ba, and arrived there in the space of
forty days, during which time the weather was sometimes favorable and
sometimes boisterous. We were most friendly received by the governor
Diego Velasquez, who was highly delighted with the additional gold we
brought him. Altogether it was well worth 4000 pesos; so that with the
16,000 brought over by Alvarado, the whole amounted to 20,000 pesos.
Some make this sum greater, some less; but one thing is certain, the
crown officials only took the fifths of the last-mentioned sum. When
they were about to take this also of the Indian axes, which we had
mistaken for gold, they grew excessively angry on finding them to be
merely of a fine species of copper; nor did this circumstance fail to
produce the usual laughter at the expense of our trade of barter. Diego
Velasquez, however, appeared perfectly satisfied, though not so with his
relative Grijalva. This was wrong on his part, for it originated solely
in the misrepresentations of Alonso de Avila, a man of a bad
disposition, who did all he could, backed by Montejo, to lower Grijalva
in his eyes. All this--rumour spread--was done in order to fit out
another armament, and select a new commander.

[7] According to Humboldt, the word cue was imported by the Spanish into
New Spain from Cuba. The great temple of Mexico was called by the
Indians teocalli; a word which Torquemada (Monarchia Indiana) thus
explains: "Que es come decir, templo, u casas de Dios;" i.e. "As much as
to say, a temple, or house of God." (p. 36.)

[8] So those Spaniards, who made the first conquests in New Spain,
termed themselves, by way of preference, which name they ever after
retained as an honorary title. Even to this day in Spain it is
considered very distinguishing to be descended from one of the
Conquistadores, and some of the first families there date all their
greatness from one of these bold adventurers. (p. 37.)

CHAPTER XVII.

_Diego Velasquez despatches one of his officials to Spain._

My readers may perhaps think, that what I am now about to relate does
not exactly belong to this history; but in the course of it they will
readily perceive that I have been obliged to notice many circumstances
before I could introduce them to the captain, Hernando Cortes. They
ought also to bear in mind, that it often happens that two or three
things take place at the same moment; in which case there only remains
for the historian to treat of one circumstance