BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF CORTEZ. 



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It was well for Spain and for himself, that the chivalric wish of 

 Cortez was not thwarted, — and that one of the ablest soldiers 

 produced by Castile at that period, was not dwarfed by parental 

 control into a bad lawyer or pestilent pettifogger. 



The attention of our hero was soon directed towards the New 

 World, — the stories of whose wealth had now for upwards of 

 twenty years been pouring into the greedy ear of Spain, — and he 

 speedily determined to embark in the armament which Nicolas 

 de Ovando, the successor of Columbus, was fitting out for the 

 West Indies. This design was frustrated, however, for two years 

 longer, by an accident which occurred in one of his amours ; nor 

 did another opportunity present itself, until, at the age of nineteen, 

 in 1504, he bade adieu to Spain in a small squadron bound to the 

 Islands. 



As soon as Cortez reached Hispaniola, he visited the Governor, 

 whom he had formerly known at home. Ovando was absent, but 

 his secretary received the emigrant kindly, and assured him " a 

 liberal grant of land." "I come for gold" replied Cortez, 

 sneeringly, " and not to toil like a peasant ! " Ovando, however, 

 was more fortunate than the secretary, in prevailing upon the 

 future conqueror to forego the lottery of adventure, for no sooner 

 had he returned to his post, than Cortez was persuaded to accept a 

 grant of land, a repartimiento of Indians, and the office of notary 

 in the village of Acua. Here he seems to have dwelt until 1511, 

 varying the routine of notarial and agricultural pursuits by an 

 occasional adventure, of an amorous character, which involved him 

 in duels. Sometimes he took part in the military expeditions 

 under Diego Velasquez for the suppression of Indian insurrections 

 in the interior. This was the school in which he learned his 

 tactics, and here did he study the native character until he joined 

 Velasquez for the conquest of Cuba. 



As soon as this famous Island was reduced to Spanish authority, 

 Cortez became high in favor with Velasquez, who had received 

 the commission of Governor. But love, intrigues, jealousy and 

 ambition, quickly began to chequer the wayward life of our hero, 

 and estranged him from Velasquez, for the new Governor found, it 

 difficult to satisfy the cravings of those rapacious adventurers who 

 flocked in crowds to the New World, and, in all probability, 

 clustered around Cortez as the nucleus of discontent. It was 

 soon resolved by these men to submit their complaints against 

 Velasquez to the higher authorities in Hispaniola, and the daring 

 Cortez was fixed on as the bearer of the message in an open boat, 

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