accumulated great
riches, and I will give their names, as far as my memory permits. Duero,
Bermudez, Bono, Bernardino Quesada, Francisco Velasquez, with the
hunchback, a relation of the governor of Cuba; Carrasco, who afterwards
returned to New Spain, and now lives at Puebla; Melchior de Velasco, of
Guatimala; a certain Ximenes, who lives at Quaxaca, and was obliged to
go to Cuba on account of his son; the accountant Leon de Cervantes, who
made the same excuse to see his daughter there, for whom he concluded a
most excellent match after the conquest of Mexico; Maldonado de Medellin
was forced to leave on account of ill health; the other of that name,
who was surnamed the proud, and was married to a lady named Maria Arias,
likewise left us; further, a certain Vargas, of Trinidad, who, at Cuba,
was commonly called the gallant; lastly, one of Cortes' old warriors,
the pilot Cardenas, who said to one of his companions, "We soldiers may
now take our repose, since New Spain has two kings." Cortes had
presented him with 300 pesos, to induce him to return with his wife and
family. Besides these men, there were many others whose names I have
forgotten, which, indeed, is a good thing, for it prevents me from
going too much into detail.

As soon as Cortes had given them permission to leave, we asked him why
he had allowed them to depart, as he knew there would be so few of us
remaining? Cortes said he had done so to rid himself of their eternal
complaints and solicitations. We likewise knew that many of them were
not fit for service, and it was better to be alone than in bad company.

Pedro de Alvarado was commissioned to see them safe on board, with
orders to return immediately to head-quarters after they had left.

About this time Cortes also despatched Ordas and Alonso de Mendoza on
business to Spain, but for what particular purpose he never told us. We
only heard that the bishop of Burgos told Ordas to his face that we were
all villains and traitors, and that Ordas had boldly defended us. The
latter, on this occasion, was made comptoir of Santiago, and received
permission from the emperor to assume a burning mountain in his coat of
arms. What he further did in Spain I will relate hereafter.

Alonso de Avila, who was treasurer of New Spain, and Alvarez Chico,
another thorough man of business, were despatched in another vessel to
St. Domingo to render an account of all we had done to the royal court
of audience there, and to