390 



HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



Eight days after this refolution had been taken, Mon- 

 tezuma fent for Cortes a fecond time, and this general 

 was again rendered uneafy. The king told him, that it 

 was no longer necelTary to build veffels, for that a fhort 

 time ago eighteen veffels, fimilar to thofe which had been 

 deftroyed, had arrived at the port of Chalchiuhcuecan, 

 in which he might embark with all his troops ; that he 

 fliould therefore haften his departure, as it was of im- 

 portance to the welfare of the kingdom. Cortes diffem- 

 bled the joy which he received from fuch intelligence, 

 and offering fecret thanks to heaven for having fent him 

 fuch timely alfiflance ; he anfwered the king, that if that 

 fleet was making its voyage towards Cuba, he was rea- 

 dy to depart, but that otherwife it would be requifite to 

 continue the building of his vefiels. He faw and exa- 

 mined the paintings which had been fent to the king of 

 this new armament by the governors upon the coaft, and 

 he did not doubt that it was Spanifh ; but very far from 

 imagining that it was fent againft him, he perfuaded 

 himfelf that it was his commiffioners whom he had fent 

 home the year before to the court of Spain, who were 

 returned, and brought with them the royal defpatches, 

 and a large number of troops for the conqueft. 



This pleafing confolation lafted until the letters of 

 Gonzalez de Sandoval, governor of the colony of Vera 

 Cruz arrived, which acquainted him that that arma- 

 ment, confuting of eleven fliips, and feven brigantines, of 

 eighty-five horfes, eight hundred infantry, and upwards 

 of five hundred feamen, with twelve pieces of artillery, 

 and plenty of warlike ammunition under the command 

 of Panfilo Narvaez, was fent by Diego Velafquez, gover- 

 nor of Cuba, againft Cortes himfelf, as a rebel, vafTal, 

 and traitor to his fovereign. He received this unex- 

 pected 



4 



