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to have been well puniHied. Sandoval on his arrival at Villa Rica im- 

 mediately arrefted De Grado and fent him prifoner to Mexico, under a 

 guard of Indians, according to the orders of Cortes. Thfrttew gover- 

 nor foon made himfelf very popular amongft the natives by his aj3a- 

 bility and humanity, and he immediately began to put the fort into 

 proper repair. Cortes would not fee De Grado on his arrival, but con- 

 fined him in the ftocks, where he remained two days. I recoiled that 

 the timber whereof thefe were made has a ftrong fmell of garlic. Dc 

 Grado, who was a man of great plaufibility at laft made his peace, and 

 was employed, not in a military capacity, but in one conformable to his 

 talents, being given the office of contador, which had been held by 

 Avila, who was fent as procurador to the Illand of St. Domingo. San- 

 doval had orders to fend the iron-work necelTary for the conftrudtion of 

 two vefTels, which he punctually executed, and the various articles ar- 

 rived fafely in Mexico. 



Cortes, regularly every day after mafs, went to wait on Mon- 

 tezuma, attended by all his officers, and afked him what he would be 

 pleafed to order that they could execute; to which the king ufed to 

 anfwer, thanking him, that he found himfelf perfectly to his fatisfac- 

 tion. Thus, from one fubje6t to another they ufually fell into difcourfe 

 about our holy faith, and the power of our emperor. At other times, 

 Montezuma and Cortes ufed to play at a certain game which they call 

 Totoloque, in which they take aim with golden balls at certain objeds 

 made alfo of gold. I remember once in particular, when Cortes and 

 Alvarado were playing againft Montezuma and his nephew, Monte- 

 zuma jocularly faid that he would not allow Tonatiu, meaning Alva- 

 rado, fo called on account of his handfome perfon, that word meaning 

 the fun, to mark, cxpreffing himfelf in fuch a manner as to imply, 

 that Alvarado did not fay that which was true ; at which we all burft 

 out laughing, becaufe Alvarado was a little addided to exaggeration. 

 When Cortes gained, he gave his winnings to thofe about Montezuma, 

 and when the king gained he did the fame to our foldiers of the guard. 

 Indeed he never kt a day pafs, without making prefents of fome kind 



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