was to steer at a venture for the main ocean in
search of islands and new countries; for it was said there were many
islands in the South Sea which produced immense quantities of pearls.
The chief pilot Ximenes was so confident of the good success of this
expedition that he promised the men on board he would steer them to
countries where they would all become rich, and many there were who
firmly believed what he said.

These expectations, however, vanished with the very first night after
the vessels had left the harbour of Guantepec, for a contrary wind
arose, which parted the two vessels, and they never joined again. Very
favorable weather indeed soon returned, and the vessels might easily
have fallen in with each other again if Grijalva had not made direct for
the main ocean in order to evade the superior command of Bezerra, who
was a haughty and ill-disposed man. Grijalva sailed on to the distance
of above 800 miles, and discovered an unknown island, to which he gave
the name of St. Thomas. Bezerra with his vessel had likewise continued
to sail forward, but he soon fell out with the chief pilot Ximenes, who,
with his countrymen of Biscay and a greater part of the troops fell upon
Bezerra in the night, and put him to death, with several of the
soldiers; even greater loss of life would have ensued if two Franciscan
monks who were on board had not interfered, and persuaded Ximenes and
the other conspirators to put them on shore on the coast of Xalisco with
several of the men who were wounded in the scuffle. Ximenes now
continued his course, and came to an island which he named Santa Cruz,
where, according to all accounts, there were fine pearl fisheries. This
island was inhabited by a savage tribe of Indians, and they massacred
Ximenes with the whole of the men who had accompanied him on shore to
take in fresh water. The few sailors who had remained on board put back
with the vessel to the harbour of Xalisco, where they related all that
had taken place and spread a vast account of the large population and
the rich pearl fisheries of the island they had discovered. These
accounts soon reached Mexico, and as may be imagined, were anything but
pleasing to Cortes; but as he was a man whose spirits were not easily
damped by adversity, he determined in future not to trust similar
expeditions to other hands, but to take the chief command himself. By
this time three other fine vessels were lying in readiness at Guantepec,
with