irst care on our arrival in Ciguatepec was to gain the
friendship of the caziques and of other distinguished persons of the
township, and for this purpose he presented them with a number of
Mexican chalchihuis stones. These people then gave him an account of a
very broad river which flowed at no great distance from their township,
and emptied itself into an arm of the sea, near to the township of
Gueyatasta, which lay close to the larger one called Xicalango. From
Ciguatepec Cortes, therefore, considered it most advisable to send some
one to the north coast in search of the two transports under Simon de
Cuenca, and after making the minutest inquiries respecting the route
they were to take, he despatched two Spaniards thither for this purpose,
the principal one of whom was Francisco de Medina, a man who was very
active and prompt in everything he undertook. This is the same officer
who caused an insurrection in Chamula, in our expedition under Luis
Marin against Chiapa, mentioned in a former chapter.

Cortes gave him full power to share the command between himself and
Cuenca, but it would have been much better if he had never given him
this authority, as will presently be seen. However, Medina went down the
river and found Cuenca lying at anchor with his vessels in front of
Xicalango, awaiting Cortes' further commands, according to the
instructions he had received. As soon as Medina stepped on board he
produced his authority from our general with respect to the command,
which gave rise to high words between both parties, and ended in so
bloody a conflict in which the crews mingled, that they slew each other
without mercy, and only seven men remained alive. But here misfortunes
were not at an end, for when the Indians of Xicalango and Gueyatasta saw
how the Spaniards quarrelled among themselves and weakened their
strength, they fell suddenly upon those that survived, put them to death
and then set fire to the vessels. Though we did not hear of all this
until two years and a half had elapsed.

The caziques of Ciguatepec informed us that we were still three days'
journey from Gueyacala, and that we should have to cross two rivers, of
which one was uncommonly deep and broad; after this our route would lay
through an extensive moorland, full of dangerous bogs, and they assured
us we should not be able to cross the rivers without canoes. Cortes
therefore despatched two Spaniards with three distinguished Indians in
advance, to