them unnoticed; and he was glad, a few months after, to send them
home, as will be related in the proper place.

Here again I am bound to notice a number of errors in Gomara's history;
in order, however, not to go too much into detail, I will confine myself
to the following remarks.

Respecting the above-mentioned protest against the projected campaign of
Tepeaca, Gomara does not exactly state with which party it originated,
whether from Cortes' old troops or those of Narvaez. Everything he
relates concerning this matter merely goes to raise Cortes to the skies
and to cast the rest of us in the shade. We, the true Conquistadores, on
reading his work, soon discovered that Gomara had been bribed by
presents to relate the circumstances in that way. Were we not the very
men who supported Cortes in all the battles, and in every other matter?
and yet Gomara has the impudence to consider this as nothing, and
affirms that we protested against the further conquest of New Spain.
Gomara likewise commits a terrible blunder when he makes Cortes say, in
answer to this protest, in order to inspire us with courage, that he
would recall Leon and Ordas, of whom one, he says, was engaged forming a
settlement with 300 men in Panuco, and that the other, with a like
detachment, had been sent for a similar purpose to the river
Guacasualco. Every word of this is false; for, when we marched to
Alvarado's assistance in Mexico, those projected settlements were
relinquished, as I have above mentioned, and both these officers went
along with us to Mexico. Leon even met with his death at one of the
bridges, as we saw, and Ordas was severely wounded in three several
places. What a great pity it is that Gomara does not write with equal
veracity as he does beauty!

I was likewise amazed to read what he says of the battle of Otumpan. He
boldly asserts that we should have been defeated if Cortes had not been
present, for he alone decided the fate of the day by his attack upon the
Mexican commander-in-chief, who carried the royal standard. I should
indeed be loth to do Cortes an injustice, and, as an excellent and brave
general, I have the highest esteem for him; but certainly we have, above
all, to thank the Almighty, who mercifully protected us in all the
dangers we encountered, and who put under Cortes' commands such
courageous officers and soldiers. The second praise is certainly due to
us, whose valiant arms overcame every obstacle. We it were who