enemy than I had counted
lances. In an instant they fell upon us, and we should undoubtedly have
been killed if some Indians of Cinacatan had not hastened to our
assistance and alarmed the rest of our troops, who now likewise forced
their way in between the breaches into the fortress. As soon as the
enemy espied our troops rushing in, they fled precipitately; the women
and children ran off to the other declivity, which was the most
difficult to reach; we, however, followed them closely, and took a
number of them prisoners, besides thirty men. The township was now
entirely in our possession, but we found nothing in it, with the
exception of a few provisions, and we quitted the place almost
immediately again. We then returned along the road leading to Cinacatan,
and formed our camp on the banks of the river where at present Ciudad
Real stands, which is also termed Chiapa de los Espanoles. When we had
arrived here, our captain liberated six of the women and a like number
of the men, and despatched them to their countrymen with offers of
peace, and also to assure them they had nothing further to fear from
us,--on the contrary, we would liberate all the prisoners we had taken.
This message met with a favorable reception, and ambassadors were sent
to us next morning by the inhabitants, who now, for the second time,
declared themselves vassals of our emperor, and, as we had promised, all
the prisoners were instantly restored to their families.

After we had satisfactorily arranged all matters here, Luis Marin
presented the township of Chamula to me as a commendary, for Cortes had
expressly desired him to give me some valuable possession in the
conquered countries. I always stood upon very good terms with Luis
Marin, and he had not forgotten that I was the first man who forced his
way into the town. This place, according to the deeds I received from
Cortes, was given to me in perpetuity, but I only enjoyed the rents
which it produced for little more than eight years, at the end of which
time Ciudad Real was founded, and my commendary became the property of
the inhabitants. When I entered into possession of it, I desired father
Juan to preach to the inhabitants, and to explain our holy religion to
them, with which he willingly complied, and ordered an altar to be
constructed in the town, on which he placed a cross and the image of the
blessed Virgin. Fifteen of the inhabitants allowed themselves to be
baptized, and the father s