Cortes, and other of my old friends of this town, different
articles of wearing apparel, some gold, and a quantity of cacao, all of
which were sent as presents to me. The next day after our arrival, I and
my friend Luis Sanchez, having first attended mass, walked out together
in the town, first of all to pay our respects to the governor Marcos de
Aguilar. We requested Sandoval and Tapia to accompany us on this
occasion, to interest themselves for us with the governor; to which they
readily consented, and they explained to him who we were, what important
services we had rendered to the crown, and then begged of him to bestow
on us Indian commendaries in the neighbourhood of Mexico, as those we
possessed in the province of Guacasualco were of very little value.

Marcos de Aguilar, in reply, promised very kindly to do all he could for
us, but at the same time assured us that it was totally out of his power
either to grant or take away any commendary, as Ponce de Leon, in his
last will, had particularly ordered that all the lawsuits and the
unoccupied commendaries should remain as they were until his majesty had
otherwise disposed; and concluded by saying, that as soon as he should
receive full powers to distribute the Indians, he would present us with
the most lucrative commendaries in the whole country.

About this time, also, Diego de Ordas arrived from Cuba in Mexico, and
as it was said he had written the letters which the factor sent to
Spain, respecting the certainty of our all having perished with Cortes
in the late expedition, the latter, Sandoval, and several other
cavaliers, reproached him most bitterly for having written things of
which he had no certainty, and that by his letters he had brought New
Spain to the brink of destruction; but Ordas swore most solemnly that he
had never written any letter to that effect. He certainly had been, he
said, in a township called Xicalango, and had learnt that two Spanish
vessels had lain there for some time; that a dispute had arisen among
the men on board, who came to blows, and many on both sides were killed;
and that the few who remained were massacred by the Indians. It was
respecting this unfortunate affair that he had written to New Spain, and
this might, indeed, have caused the rumours to be set afloat of our
total destruction. Moreover, the letter he had written might still be
found among the factor's papers, by which they would best be able to
convince themselves of