nd of Guacasualco was not subject to him, and inhabited by a very
warlike people. He cautioned Ordas to be particularly on his guard, and
hoped that no reproach would be made him if any harm befel him. But if
Ordas should think proper, he would order a sufficient number of his
troops, which lay on the confines, to accompany him into Guacasualco.
Cortes and Ordas returned Motecusuma many thanks for his kindness, and
the latter then set out on his journey, accompanied by two of our men
and several distinguished Mexicans.

Here again the historian Gomara commits another blunder similar to the
one he previously made, respecting Pedro de Ircio, whom he sends to
Panuco; for here he despatches Juan Velasquez with 100 men to form a
colony in Guacasualco. In the next chapter I will give an account of
what these officers saw, and the samples of gold they brought with them.

[72] According to Torquemada, Umbria was only scourged, which appears
more probable. (p. 273.)

CHAPTER CIII.

_How the officers whom Cortes had despatched to the gold mines and
the river Guacasualco[73] returned to Mexico._

The first who returned to Mexico was Gonzalo de Umbria, with his
companions. He brought with him about 300 pesos worth of gold dust,
which they had collected in the township of Zacatula. There, he related,
the caziques of the province employed numbers of the inhabitants at the
rivers to wash gold out of the sand in small troughs. There were two
rivers from which gold dust was collected, and if clever miners were set
to work there, and the mining carried out in the same way as at St.
Domingo and Cuba, they would prove very profitable.

Four distinguished chiefs of that province had accompanied Umbria to
Mexico, with a present in gold trinkets for our emperor, valued at about
200 pesos. Cortes was as much pleased with this small quantity of gold
as if it had been worth 3000 pesos, as he now knew for a certainty that
there were rich mines in those parts. He treated the caziques who
brought this present very kindly, gave them glass beads, and promised
them all manner of good things; so that they returned home highly
delighted.

Besides this, Umbria spoke about many other large townships in the
neighbourhood of Mexico, and of a province on the confines, called
Matlaltzinco. We could well perceive that Umbria and his companions had
not forgotten themselves, for they had well stuffed their pockets with
gold. This Cortes h