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entirely, attaching them fmcerely to his intereft, and all by the foftening 

 effects of gold. 



♦ 



We now proceeded to the fortrefs of Quiabuifllan, and on our 

 march thither along the coall, I recoiled that we paffed a great fifu 

 which was left behind by the tide. We then arrived at a river where 

 the prefent town of Vera Cruz is built, and croffed it to a village on the 

 oppofite fide. The diftrid: was fubjedt to the great town of Cempoal, 

 to which the five Indians belonged who vifited us with golden orna- 

 ments in their under lips. In fome temples we found the inftruments 

 and remains of human facrifices, much plumage of parrots, and books 

 of the paper of the country, folded in the manner of cloth of Caftillej 

 but the natives had all fled, and no provifions were to be found. 



We now quitted the coaft, and ftruck into the country towards the 

 weft, where, in fome large plains without any beaten track, we faw 

 herds of deer feeding. Alvarado with his fwift chefnut mare gave 

 chace to one of them, which he wounded with his lance, but the ani- 

 mal efcaped from him into the woods. Juft at this time twelve Indians 

 came to us, bearing provifions; they had been fent by their chief with 

 an invitation to go to his town, which was diftant one day's journey. 

 Cortes thanked them, and wc proceeded on, to a town where we halted 

 for the night. We found here the remains of human facrifices, both of 

 men and women, with the repetition of the further details of which, I 

 will not tire the reader. 



Early in the morning we proceeded under the condud; of our 

 fi-iendly Indians, and fent forward to the chief of Cempoal to inform 

 him of our approach. When we came within a league of the place, we 

 were met by twenty principal perfons, who prefenting Cortes and the 

 cavalry with very odoriferous flowers tied in bunches, told him, that 

 they came with an excufe on the part of their chief, who was fo 

 fat and unwieldy that he was not able to come out, but had fent them 

 to invite us to his town. Cortes thanked them, and we proceeded. 



K % When 



