( 446 ) 



and all our friends, and Cortes among the reft, fent us prefents of 

 neceffaries, as alfo gold and cocoa for our expences. 



On the next day my friend and I, accompanied by Sandoval and 

 Andres de Tapia, proceeded to wait upon the governor Aguilar, who 

 received us with much politenefs, but declared his inability to make 

 any new arrangements, the whole being left to his Majefty's arbitration ; 

 but that if he was authorifed, he would do every thing that lay in his 

 power to give us fatisfadion. At this time arrived from the Ifland of 

 Cuba, Diego de Ordaz whom I have already mentioned as the circulat- 

 or of the report of our deaths ; he was feverely taxed for his impropri- 

 ety, but moft folemnly denied it to us, averring that he had only written 

 an account -of the unfortunate affair at Xicalonga as it really happened, 

 and any mifreprefentation that was made, the factor was accountable 

 for ; and for the truth of what he alTerted he referred to his letters, 

 Cortes had at this time too much bufinefs on his hands to embarrafs 

 himfelf any further with this ; he therefore thought proper to drop it, 

 and endeavour to refcue his property, which had been difpofed of upon 

 the fuppofition of his death. A great part of it had been appropriated 

 to the expences of celebrating his funeral fervice, and to the faying maf- 

 fes for his foul and ours, to give credit to the report; and thefe 

 perpetual maffes which had been fo purchafed out of the property of 

 Cortes upon the fuppofition of his death, and for the good of his foul, 

 were now that he was found to be alive, and no longer to be in need of 

 them, purchafed by one Juan de Caceres, for the benefit of his own 

 foul, whenever he was to die; fo that Cortes was more removed from 

 the re-attainment of his property than ever. 



Ordas who was a wife man and one of experience in worldly affairs, 

 feeing that Cortes was negledted and had fallen in public effimation 

 fince his being fuperceded by the governor Ponce de Leon, advifed him 

 to affume more confequence and a more fl-ately appearance than his na- 

 tural difpofition prompted him to, in order to maintain the refped: that 



was 



