e factor
still feared the inhabitants of Mexico might each moment rise up in arms
against him, and a desperate conflict ensue, he ordered all the arms to
be taken out of the arsenal, and had them brought into his palace, in
front of which he mounted all the cannon of the fortress, and those
which served for the protection of the harbour. The chief command of
this park of artillery he gave to Don Luis de Guzman, a relative of the
duke of Medina Sidonia. In the same way he formed a body guard, in which
were found the names of Gines Nortes, Pedro Gonsalez Sabiote, and others
of Cortes' soldiers. A certain Artiaga he appointed captain of this
guard.

Zuazo advised our general to use the utmost circumspection, in case he
should repair in person to New Spain, as other things had happened even
of a worse nature; for instance, the factor had written to acquaint his
majesty that a stamp had been found in Cortes' bureau, with which he was
accustomed to mark the gold that was secretly brought to him by the
Indians, thereby to avoid paying the royal fifth.

In order that Cortes might form some notion as to how matters stood in
Mexico, he (Zuazo) would give him the following instance: One of the
Spanish inhabitants of Guacasualco had come to Mexico, to apply for some
property, which had become vacant by the death of one of the settlers
there. In Mexico he happened to lodge with a Spanish woman, who had
married a second time, on the supposition that her former husband had
perished with Cortes; he reproached her for having married again, and
assured her that Cortes and the whole of us were still alive. All this
was reported to the factor, who instantly despatched four alguacils to
bind him hand and foot, in which way he was dragged to prison. He would
even have hung him for creating sedition, but the poor fellow, whose
name was Gonsalo Hernandez, swore that he had only said it to console
the woman, for she still bitterly mourned the loss of her husband. He
further said, that he was quite sure we were all cut off to a man by the
Indians, for he had received positive information of it. This confession
of Hernandez made all right again; he obtained the property for which
he had petitioned, but was ordered to quit Mexico forthwith, and
assured that, if he ever again mentioned a word about Cortes being
alive, he would, undoubtedly, be put to death.

Zuazo also communicated the mournful death of the excellent father
Olmedo, who died shor