( 400 ) 



concealed them with the baggage, until through hunger they had kiKed 

 and eaten them, dreffing the bodies in their manner, which is, by a, 

 kind of oven made with heated ftones which are put under ground. 

 On enquiry it was alfo found out that they had done the fame with two 

 of our guides who had fled from us, but were retaken. Cortes feverely 

 reprehended all thofe concerned, and one of the reverend father Fran- 

 cifcans preached a holy and wife fermon on the occafion, after which, 

 by way of example, the general caufed one againfl: whom it was moll 

 clearly proved to be burnt; for though all were equally guilty, yet in 

 the prefent circumftances one example was judged fufficient. As for 

 our poor muficians with their iriflruments, their fackbuts, and dulci- 

 mers, they felt the lofs of the regales and feafts of Caftille, and now 

 their harmony was ftopt, excepting one only, whom the foldiers ufed 

 to curfe whenever he ftruck up, faying it was maiz and not mufic that 

 they wanted. Some perfons have a(ked me how it happened that fince 

 neceflity has no law, we did not, rather than ftarve, lay our hands on 

 the herd of pigs which Cortes brought with him. To this I reply that 

 they were not within our fight or reach, and the general's fteward, who 

 was a fly artful fellow, faid that they had all been eaten by the alliga- 

 tors in crofling the river. But in reality they had them four days march 

 behind the army. On our route we made crofles in the living trees, 

 and put infcriptions on them faying, " here pafled Cortes and his army 

 *' at fuch a time. 



The Indians of Tamaztepeque fent forward to our next ftation, 

 Ciguatepecad, to inform the people of our approach, and remove their 

 apprehenfions. They alfo, to the number of twenty attended us thither, 

 where, being arrived and halted, Cortes was anxious to know the courfe 

 ©f a large river which flows by that town. Upon enquiry he found 

 that it difcharged itfelf in certain inlets of the fea, near the towns named 

 Gueyatafta, and Xicalango, and thereby he thought that he could 

 conveniently fend two Spaniards to the north coafl:, to obtain informa- 

 tion relative to his fliips. One of his meflengers was Francifco de 

 Medina, to whom he gave a joint commifllon of captam with Simon de 



Cuenca 



