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to get rid of their importunities, and partly becaufe they were not fit for 

 war, and that it was better to be alone than badly accompanied. He 

 fent Alvarado with them in order to fee them (hipped, and at this time 

 he alfo difpatched De Ordas and Alonzo de Mendoza to Caftille, with 

 certain inftrudlions, the tenor of which we were ignorant of; as we alfo 

 were of what was going on in that country relative to us, except that 

 the Bifhop of Burgos declared us all traitors, and that Diego de Ordas 

 anfwered very well for us, and got for himfelf the order of St. jago, 

 and for his coat of arms the volcano which is between Guaxocingo and 

 Cholula. But thefe affairs fliall be related in their proper time. Cortes 

 alfo fent Captain Alonzo de Avila contador of New Spain, and Francif- 

 co Alvarez, a man of bufinefs, to make a report to the royal court of 

 audience and the brothers of the order of Jerony mites in St. Domingo, 

 of all that had happehed, more particularly relative to Narvaez; and 

 alfo to inform them, how he had punifhed by flavery, thofe guilty of 

 revolt and murders, and n>eant to purfue the fame meafures with all 

 thofe people who adhered to the alliance of the Mexicans. He alfo fup- 

 plicated their interefts in reprefenting our faithful fervices to the Empe- 

 ror, and their fupport againfl the roifreprefentations and enmity of the 

 Bifhop of Bujgos. 



Cortes likewife at this time fent a vefTel to Jamaica for horfes, 

 commanded by one De Solis, w^om we afterwards called De Solis de la 

 Huerta. Some will afk how he was able to fend agents to Caflille, to 

 St. Domingo, and Jamaica, without money. To this I reply, that on 

 the night of our retreat from Mexico, though many of our foldiers were 

 killed, yet a confiderable quantity of gold was faved, as the firfl who 

 pafTed fhe bridge were, the eighty loaded Tlafcalans ; fo that though 

 much was loft in the ditches of Mexico, yet all was not left there, and 

 the gold which was brought off by the Tlafcalans, was by them deli- 

 vered to Cortes. But as to us poor foldiers who had no command, but 

 were commanded, it was enough for us to efcape with our lives, and all 

 badly wounded too, without troubling ourfelves what was done with 

 the gold, nor how much of it was brought off; and it was alfo fhrewd- 



ly 



