Chap. ni. for the Redu&ion </ N E w Spain. 6 7 
ment his Order had occafioned among the Soldiers, and 
the Danger the Town had been in by the Commotion, 
and concluded his Letter with advihng him to regain 
Cortes by Afts of Friendihip, by adding new Favours to 
thofe he had already bellowed, and relying on his Grati- 
tude for what could not be compalTed either by Perfuafion 
or by Force. 
5. A Brigantine of moderate Burden having joined the 
ten VelTels which compofed his Fleet, Cortes diftributed 
his Men into eleven Companies, putting one on board 
each Veffel j and named, for Captains, JmnVelafquez de 
Leon^ Alonfo Fernmidez Portocarrero^ Francifco de Montejo^ 
Chrijioval de Olod^ Juan de Efculante^ Francifco de Mirla^ 
Pedro de Alverado^ Francifco Saucedo, and Diego de Ordaz, 
who he had not fent out of the way witli an Intention to 
forget him, nor was he willing to difoblige him, by not 
giving him an Employment. Fie referved for himfelf 
the Command of dcitCapitana, and intrufted the Care of 
the Brigantine to Gines di Flortes. The Command of 
the Artillery he bellowed upon Francifco de Orozco^ a 
Soldier, who had fignalized himfelf in the Wars in 
Italy and chofe for his chief Pilot Antonio d& Alaminos^ 
a Man of Experience in thofe Seas, having ferved in the 
fame Quality in the two Voyages oi Francifco Hernandez 
de Cordova^ and Juan de Grijalva. 
Fie drew up Inftrudlions for his Ofncers, wherein, 
with fmgular Forefight, he provided againll Contingen- 
cies j and the Day of Embarkation being come, they 
celebrated a Mafs of the Holy Gholl with great Solem- 
nity, at which all the Soldiers very devoutly affilled, re- 
commending to God the Beginning of an Enterprize, 
the Succefs of which they expe6led from his Divine 
Alhllance j and Hernan Cortes., as the firll Acl of his 
Command, gave the 'Word St. Peter., thereby acknow- 
ledging him the Patron of this Expedition as he had been 
of all his Adlions from his Childhood. After which he 
ordered Pedro de Alverado to fail for the North Coall, in 
fearch of Diego de Ordaz in Guanicayiico, and, after they 
were joined, to wait for the Fleet at Cape St. Antonio. 
The reft of the Veftels had Inftruclions to follow the 
Capitana., and, Ihould they be feparated by contrary 
Winds, or any other Accident, to ftand for the lile of 
Cozumel, difcovered by Juan de Grijalva, which was but 
little diftant from the Land they were in fearch of, and 
where Cortes purpofed to confider and refolve on what 
ftiould be moll neceftary for the Profecution of their 
Enterprize. 
In fine, they departed from the Havanna the i oth of 
February, 1519. The Wind at firft was favourable, 
but did not long continue fo, for at Sun-fet there arofe a 
furious Storm, which put them in great Diforder •, and 
when the Night came, the Ships were obliged to feparate, 
that they might not run foul of each other, and to put 
right before the Wind. The Ship that Francifco de Mirla 
commanded fuffered moll, a Break of the Sea carrying 
away the Rudder, whereby he was in great Hazard of be- 
ing loft •, but the Storm ended with the Night, and as foon 
as they had Light enough to diftinguilh Objefts, Cortes 
was the firft who came up with the Ship in dahger ; the 
reft followed his Example, and the Damage ftie had fuf- 
fered was foon repaired. At this time Pedro de Alve- 
rado, who was gone in fearch of Diego de Ordaz-, difco- 
vered, by Day-break, that the fame Storm, had forced 
him into the Gulph a great way farther than he imagined ; 
for, in order to keep clear of the Shore, he had been 
obliged to put out into the open Sea, as leaft dangerous. 
The Pilot found by his Compafs and Chart, that he was 
fallen very far from the Courfe prefcribed to him, and 
was at fuch a Diftance from Cape St. Antonio, that his 
Return would have been very difficult ; wherefore he 
propofed it, as moft advifeable, to fail directly for the 
Me of Cozumel t Alverado left it to his own Choice, re- 
prefenting to him the Order of Cortes, after fuch a man- 
ner as looked as if he difapproved it. 
