ezcuco, which the Indians said, were the departed
souls of Cortes and Dona Marina. But all these were of course infamous
lies, merely invented to flatter the factor, or most likely he had
promulgated them himself.

About this time Francisco de las Casas and Gil Gonsalez de Avila arrived
in Mexico, the officers who, we saw in a former chapter, ordered
Christobal de Oli to be decapitated at Naco. Las Casas, seeing the
disordered state of the government, and that the factor had proclaimed
himself governor of New Spain, publicly declared that the conduct which
had been pursued was bad, and that nothing of all this ought to have
been permitted, as Cortes was still alive. But even if he had perished,
which God forbid, the government ought to have devolved upon a person of
higher rank than the factor, a cavalier of distinction and merit; for
instance, on Pedro de Alvarado, whom, he maintained, ought to be called
to take the government into his hands. The latter's brother, indeed, and
even the treasurer, besides several other of the inhabitants of Mexico,
actually wrote to that officer, requesting him to march, without delay,
to this town, at the head of as large a body of troops as he could
possibly get together, and they would assist him in getting him
proclaimed governor, until some certainty was obtained respecting the
fate of Cortes, and his majesty's pleasure was known as to whom his
successor should be. In consequence of this letter, Alvarado set out on
his march to Mexico, but on the road he changed his mind and returned
to his province, when he heard that the factor threatened to put him to
death, and had already hung Rodrigo de Paz, and cast the licentiate
Zuazo into prison.

The factor had, shortly beforehand, scraped together as much gold as he
possibly could, which he intended forwarding, with secret despatches, to
his majesty in Spain, through his most confidential friend, a certain
Pennas. This was opposed by Las Casas, the licentiate Zuazo, Rodrigo de
Paz, the treasurer, and the accountant, who maintained that it was wrong
to announce Cortes' death to his majesty before they had gained some
certainty as to his fate; but they had no objection to forward the
emperor all the gold arising from the royal fifths; only this should be
done in common, and with the consent of the treasurer and of the
accountant, and not in the factor's name alone. As this gold was put on
board a vessel which was about to set sail for Spa