x of the country; of which, up to this moment, they had made
no manner of use: these candles were always to be kept burning on the
altar. The principal caziques of the district and village attended mass.
But the chief ornaments there were the eight Indian females, who in the
meantime had remained with their parents and relatives. These were now
baptized after an edifying discourse had preceded the ceremony. The
niece of the fat cazique, a very ugly woman, was named Dona Catalina,
and presented to Cortes, who accepted her with every appearance of
delight. The daughter of Cuesco, on the other hand, was most beautiful
for an Indian female, and received the name of Dona Francisca, and fell
to the lot of Puertocarrero. The six remaining young women, whose names
I have totally forgotten, were given to some other of our soldiers.

The mass and baptismal ceremony being concluded, the caziques and
principal personages took their leave, and from this moment the best
feeling subsisted between us, for they were highly delighted that Cortes
had accepted their daughter. We, therefore, returned to our new town
Vera Cruz amidst the most joyous professions of friendship, and we shall
soon see what happened there.

The good reader, however, may feel assured that nothing of any
consequence further took place at Sempoalla than what I have related,
and that herein Gomara and the other historians have completely erred.

CHAPTER LIII.

_How we arrived in our town of Vera Cruz, and what happened there._

We arrived at Vera Cruz, in company of the most distinguished personages
of Sempoalla, on the same day that a ship had run in there from Cuba.
The captain's name was Francisco de Saucedo, but we always called him
the gallant, from his extravagance in beautifying his outward person,
being altogether a perfect fop. He was said to have been at one time
butler to the admiral of Castile, and was born at Medina de Rioseco.
Along with him were ten soldiers, and a certain Luis Marin, a most
distinguished officer, who afterwards became one of our chief commanders
in the Mexican campaigns. Both the former had horses, one a stallion,
and the other a mare. These men brought us intelligence that Diego
Velasquez had obtained authority from Spain to trade and found colonies
wherever he liked, and was appointed adelantado of Cuba. All this
pleased his adherents excessively, in particular the latter preferment.

The building of the fortress ha