it may be imagined, was excessively rejoiced that
things had thus terminated so unexpectedly in his favour, and he exulted
greatly in having the person of Las Casas in his power. He immediately
took the latter's troops into his service, and compelled them to take a
solemn oath never to desert him, but to oppose Cortes if he should come
with an army against him; not until they had promised all this did he
set them at liberty. Las Casas alone he kept a prisoner.

Shortly upon this the detachment also returned which had been sent
against Gil Gonsalez de Avila. This man had arrived in the country with
the appointment of governor of Golfo Dulce, and he had already founded,
at about four miles distance from the bay of the same name, a town which
he called San Gil de Buena Vista. The country bounding on the river
Chipin was at that time inhabited by a very warlike people; and as by
far the greater part of Gil Gonsalez's troops were suffering from ill
health, the latter had only been able to throw a feeble garrison into
the town of Buena Vista. Christobal de Oli had been duly apprized of
this, and ordered the town to be attacked; but his troops could not so
easily get possession of the place as they expected. Avila's small body
of men defended themselves most vigorously, and eight of the soldiers,
with a cousin of his, were killed. Christobal de Oli was both rejoiced
and proud to have taken prisoners the chief commanders of two separate
armaments; and as he bore the character of being an excellent soldier,
which, indeed, no one could deny, and it was of importance to him that
the success of his arms should be made known through the islands, he
immediately sent information of his good fortune to the governor of
Cuba.

After this victory he marched his troops towards the interior of the
country to a large township named Naco, which lay in a very populous
district. It was upon this occasion that Naco was completely destroyed,
and the whole of the surrounding country laid waste, and this I relate
from eyewitness, as I subsequently visited these parts myself, when I
accompanied Cortes on his expedition to the Honduras, of which a full
account will be given in the proper place.

From Naco, Oli sent out a strong detachment to forage the country, under
the command of Briones, who had been one of the first to advise Oli to
declare his independence of Cortes. This Briones was of a turbulent
disposition, besides being very passionate, a