lers. Nothing could exceed his vigilance
during war, and in the night-time he would make the rounds himself, and
visit the different outposts. He would visit the hut of every soldier,
see that his weapons were ready at hand, and that he had his shoes on.
Those whom he found had neglected anything in this way he severely
reprimanded, and compared them to mangy sheep whose own wool is too
heavy for them. During our expedition to the Honduras, he had a peculiar
infirmity about him which I never observed previously, which was, that
if he could not get some little nap after dinner he became so ill that
he vomited up everything he had eaten. We therefore took the precaution
as soon as he had dined to spread a carpet for him beneath some tree or
elsewhere in the shade, on which he took a short repose; it mattered not
whether it was oppressively hot, or that the rain came down in torrents,
it made no difference to him. During the conquest of New Spain he was
very thin, and had scarcely any _embonpoint_; but after our return from
the Honduras he became excessively fat and big-bellied. When his beard
was beginning to grow grey, he used to dye it black. In New Spain and on
his first return to Castile he was uncommonly generous; but on his
second return thither in the year 1540, he was considered very miserly,
and one of his servants, named Ulloa, actually brought an action against
him for non-payment of wages. If we consider his life after the conquest
of New Spain, we shall find that it was full of troubles and sorrows.
The armaments which he fitted out cost him immense sums of money, from
which he never derived any advantage. Both his expedition to the
Honduras and to California proved very unsatisfactory. I hope, however,
that he may meet with his reward in heaven, and I have every reason to
think he will, because he was an honest cavalier, and a devoted reverer
of the blessed Virgin, of the holy apostle St. Peter, and of other
saints. May the Almighty pardon his sins, and mine also; and may he also
grant me a happy death, for this is of more importance than all our
conquests and victories over the Indians.

CHAPTER CCV.

_Of the brave officers and soldiers who sailed from the island of
Cuba with the fortunate and spirited captain Hernando Cortes,
afterwards marquis del Valle._

First I have to mention the marquis Don Hernando Cortes himself, who
died at Castilleja de la Cuesta, near Seville. Then come the