( 69 ) 



yoke of that monarch, he had feized all his gold, and now held him 

 compktely enthralled. 



Cortes promifed that he would foon take fuch meafures as fhoiild 

 free him from the tyranny he complained of. The cacique then made 

 a very difcreet anfwer, and they parted for the prefent. On the enfuing 

 day we quitted this place attended by above four hundred Indians to 

 carry our baggage. Thefe perfons are called Tamcnes r they carry a 

 burthen of about jfifty pounds for the fpace of five leagues, where they 

 are relieved; and we undcrftood that in peaceable and orderly times, in 

 thefe countries, each cacique was obliged, on demand, to provide them 

 through his diftridl. At night we arrived at a village hard by the 

 town of Quiaviftlan, where wc found a good fupper provided for us 

 by the care of the fat cacique.. 



At ten o'clock in the forenoon of the enfuing day, wc entered the 

 fortified town of Quiaviftlan, fituated upon a rock of very difEcult 

 afcent, with our artillery in the front. Though I may be charged with 

 breaking in upon my narrative- to relate old flories, I muft mention, 

 that as we were marching up to this place, Captain A. de Avila, an ill- 

 tempered man, being angry with a foldier named Villanueva for break- 

 ing his rank, gave him a thruft of his lance in the arm which lamed 

 him ever after; he was therefore in future called Villa nueva el Man- 

 quillo. We advanced to the middle of the city without any refiftance, 

 cr even meeting an individual ; but on approaching the temples, which 

 were upon the principal fquare, we faw fifteen perfons dreffcd in rich 

 mantles, who approaching Cortes prefented him with incenfe, and 

 apologizing for the abfence of the people, through fear, invited us to 

 repofe ourfelves, and promifed that before night the inhabitants fhould 

 return. Cortes informed them of that which related to our miffion, in 

 the fervice of our great emperor, and holy faith, and prefenting them 

 with fome trinkets, deiired that they would fend us a fupply of pro- 

 Tilions, which they inflantly did. 



Gortes 



