ABSTRACT
Cortés embarked at Puerto de Caballos, and took in his company many soldiers, both those whom he had brought from Mexico and those Gonzalo de Sandoval sent him, and with fair weather he arrived at the Port of Trujillo in six days. As soon as the inhabitants who lived there, who had been left as settlers by Francisco de las Casas, knew that it was Cortés, they all went down to the beach, which was near by, to receive him and kiss his hands, for many of them were outlaws who had been turned out of Panuco and had advised Cristóbal de Olid to rebel ; they had been banished from Panuco, as I have related in the chapter that tells about it. As they knew themselves guilty they implored Cortés to pardon them, and Cortés with many blandishments and promises embraced them all and pardoned them. Then they went to the church and after evening prayers they lodged him as well as they were able, and gave him an account of all that had happened to Francisco de las Casas and Gil Gonzáles de Ávila, and for what reason they had beheaded Cristóbal de Olid, and how they had started in the direction of Mexico, and how they had brought to peace some pueblos of that Province. After Cortés had thoroughly understood, he honoured them all by addressing each, and confirming them in their offices as they then held them, except that he made his cousin Sayavedra, for so he was called, Captain General of those provinces, which met with their approval. Cortés then sent to summon the people of all the neighbouring pueblos, and when they heard the news that it was the Captain Malinche, for so they called him, and they knew that he had conquered Mexico, they came promptly at his summons and brought presents of food. As soon as the caciques of the four most important pueblos were assembled, Cortés spoke to them through Doña Marina and told them things touching our holy faith, and that we were all vassals of a great Emperor named Don Carlos of Austria, who had many great lords as his vassals and had sent us to these parts to do away with sodomy and robberies and idolatry, and to prohibit the eating of human flesh and sacrifices, and they should not rob or make war on one another, but be brothers and treat each other as such. We also came in order that they should give their fealty to so great a King and Lord as he had told them we possessed, and pay tribute by service and from what they might possess, as all of us vassals did, and he told them many other things which Doña Marina knew well how to express, and that those who would not come and submit themselves to the rule of His Majesty he would punish. The two Franciscan friars whom Cortés had brought with him preached very good and holy things to them, which were explained to them by two Mexican Indians who knew the Spanish language, and other interpreters of that language. Moreover Cortés told them that in all matters he would take care that justice was done to them, for that was the order of our Lord and King. Because he used many other arguments and the Caciques understood them very clearly, they replied that they gave themselves as vassals to His Majesty and would do what Cortés ordered them. He at once told them to bring provisions to that town, and he also ordered many Indians to come and bring their axes and fell a wood which stood in the town, so that one could see the sea and harbour from that point. He also ordered them to go in canoes and summon three or four pueblos built upon some islands called the Guanages, which at that time were inhabited, and to bring fish which was plentiful there, and this they did, and within five days the people from the pueblos on the islands arrived, and all brought presents of fish and fowls, and Cortés ordered them to be given some sows and a boar which were found at Trujillo, and some of those which were brought from Mexico so as to raise a breed of them, for a Spaniard told him that it was a good country for them to increase in, if they were let loose on the island without the necessity of guarding them. It turned out as he said, and within two years there were many pigs and they went out hunting them.
