brought him Cortes or Sandoval dead or alive, should receive
the reward of 2000 pesos.

The command of the small detachment at the river he gave to a certain
Hurtado and Gonzalo Carrasco, who is now living at Puebla. The
watch-word of Narvaez's men, during the battle, was to be Santa Maria!
Santa Maria! It was also regulated that a strong body of men should be
posted in his quarters during night-time, and like divisions in those of
Salvatierra, Gamarra, and Juan Bono.

These were Narvaez's preparations; we must now see what was going on in
our camp.

CHAPTER CXXII.

_The order of our march against Narvaez; the speech Cortes made to
us; and our reply to it._

After we had arrived at the above-mentioned brook, about four miles from
Sempoalla, we halted in a beautiful meadow by which it was skirted, and
posted our sentinels, consisting entirely of men on whom we could place
implicit reliance. Cortes, seated on horseback, ordered all the officers
and men to assemble around him; he then craved a few moments' silence,
and addressed us in a speech replete with flattering expressions and
vast promises.

He began with our departure from Cuba, mentioned all the fatigues we had
undergone up to that moment, and then continued: "You are perfectly
aware, gentlemen, that the governor of Cuba did appoint me
captain-general of the armament, though many cavaliers among you were
equally deserving of it; you must also remember that you left Cuba with
the supposition you were going to found a colony in this country. It was
under this pretence that the public were invited to join the expedition,
and yet it afterwards appeared that the armament was merely fitted out
for commercial speculation. I was preparing to act up to the
instructions I had received, and was ready to return to Cuba, in order
to render Diego Velasquez a full account of all our proceedings, when
you desired me,--yes, you compelled me, to form a settlement here in the
name of our emperor, in which we, with God's assistance, have indeed so
far succeeded. You then elected me captain-general and chief justice of
New Spain, to continue vested with such power until we should know his
majesty's pleasure on that head. Once, subsequently, there indeed again
arose a dispute respecting the necessity of returning to Cuba; but this
I need not mention, as it is still fresh in every one's memory; however,
it became afterwards our universal conviction, that the deter