_How we marked our slaves at Tezcuco with a red-hot iron, and
received intelligence that a vessel had run into Vera Cruz._
As Sandoval had brought a great many slaves with him, and there were
besides numbers we had taken on previous occasions, Cortes resolved they
should be marked with a red-hot iron. It was, therefore, announced that
each person was to bring his slaves to a certain house for that purpose.
Our men accordingly came with their slaves, and imagined they would
merely have to pay the fifth of their value to the emperor, and that
then they would be entirely their own without any further deduction.
If, however, Cortes and others had acted meanly towards us in Tepeaca,
the meanness they now displayed was still greater. First, the emperor's
fifths were deducted; then a second fifth was set apart for Cortes, and
other portions for our officers; and, during the night preceding the
last division, all the finest females had disappeared. Cortes had
faithfully promised the men that all the slaves should be sold by public
auction, but this was not done, for the officers of the crown acted in
this matter just as they pleased. This was a good hint for us in future;
so that afterwards, when we had captured any beautiful Indian females,
we concealed them, and gave out that they had escaped, as soon as it
came to marking day; or if any one of us stood in favor with Cortes, he
got them secretly marked during the night-time, and paid a fifth of
their value to him. In a short time we possessed great numbers of such
slaves; and if we were questioned about them, we merely said they were
Naborias[11] of the neighbouring tribes near Tlascalla, who had come to
sue for peace. I must also observe that two months had scarcely elapsed
before some of our female slaves knew of every soldier in the troop
whether he behaved well to his Naborias or not; whenever, therefore,
these females were put up to auction, and they found they had been
bought by a man who bore a bad name in this way, they disappeared, and
were nowhere to be found. If they did not recapture them it was all the
same; they were still debited to the buyer in the royal accounts. Our
soldiers fared no better in the division of gold; for if any of them
went to demand their share, so many items were balanced against them
that they really considered themselves fortunate if they had not to pay
something into the bargain.
About this time a vessel arrived in Vera Cruz, from Spain, with the
following passengers: Julian de Alderete, a native of Tordesillas, who
had been appointed royal treasurer; further, the elder Orduna, from the
same place, who lived for some time in Puebla. After the conquest of
Mexico he brought over five or six daughters from Spain, all of whom he
married well. A Dominican friar, named Pedro Melgarejo de Urrea, from
Seville, who brought with him a papal bull,[12] by which we obtained
absolution for all the sins we may have been guilty of during these
wars. By means of this bull, Urrea amassed a large fortune in the space
of a few months, with which he returned to Spain, whither he was
accompanied by Geronimo Lopez, as a commissary of his holiness. This
same Lopez subsequently became the royal secretary in Mexico.
Among the numerous other passengers, I can still remember the following
names: Antonio de Caravajal, who commanded one of our brigantines, and
is still living at Mexico, far advanced in years; Geronimo Ruiz de la
Mota, of Burgos, who likewise commanded a brigantine, and, after the
conquest of Mexico, married a daughter of Orduna. There was also a
certain Briones, of Salamanca, who was hung four years ago for exciting
a revolt among the troops in the province of Guatimala; and, lastly,
there was Alonso Diaz de la Reguera, who lived for some time in
Guatimala, and is now residing at Valladolid.
This vessel had likewise a large store of arms, powder, and other
matters on board;[13] wherefore her arrival was hailed by us all. If I
remember rightly, we also heard on this occasion that the bishop of
Burgos stood no longer at the head of affairs, and that he had
altogether fallen into his majesty's disgrace ever since his majesty had
been convinced, by the reports of our agents, of the great and wonderful
services we had rendered the crown, and which the bishop above
mentioned, in his official reports, to favour Diego Velasquez, had
placed in the opposite light.
In the meantime our brigantines were fast approaching towards
completion, and we were all awaiting the moment with impatience when we
should be able to lay close siege to Mexico. We had just begun our
preparations when messengers arrived from Chalco with the information
that the Mexicans were again marching against that town, and they
therefore begged we would come immediately to their assistance. Cortes
promised them he would himself march with his troops to their relief,
and not rest until he had completely driven the enemy from their
territory. He therefore immediately issued orders that three hundred
foot, thirty horse, the greater part of our musketeers and crossbow-men,
with the troops of Tezcuco and Tlascalla, should hold themselves in
readiness to march out. Of our principal officers, Alvarado, Tapia, and
Oli accompanied him on this occasion. The royal treasurer Julian de
Alderete, and father Pedro Melgarejo, both of whom had just arrived from
Spain, also joined him. I myself accompanied Cortes in this expedition,
at his own particular desire.