sudden change in the
monarch, called upon him a second time that day, and now the latter
began to fear our general was cognizant of the arrival of the flotilla.
To remove all suspicion from his mind, therefore, he thought it better
to break the news to him himself. "I have just this moment, Malinche,"
said he, "received the information that an armament of eighteen vessels,
with a great number of soldiers and horses, has arrived in the harbour
where you landed. Pictures of the whole armament have been transmitted
to me. This, no doubt, is no news to you, and I thought from your second
visit to me this day, you came to bring me the intelligence yourself,
and that now there was no need for you to build new vessels. Though I
may have felt hurt that you wished to keep all this a secret from me,
yet, on the other hand, I am delighted at the arrival of your brothers,
with whom you can now return to Spain; which thus removes all
difficulties at once."

When Cortes heard this and saw the painting which the Mexicans had made
of all the vessels, he exclaimed in the excess of his delight: "Praise
be to God, whose assistance always comes at the right time!" Indeed the
whole of us greatly rejoiced at this news, we galloped about on our
horses, and fired salute after salute.

Cortes, however, began to consider it in a more serious light than he
had done in the first moments, as he now plainly saw that this armament
was sent out against us by Velasquez; and he communicated his
suspicions to us all, and by great presents and promises he made us
pledge ourselves not to act any way against his interests; which we did
the more readily, as the commander of this new armament was totally
unknown to us. Our joy was now excessive, not only on account of the
gold which Cortes gave us from his private purse, but at the arrival of
this flotilla, which we saw the Almighty had sent to us in our distress.

CHAPTER CXI.

_How Pamfilo Narvaez despatches five persons to Sandoval, the
commandant of Vera Cruz, with summons to surrender up the town to
him._

After Narvaez had received every information about Vera Cruz from the
three deserters, he determined to despatch thither a priest named
Guevara, who was a capital hand at talking, and a certain Amaya, a man
of great distinction, and a relative of Velasquez; besides a secretary
named Vergara and three witnesses, whose names I have forgotten. These
gentlemen were to announce his