important business of constructing these brigantines,
for he was not only a good soldier, but, upon the whole, rendered his
majesty the greatest services in all our warlike operations. On this
occasion again, he set to work with his usual assiduity, and it was very
fortunate that this man had been with us from the beginning; for, if we
had been forced to send for a ship-builder from Spain, we should have
lost much valuable time, and we might not have found a man who suited so
well.

On our arrival in Tlascalla, we found that our old friend Maxixcatzin,
one of his majesty's most faithful vassals, was no more, he having died
of the smallpox. We were all sorely grieved at this loss, and Cortes
himself, as he assured us, felt it as much as if he had lost his own
father. We put on black cloaks in mourning for him, and paid the last
honours to the remains of our departed friend, in conjunction with his
sons and relations.

A dispute having arisen in Tlascalla respecting the heir to the
caziquedom, Cortes pronounced in favour of the deceased's son, in
accordance with the last wishes of his late father. Maxixcatzin, on his
death-bed, strongly advised his whole family to remain faithful to
Malinche and his brothers; for they, he said, were certainly those
people for whom the dominion of these countries had been predestined.

However, let us leave the dead in peace, and turn to the living. The
elder Xicotencatl, Chichimeclatecl, and the other caziques of
Tlascalla, one and all gladly offered their assistance to Cortes in
cutting wood for the building of the brigantines, and generally to aid
in prosecuting the war against Mexico.

Cortes gave them all a hearty embrace, and thanked them for their great
kindness, especially Chichimeclatecl and Xicotencatl, the latter of whom
eventually became a convert to Christianity, and was baptized by father
Olmedo with every solemnity, and received the name of Don Lorenzo de
Vargas.

In the meantime the preparations for the building of our brigantines
were going on very fast; the wood being soon felled and prepared for use
with the assistance of the Indians; an excellent soldier named Andreas
Nunez, and Ramirez the elder, an old carpenter who had been lamed by a
wound, rendering most efficient services. Matters being thus far
advanced, Cortes sent for a quantity of ironwork, anchors, sails, and
ropes, from the vessels which had been destroyed at Vera Cruz, and
ordered all the smiths of th