Hereupon they continued the Voyage, and arrived at 
the Eland two Days before the Fleet. They landed with 
a Defign to lodge themfelves in a fmall Town near the 
Coaft, y/eil known to the Captain and fome of the Sol- 
diers fiace the Voyage of Grijalva, but they found it 
deferred ; for the Indians, upon the firft Notice that the 
Spaniards were landed, abandoned their Houfes, retiring 
farther into the Country. Pedro de Alverado was a young 
Man of Spirit and Valour, well qualified where he re- 
ceived Orders, but of too little Experience to give them. 
He had a miftaken Notion, that while the Fleet was 
coming, any thing but Inacftion v/ould be a Virtue in a 
Soldier, and therefore ordered his Men to march, and to 
take a View of the inner Part of the Ifland ; and at a little 
more than a League diftance they found another Town 
forfaken in the fame manner, but not fo entirely un- 
furniffied as the former, for there were fome Cloths and 
Provifions, which the Soldiers feized as Spoils of an 
Enemy ; and in a Temple of one of their Idols they 
found many Jewels v/hich ferved to adorn it, and fome 
Inftruments for facrificing, made of Gold mixed with 
Copper, which, though of fmall Value, they took away. 
This Expedition did by no means promote the Service 
they were upon, but, on the contrary, frighted the In- 
dians, and croffed the Defign of gaining their Friendihip. 
Pedro de Alverado grew fenfible that he had made a falfe 
Btep, and retired to his firft Poll, having taken three 
Prifoners, two Men and one Woman, who furrendered 
without any Oppofition. 
6. The next Day Cortes arrived with the Whole Fleets 
having fent to Diego de Ordaz, at Cape It. Antonio, : to 
join him •, fufpecling, as it proved, that the Storm would 
hinder Alverado from executing his Orders, and though 
inwardly well pleafed to find him there in fafety, he com- 
manded the Pilot to be imprifoned, and reprimanded the 
Captain very feverely, for not purfuing his Inftrudlions, 
as well as for his Prefumption in marching up and down 
the Ifland, permitting his Soldiers all the v/hile to rob and 
plunder the Inhabitants. 
He did all this publickly, delivering his Reproof in a 
fet Speech, which not only contained his Sentiments, but his 
Reafons alfo why he thought it fo great a Fault, inafmuch 
as it tended to leflfen the Reputation of the Spaniards, and 
to defeat the Defign of the whole Voyage. To repair 
this Miftake, however, as well as he could, he immedi- 
ately fent for the three Prifoners, and, having fet them at 
Liberty, caufed both their Gold and their Cloths to 
be reftored to them, and then, joining his own Indian, 
Melchior, who was the only Interpreter he had, his Com- 
panion being dead, he fent them away with a great 
many Prefents for their Cazique, with Orders to alfure 
them, that he highly difapproved of whatever had been 
done to their Prejudice ; and that he v/as firmly refolved to 
do every thing in his Power to merit their Friendihip. To 
prevent any new Difputes, which he thought it his Interelt 
to avoid, he drew down his Forces ■ to the Sea-fide, and, 
having encamped them there for three Days, he thought 
fit to make a general Review j upon which it appeared, 
that this mighty Army with which he was to undertake 
the Conqueft of the Mexican Empire, confifted of no 
more than Five hundred and eight Soldiers and Officers, 
Sixteen Horfe, and of thofe who did not belong to the 
Army, two Chaplains aad one hundred and nine Pilots, 
Mariners, and Men of other Profeffions. To thefe he 
made a long Speech, in which he reprefented to them, 
that Difcipline was of far greater Advantage than Num- 
bers, exhorting them to obey his Orders pundtually, and 
promifing that his Example Ihould ever give Weight to 
his .Authority. , 
He had fcarce made an End of his Oration before 
Intelligence was brought him, that a confiderable Num- 
ber of Indians were approaching, divided into feveral 
Corps, and without Arms : He drew up his Men, how- 
ever, in Order of Battle, and commanded them to re- 
main under Arms, till it Ihould appear what it was thofe 
People aimed at. The Indians no fooner came in fight, 
than, gazing attentively upon thtSpaniards, they remained 
for fome time without Motion, only whifpering and con- 
fulting among themfelves what they had bell to do. At 
length, perceiving that no Hoftilities were offered, they 
advanced boldly on a hidden, and, mingling 'themfelves 
with the Soldiers, prefented them with Refrefliments, and 
from 
