small a body of men, but were
excessively rejoiced, for the whole of them were at enmity with this
people.

We remained altogether five days in Chiapa, during which time father
Juan celebrated the holy mass, confessed many of our men, and preached
several sermons to the Indians in their own language, of which he
possessed considerable knowledge. The inhabitants listened to him with
great delight, knelt down before the cross, and promised they would
allow themselves to be baptized. They became indeed excessively fond of
father Juan, and said we appeared to be a very good kind of people.
While we were thus living on the most friendly terms with the
inhabitants, one of our men, without asking our captain's leave, quitted
the camp with eight Mexicans, and marched to the township of Chamula,
which had already submitted to our arms without offering any resistance.
This man demanded, in the name of his captain, gold ornaments from the
inhabitants, of which they gave him a small quantity; but finding at
length he could exact no more from them, he took the principal cazique
prisoner, which presumptuous behaviour so exasperated the inhabitants,
that at first they were going to kill the Spaniard, but for the moment
contented themselves by rising up in arms, and persuaded their
neighbours of Quehuiztlan to do the same. When Luis Marin received
intelligence of this, he ordered the guilty Spaniard to be brought into
his presence, and immediately sent him off to Mexico, there to appear
before the tribunal of Cortes, being unwilling to punish him himself, as
he was a person in high authority; nor will I, for the sake of his
honour, mention his name at present, as I shall again have occasion to
speak about him, for he afterwards committed an offence of a more
criminal nature, and was, upon the whole, very cruel to the Indians.
Luis Marin then sent a messenger to the Chamulans, desiring them to
return to their former obedience, as he had sent the Spaniard who had
offended them to Mexico, where he would meet with severe punishment; but
they returned a most impudent answer to this message, which we were the
more determined to resent, as they had incited their neighbours of the
surrounding