ba which he had loyally served or of the
Mexico of which he was the discoverer and first explorer.

CHAPTER VIII

[Illustration: HERNANDO CORTEZ]

The new Mexican expedition was entrusted by Velasquez to the leadership
of the greatest of all the Spanish conquistadors, Hernando Cortez, then
Alcalde of Santiago de Cuba. This famous man was then, in 1518, only
thirty-three years of age. He had been born in Estremadura, had survived
a particularly weak and sickly childhood, and had studied law at the
University of Salamanca. Leaving the University, he enlisted in the
company of Nicolas de Ovando, also of Estremadura, for an expedition to
America. But on the very eve of sailing he went to bid a tender farewell
to his inamorata; while scaling the garden wall to reach her window he
fell and had part of the wall topple upon him, and in consequence was
laid abed for some time, while Ovando's expedition sailed without him.
Recovering from this mishap, he passed a year or two in obscurity and
poverty, and then secured passage, in 1504, for Hispaniola. His courage
and prowess during a storm which threatened to swamp the vessel made him
a conspicuous member of the company, and on landing at Hispaniola he was
quickly taken into the good graces and the employ of both Velasquez and
Ovando. Having overcome his early delicacy of constitution, he was now a
stalwart, handsome youth, of engaging manners, fine education and much
spirit and capacity in martial adventure; in brief, admirably fitted for
the great career which he was already unconsciously confronting.

We have seen that a mishap in a love affair determined the time and
circumstances of his leaving Spain for the New World. A sequel to that
incident again determined his course. He had enlisted in the expedition
of Diego de Nicuesa bound for Darien when from the old injury from his
garden wall disaster there developed an abscess in his right knee, which
again disabled him for a time and restrained him from going on that
voyage. Had he gone on it, perhaps he might have become the conqueror of
Peru, instead of his fellow Estremaduran, Pizarro, who was a member of
Nicuesa's company, and the discoverer of the Pacific, instead of that
other Estremaduran, Balboa, who went to Darien at a little later date.
Instead, Cortez was detailed by Diego Columbus to go to Cuba as a
secretary to Velasquez. In that capacity he acquitted himself so well
that he received an extensive grant of