edition in order to support him with his good counsel. Cortes
very well knew what kind of man Rangel was; that he was not fit for any
kind of service, as he constantly suffered from ill health. He was
gouty, had large swellings in his groins, was covered all over with
sores, and so debilitated in strength that he could scarcely move along
on his thin ulcerated legs. Cortes consequently refused this man his
unreasonable request, representing to him what a ferocious people the
Zapotecs were, and how excessively difficult it was to subdue a people
like this who inhabited rugged mountains covered with eternal mists;
that no cavalry could penetrate into their country, or, at most, they
were wholly useless there; how, owing to the narrow and steep mountain
paths, his men would only be able to march one abreast, and then with
great risk of their lives, from the slippery state of the ground, which
was covered with perpetual dew. For an expedition of this nature,
continued Cortes, the most experienced and robust of soldiers were
required, who thoroughly understood the art of war. Rangel, however, was
a very conceited fellow, and also a native of Medellin, and solicited so
strongly that Cortes at length granted him his request; but, from what
we afterwards heard, it would appear that Cortes only gave way to him to
rid himself for ever of this man, who was of a malicious disposition,
thinking he would never survive this campaign. However, this is very
little to the purpose, and I will rather acquaint the reader that
letters arrived from Cortes to twelve of us soldiers who had settled in
Guacasualco, with orders for us to accompany Rangel on this expedition.
I was likewise among the number, and it happened that all twelve of us
were neighbours.

I have already informed the reader, in a previous chapter, that the
country of the Zapotecs consists of high mountains; how nimble and
courageous the inhabitants are, and how they communicate with each other
by means of piping, the shrill sound of which reechoes through all the
valleys. In such a place it may readily be imagined that a man like
Rangel, and the troops under such a leader, would not be able to achieve
anything. Wherever we came, the inhabitants had fled away; besides
which, the houses were not built together as in other townships of New
Spain, but straggling about, some on the mountains, others in the
valleys. The rainy season had just set in when we arrived in this wild
coun