the trust we
reposed in God, we should not ourselves be wanting in courage and
activity; should we be worsted, which Almighty God forbid, considering
our small numbers we could expect no other assistance than from above,
and that of our own arms, as we had no longer any vessels to return to
Cuba. Cortes then adduced many beautiful comparisons from history, and
mentioned several heroic deeds of the Romans. We answered him, one and
all, that we would implicitly follow his orders, as the die had been
cast, and we, with Caesar, when he had passed the Rubicon, had now no
choice left; besides which, everything we did was for the glory of God
and his majesty the emperor.

After this speech, whose penetrating eloquence and charming powers I am
unable to repeat, Cortes ordered the fat cazique into his presence, and
reminded him of the care and reverence which was due from him to the
church and the cross. For himself he was now about leaving for Mexico;
he added, to oblige Motecusuma, for the future to abolish all robbery
and the human sacrifices. He also told him he should require two hundred
porters to transport our cannon, and fifty of his best warriors to
accompany us.

When we were about to put ourselves in motion a soldier arrived from
Vera Cruz, whom Cortes had despatched there to fetch more men. He
brought a letter from Juan de Escalante, announcing that a vessel had
been seen off the coast, to which he had made various signals by means
of smoke and other things; had hung out white flags and rode up and down
the coast on horseback dressed in scarlet, to attract the attention of
those on board. He did not doubt for an instant but all this had been
observed by the men on-board, yet they made no signs of running into the
harbour. He had made inquiries along the coast as to where the vessel
had put in, and found she was lying at anchor in the mouth of a small
river, at the distance of about nine miles; he therefore awaited Cortes'
orders as to what further steps he was to take. As soon as Cortes had
read the letter he gave the command of all the troops, then at
Sempoalla, to Alvarado conjointly with Gonzalo de Sandoval. This was the
first time Sandoval had been put in command, for those military
qualities, by which he so greatly distinguished himself all the rest of
his life, now began to develop themselves. Properly speaking, the
command ought to have devolved upon Alonso de Avila, which therefore
created ill blood between