thout evincing any signs of fear, carried the provisions and remained
with us until evening. After presenting them with a few trifles they
returned highly delighted to their homes. As we did no one any injury,
the inhabitants greatly extolled our kind behaviour; the papas and chief
personages also informing the captain-general, Xicotencatl, that they
had given us provisions and two females; which grieved him sorely. The
same information was sent to the elder caziques, who were delighted when
they learnt how we could have destroyed them all during the night, but
that instead of doing any harm we had only made offers of peace. They,
therefore, ordered provisions to be sent us daily, with everything else
we might require. The orders to the four principal personages who were
commissioned to make terms of peace with us were also renewed; they now
no longer delayed, but repaired to our quarters and brought us
provisions and other presents. We then returned to our camp, much
pleased with the victuals and the Indian females.

CHAPTER LXIX.

_How we found on our return to our encampment that new intrigues had
been set on foot; and the answer Cortes gave to certain
representations which were made to him._

On returning to our head-quarters from Zumpanzingo with a good supply of
provisions, and delighted with the peace we had concluded with the
inhabitants, we met with nothing but complaints and discontent. We heard
of nothing else than the imminent dangers we were daily exposed to in
this campaign; nor did our arrival mend matters. Foremost among the
discontented were those again who possessed settlements and Indian
commendaries at Cuba, nor did they confine themselves to murmuring in
secret, but seven of them, whose names, for honour's sake, I will
refrain from mentioning, confederated together, and repaired to the
quarters of Cortes. One of them was chosen spokesman. He was a man
eloquent in address, and perfect master of the subject he was about to
speak on.

He began in the kindly tone of giving advice, and desired Cortes to
consider our wounds, how disabled and knocked up we were by the
excessive hardships we had to undergo day and night, by constant
battling, patrolling the country, standing at the outposts, and
reconnoitring about. They had calculated, he said, that we had already
lost fifty-five of our men since our departure from Cuba. Neither did we
know how matters stood with our garrison at Ver