end I have sent out
an armed ship, and ransom-money, should it be required by the Indians. I
have ordered the vessel to remain stationary off the promontory of
Cotoche for eight days, to wait for you. Come as speedily as possible;
you may depend upon being honorably treated by me. I am here with eleven
vessels armed with 500 soldiers, and intend, with the aid of the
Almighty and your assistance, to proceed to a place called Tabasco, or
Potonchon; etc."

With this letter the two Indian merchants embarked on board our vessel,
which passed this narrow gulf in three hours, when the messengers with
the ransom-money were put on shore.

After the lapse of a couple of days they actually handed over the letter
to one of the Spaniards in question, who, as we afterwards learnt, was
called Geronimo de Aguilar, and I shall therefore in future distinguish
him by that name. When he had read the letter and received the
ransom-money we had forwarded, he was exceedingly rejoiced, and took the
latter to the cazique his master to beg for his liberation. The moment
he had obtained this he went in quest of his comrade, Gonzalo Guerrero,
and made him acquainted with all the circumstances; when Guerrero made
the following reply:

"Brother Aguilar,--I have united myself here to one of the females of
this country, by whom I have three children; and am, during wartime, as
good as cazique or chief. Go! and may God be with you: for myself, I
could not appear again among my countrymen. My face has already been
disfigured, according to the Indian custom, and my ears have been
pierced: what would my countrymen say if they saw me in this attire?
Only look at my three children, what lovely little creatures they are;
pray give me some of your glass beads for them, which I shall say my
brethren sent them from my country."

Gonzalo's Indian wife followed in the same strain, and was quite
displeased with Aguilar's errand. "Only look at that slave there, (said
she,) he is come here to take away my husband from me! Mind your own
affairs, and do not trouble yourself about us."

Aguilar, however, afterwards made another attempt to induce Gonzalo to
leave, telling him to consider that he was a Christian, and that he
ought not to risk the salvation of his soul for the sake of an Indian
woman. Moreover, he might take her and the children with him if he could
not make up his mind to separate himself from them. Aguilar, however,
might say what he liked, it wa