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Cuenca, his officer whom he had employed to freight and command 

 the fhips. De Medina was an able and diligent man, and well ac- 

 quainted with the country ; it would have been better however on the 

 prefent occafion if he had not been entrufted with fuch powers as will 

 appear. De Medina having gone down the river to meet the vefllls, and 

 having arrived at Xicalonga where they were at anchor, waiting to hear 

 from Gortcs, prefented the general's letters to Cuenca, and alfo pro- 

 duced his own commiffion as captain. A difpute immediately enfued 

 between thefe two officers relative to the chief command, and each being 

 fupported by a party, they had recourfe to arms, and fought until there 

 were not eight Spaniards on both fides left alive. When the neighbour- 

 ing Indians perceived this they fell upon the furvivors, put them to 

 death, and deftroyed the two fliips, io that we did not, for two years 

 and a half, know what was -become of them. 



We were informed at our prefent quarters, that the town of Guey- 

 acala was diftant three days march from us, and that our way was acrofs 

 deep rivers and trembling marches. Cortes accordingly fent two foldiers 

 to examine them, who, founding and trying the rivers, came back and 

 reported that they were pafTable by conftrucfting wooden bridges acrofs 

 them, but as to the marfhes, which lay more diftant, and which were 

 the moft material, they made no examination at all. Cortes alfo fent 

 me and one Gonzalo de Mexia forward to Gueyacala, with fome guides 

 who offered themfelves from our prefent quarters. We fet out accord- 

 ingly, but in the night our Indians left us, for it feemed that the two 

 nation^ were at war, and we were now forced to rely entirely on our- 

 felves. When we arrived at the firft town belonging to the diftrid: of 

 Gueyacala, which is the chief over about twenty others, the inhabitants 

 of it fhewed fome figns of jealoufy, but we foon reconciled them. This 

 diftrid: is much interfered by lakes, rivers, and trembling marfhes. 

 Some of the dependent towns are in iflands, and all the communication 

 is by canoes. We invited the chiefs to go and wait upon Cortes, but 

 this they declined on account of the hoftility between the two nations. 

 It feems that on the firft day of our arrival they had no idea of our force, 



Fff bu*: 



