him and answer the charge preferred against him
of _criminis laesae majestatis_. Lastly, he earnestly begged of him to
return the cotton stuffs and gold trinkets he had forcibly taken away
from the fat cazique; to deliver up to their parents again the Indian
females who had been presented to us; and to command his men in no way
to touch the property of the inhabitants.

This letter, which closed with the usual courteous expressions, was
signed by Cortes, the officers, and other soldiers, among whom was
myself. With this letter father Olmedo, accompanied by one of our men,
named Bartolome de Usagre, who had a brother serving in Narvaez's
artillery, went off to the latter's head-quarters. What kind of
reception they met with will be found in the chapter following.

CHAPTER CXVII.

_How father Olmedo arrived in Narvaez's head-quarters at Sempoalla,
and what he did there._

As soon as father Olmedo had arrived at Narvaez's head-quarters, he
began to fulfil the orders which Cortes had given him. He made secret
disclosures in Cortes' name to a number of cavaliers in Narvaez's corps,
also to the artillerymen Rodrigo, Mino, and Usagre; and gave them the
bars of gold which our general had destined for them. He likewise
proposed to Andreas de Duero to pay a visit to our camp, and then called
upon Narvaez himself.

Although Olmedo comported himself particularly humble in presence of
Narvaez, yet the latter's confidants had their suspicions, and advised
their general to throw the father into prison, which was just about
being carried into effect, when Duero, private secretary to Velasquez,
was secretly apprized of it.

Duero was a native of Tudela, on the Duero, and Narvaez came from the
neighbourhood of Valladolid, or from the town itself, and they were not
only countrymen, but also related to each other. This Duero had vast
influence, stood high in the estimation of the men, and durst take more
upon himself than others; he therefore called upon Narvaez, and told him
he had been informed of his intention to imprison father Olmedo; and he
considered himself called upon to observe, that no good could flow from
such a step; for though there might be sufficient grounds for supposing
he was intriguing for Cortes, yet, as a messenger from him, he ought not
to be ill treated; the more so, because Cortes had honorably received
all those whom Narvaez had despatched to him, and dismissed them with
presents. Ever since