had a garrison of
sixty men, all invalids, under an officer named Sandoval, and he had
merely to show himself with a few men there and they would immediately
deliver up the town to him.

Motecusuma was immediately apprized of the arrival of this flotilla, and
without saying a single word to Cortes despatched several of his chief
officers to Narvaez, with a present in gold and other things; and
commanded the inhabitants to furnish him with provisions.

Narvaez, in his message to Motecusuma, calumniated Cortes and all of us,
telling him we were nothing but a parcel of thieves and vagabonds, who
had fled from Spain without the knowledge of our emperor, but his
imperial majesty having been informed that we were in this country
committing all manner of depredations, and that we had even imprisoned
its monarch, had ordered him to repair hither with his flotilla and
troops, to put an end to these disorders and liberate the monarch. He
had likewise received orders to put Cortes and all his men to the sword,
or take them alive and send them prisoners to Spain, where death awaited
them. This sober language the three soldiers, who understood the Mexican
language were to translate to Motecusuma's messengers, to whom Narvaez
at the same time sent a present of some Spanish goods.

Motecusuma was not a little delighted with this message, particularly
when he learnt the number of Narvaez's vessels, of his cannon, and his
1300 soldiers. He, of course, thought it would be an easy matter for
Narvaez to overcome us, and as his messengers had seen the three
treacherous rascals who had deserted to Narvaez, he found the more
reason to believe all the scandal the latter had said concerning Cortes.
Besides which he received an accurate description of the whole armament
from his artists, who had immediately depicted on cotton cloth
everything they saw. He therefore sent a second message, accompanied by
more valuable presents in gold and cotton stuffs to Narvaez, with strict
commands to the inhabitants of the coast to supply him with plenty of
provisions.

Motecusuma had received intelligence of the arrival of the flotilla off
the coast three days before Cortes. When the latter, as usual, one day
paid a visit to the monarch he found him in particular good spirits, and
asked him what had occasioned it? Motecusuma replied, that he found
himself in better health than he had done for some time past.

Cortes, who was very much surprised at this