ho had
been presented to us by the caziques of Sempoalla, and whom we had left
behind with their parents and relatives, as they were daughters of
distinguished personages, and much too delicate to bear the fatigues of
a campaign.

The fat cazique had often warned Narvaez not to touch the women, or
anything which Cortes had left behind in the shape of gold or cotton
stuffs, as he would certainly be greatly incensed, hasten from Mexico,
and not only cut off Narvaez, but also him, for suffering his property
to be touched.

All the complaints this cazique might make respecting the depredations
committed by Narvaez's troops in Sempoalla were equally fruitless. And
it was of no avail for him to repeat that Malinche and his men had never
taken the smallest thing from them, and had proved themselves altogether
kind-hearted teules; Narvaez and Salvatierra, whose conduct in general
was the most heartless, merely mocked at the cazique, the latter often
repeating to Narvaez and the other officers, "Only just imagine in what
fear these caziques stand of that paltry little fellow Cortes!"

May the good reader learn from this how wrong it is to speak evil of
honest folks; for I am ready to swear that this very Salvatierra behaved
in the most pitiable and cowardly manner when the battle was fought
between Narvaez and us, and yet his build and bones were powerful enough
to have defended himself right well; however, he was a mere braggadocio,
and I believe he was a native of Burgos.

We must now, however, return to Cortes, and acquaint the reader that
Narvaez despatched his secretary, Alonso Meta, who subsequently settled
in Puebla, with three other great personages, to Mexico, commanding us
and our general, by virtue of the copies of his appointment by
Velasquez, to submit to him.[75]

Cortes, who received daily intelligence of what was going on in
Narvaez's head-quarters and at Vera Cruz, was duly informed by Sandoval
how Narvaez had thrown Vazquez de Aillon into chains, and sent him to
Spain or Cuba, and that, owing to such violent proceedings, five of his
principal officers had come over to him, who feared, since so little
respect had been paid to the person of a royal auditor, they, as
Aillon's relatives, might expect worse treatment. From them Sandoval
learnt everything that was passing in Narvaez's head-quarters, and that
it was his intention to march shortly in person to Mexico to take us all
prisoners. Cortes, on receiving