f a
pound weight, and to four ounces; for we cared very little to weigh to a
nicety of half an ounce or so. When the gold, without including the
silver and jewels, was weighed, we found, as I have before stated, that
it amounted to 600,000 pesos, though many of our men valued it at much
more.

Nothing now remained but to deduct the emperor's fifths therefrom, and
divide the remainder among the officers and soldiers, including those
left behind at Vera Cruz. Cortes, however, was of opinion that the
division should be postponed until our stock should be further
increased, but most of our officers and soldiers desired that it might
take place forthwith, for they asserted that above one third had already
disappeared since the three heaps had been first collected together.
They greatly suspected that Cortes and his principal officers had
secretly taken away the greater part. The weighing of the gold,
consequently, was commenced immediately, that the division might take
place on the following day. In what way this was done, and how most of
it fell into the hands of Cortes and others, I will relate in the
following chapter.

CHAPTER CV.

_How all the gold presented by Motecusuma, and collected from the
different townships, was divided; and what happened to one of our
soldiers on the occasion._

First of all, one fifth of the treasure was set apart for the crown, and
a second for Cortes, as had been promised him when we elected him
captain-general and chief justice. After this had been deducted, Cortes
brought in the expenses of fitting out the armament at Cuba; then the
sum due to Velasquez for the vessels we had destroyed, and, lastly, the
travelling expenses of our agents whom we sent to Spain. Next were
deducted the several shares due to the garrison at Vera Cruz, which
consisted of seventy men; then the value of the two horses which had
been killed, one in the engagement with the Tlascallans, the other at
Almeria.

Not until all this had been deducted were the rest of our men allowed to
take their shares. Double shares were also set apart for the two
priests, the officers, and the cavalry, likewise for the musketeers and
crossbow-men. After these and other nibblings, there remained, for the
greater part of our men, who could only claim one share, such a mere
trifle, that many of them would not even accept of it, which Cortes then
took himself. At that time, indeed, we thought it best to say nothi