men were making. We others
were very desirous of sending a few musket-shots after them, but Cortes
would not permit us, saying, we ought to allow them to go off quietly,
and he would communicate with their commander himself. All the prisoners
we made, therefore, were the four above-mentioned, and the two who had
stepped out of the shallop, and we returned to Vera Cruz without having
tasted a morsel of food. Such are the true particulars of the whole
matter, and not as Gomara relates, who even makes Garay himself present
on this occasion, though he did not visit these parts in person until
some time after, having sent the three officers with the vessels before
him. I shall speak more particularly of this in the proper place.

CHAPTER LXI.

_How we set out on our march to the city of Mexico, and, upon the
advice of the caziques, take our road over Tlascalla. What took
place here, and of the battles we fought._

After we had got all in readiness for our march to Mexico, we held a
consultation as to the route we should take. The chiefs of Sempoalla
preferred the road through the province of Tlascalla, as the inhabitants
were friendly with them and deadly enemies of the Mexicans. They had
likewise equipped forty of their best warriors to accompany us, who,
indeed, proved of the greatest utility to us on this journey. They also
gave us 200 porters to convey our cannon; for, at that time, we poor
soldiers had no other baggage than our weapons, with which in hand we
stood, walked, and slept: we had not even any other covering to our
feet than light shoes, but we were always ready for battle. It was about
the middle of the month of August, 1519, that we broke up our quarters
at Sempoalla. During our march we observed the strictest order, while
our sharp-shooters and a great number of our most active men were always
in advance. On the first day we arrived in the township of Xalapa, and
from there to Socochina, which is very strongly situated, the access to
it being very dangerous, and surrounded by numerous trained vine
trees.[20] Dona Marina and Aguilar told the inhabitants a good deal
about our holy religion, and how we were subjects of the emperor Don
Carlos the Fifth, who sent us out to bring them back from kidnapping and
sacrificing human beings. As they were in friendship with the
Sempoallans, and paid no tribute to Motecusuma, we found them very well
inclined towards us, and we received hospitable tr