ico, if at least he was not
desirous of starving us to death. To all this suffering was added, that
we now saw before us nothing but terrific mountains, which almost hid
the very heavens from our view. Though some of us climbed to the tops of
the highest trees, all we could see was one huge pile of mountains
frowning above the other on every side. Besides this, two of our Indian
guides had secretly decamped, and the third was so ill, that he was
unable to move along, and had so far lost his recollection, that he
could give us no information as to which way we were to bend our steps.
But as Cortes was a man who never shrunk back from any difficulty, and
whose active mind was never at a loss, he ordered the pilot Pedro Lopez
to bring him the compass, which he placed on our map of nequen cloth
above mentioned, and then desired him to point out the direction we were
to take, in order to reach the nearest township. In accordance with
Lopez's instructions, we commenced cutting our way through the woods in
an easterly direction, and moved up the mountains. It was here that our
general himself declared he should be quite at a loss what to do, if we
did not reach some township by the next day.

Although every one of us would gladly have marched back to New Spain at
this moment, yet, strengthened by hope, we continued our difficult
route, and in a short time it pleased God we should come up to a tree
which had been recently cut down, and a little further on to a small
footpath. Pedro Lopez and myself, who were a good bit in advance, with
several of the men, to explore the way, instantly hastened back to
inform Cortes of our discovery, and to assure him that some habitation
or other must be in the immediate vicinity. Our general, with the whole
of the men, were exceedingly rejoiced at this news; though we found that
we had to cross a river and several marshes before we could reach any
dwellings. By employing our utmost exertions, however, we soon
surmounted these difficulties, and we arrived at a township, from which
the inhabitants had fled on our approach, but leaving behind them a
quantity of maise, beans, and other vegetables, which tasted the more
savoury to us, as we were completely famished. Here our horses likewise
regained their strength, and we offered up our humble thanks to God for
so much mercy. On this last march, Cortes' buffoon and three soldiers,
who had recently arrived from Spain, died from exhaustion. A great
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