_Cortes embarks with all his cavaliers and soldiers in order to sail
along the south side of the island to the Havannah, and sends off
one of the vessels to go around the north coast for the same port._
Cortes, finding that he had nothing further to do at Trinidad,
acquainted his officers and men with the hour of departure, leaving it
to each one's choice either to proceed to the Havannah by sea, or march
thither overland, under the command of Pedro de Alvarado, who would be
joined by some men from one of the colonies, on his road. Alvarado was a
kind-hearted man, who knew best how to deal with soldiers; wherefore I
myself, with fifty other military men, gladly joined him; our numbers
were, moreover, increased by all our horse. Cortes also sent a vessel,
under the command of Juan de Escalante, which was to shape its course
around the north coast to the Havannah. Cortes then embarked, and
proceeded, with the whole squadron, for the same port. The transport
ships must, however, have missed the vessel of our commander-in-chief in
the night, as they all arrived safe at the Havannah without it. The
troops under Pedro de Alvarado also arrived in good time, and the vessel
under the command of Escalante, which had sailed around the north coast.
Cortes alone remained behind; nor could any one account for his delay,
or what could possibly have detained him. Five days passed away without
our obtaining the least tidings of him, and we already began to fear
that he had been shipwrecked off the Jardines,[9] which lie from thirty
to thirty-six miles from the Havannah, near the Pinos isles, where the
sea is very shallow: we therefore determined to send out our three
smaller vessels in quest of her; but what with the fitting-out of these
vessels, added to the manifold opinions and advices, two more days
elapsed, and Cortes still remained behind. All manner of artifices were
now had recourse to, as to whom the command should be given, until some
certainty was gained respecting the fate of Cortes, in which Diego de
Ordas, in his capacity of steward over the household of Velasquez, and
secret observer of our movements, was most active.
The following misfortune had befallen Cortes. When his vessel, which was
of considerable tonnage, had arrived off the Pinos isles on the shallows
of the Jardines, there was not sufficient depth of water to carry her,
and she consequently got aground. The ship had now to be unladen, which
was an easy matter, on account of the nearness of the shore. As soon as
she was set afloat again and brought into deeper water she was reloaded
and pursued her voyage to the Havannah. The joy among the officers and
soldiers was very great as soon as she became visible in the horizon, to
those excepted who had prized themselves with the command, to whose
machinations, however, there was now an end. We accompanied Cortes to
the house of Pedro Barba, Velasquez's lieutenant at Trinidad, where
quarters had been got ready for his reception. He immediately hoisted
his standard in front of his dwelling, and by public proclamation
invited the inhabitants to join the expedition.
It was here that Francisco de Montejo first joined us, of whom I shall
often have to speak in the course of this history: subsequent to the
conquest of Mexico he became adelantado and governor of Yucatan and the
Honduras. Here we were also joined by Diego de Soto of Toro, namely, who
afterwards was Cortes's steward in Mexico; further, Angula and Garci
Caro, Sebastian Rodriguez, Pacheco, Gutierras, Royas (this is not he
commonly called the wealthy); also by a young fellow of the name of
Santaclara; the two brothers, Martinez del Frexenal and Juan de
Najara--not the deaf one of the tennis-court at Mexico: all of whom were
men of rank and quality. There were also other soldiers who joined us,
whose names I have forgotten.
When Cortes, therefore, beheld all these cavaliers together, his heart
leaped with joy, and he sent off another ship for a further supply of
provisions to the promontory of Guaniguanico, where Velasquez had landed
property. Here was a village where cassave-bread was made, and
quantities of swine's flesh cured. He gave the command of this vessel to
Diego de Ordas, who, as Velasquez's steward, ordered matters on his
master's property as he liked. Cortes wished to keep him out of the way,
having learnt that Ordas had not spoken in very favorable terms of him
during the dispute as to whom the command should be given, when he was
detained off the Pinos isles. Ordas's instructions were to remain in the
harbour of Guaniguanico, after he had taken in his lading, until the
arrival there of the vessel which was to sail around the north coast,
with which he was then to proceed to the island of Cozumel, provided he
received no further instructions by Indian canoes.
Francisco de Montejo and other cavaliers of the Havannah likewise
furnished quantities of cassave-bread and cured bacon; there being no
other kind of provisions to be had. In the meantime Cortes ordered all
our heavy guns, consisting in ten copper cannons and a few falconets, to
be brought on shore and given in charge of an artilleryman, named Mesa,
a certain Arbenga who traded to the Levant, and Juan Catalan, to prove
them, and otherwise put them into good repair; also to furnish for each
the right-sized balls and proper quantity of powder. He also gave them
an assistant, named Bartolome de Usagre, and furnished them with vinegar
and wine to polish the copper pieces. In the same way all our crossbows
were inspected, and their strength ascertained by shooting at the
target. Cotton being very plentiful here we constructed ourselves
cuirasses with it, which form the most efficient protection against
Indian arrows, pikes, and slings. Here it was also that Cortes put his
establishment on a much superior footing, and had himself served as a
person of the first quality. He took for his butler a certain Guzman,
who was subsequently killed by the Indians; he must not, however, be
confounded with Christobal de Guzman, who afterwards became his steward,
and was the man whom took the king Quauhtemoctzin prisoner, during the
battle in the suburbs of Mexico. Rodrigo Rangel he appointed his
chamberlain, and Juan de Caceres his house-steward, who after the
conquest of Mexico was considered a man of great wealth. Having ordered
all these things, he commanded us to hold ourselves in readiness for
embarking, and to distribute the horses among the vessels, for which the
necessary quantity of maise and hay had been provided.
For memory's sake I will here likewise describe the horses and mares
which we took with us on our expedition. Cortes had a dark chesnut
stallion, which died afterwards at St. Juan de Ulua. Pedro de Alvarado
and Hernando Lopez d'Avila had jointly an excellent brown mare, which
had been broken-in for the field of battle as well as for tournaments.
After our arrival in New Spain, Alvarado bought Lopez's share, or
perhaps took forcible possession of it. Alonso Hernandez Puertocarrero
had a grey-coloured mare, which Cortes had purchased for him with the
golden borders of his state-robe, it was capitally trained for the field
of battle. Juan Velasquez de Leon's mare was of the same colour, a noble
and powerful animal, full of fire and eager for battle: we commonly
termed it the "short tail."
Christobal de Oli had a dark brown fine-spirited horse. Francisco de
Montejo and Alonso de Avila had between them a sorel-coloured horse, but
of little use in battle. Francisco de Morla had likewise a dark chesnut
stallion, one full of fire and wonderfully swift. The light-coloured
horse of Juan de Escalante was not worth much. The grey-coloured mare of
Diego de Ordas, which would never foal, was neither very swift. Gonzalo
Dominiguez had a small dark-brown nag, a very swift and noble animal.
Also the brown-coloured horse of Pedro Gonzalez de Truxillo was a swift
animal. Moron, who was a native of Vaimo, had a small horse which was
pretty well trained. Vaena, of Trinidad, had a darkish-coloured horse,
though a bad leaper. The light-coloured chesnut galloway of De Lares
was, on the other hand, a splendid animal and a capital runner.
Ortiz, the musician, and a certain Bartolome Garcia, who had applied
himself to the art of mining, had between them a very good dark-coloured
horse, which they named the Arriero (mule-driver,) and was one of the
best animals of the whole corps. Juan Sedeno, of the Havannah, had a
fine chesnut mare, which foaled on board. This Sedeno was considered to
be the most wealthy man amongst us; for he had a ship of his own, a
horse, a few negroes to attend upon him, and his own lading of cassave
and cured bacon. Just about this time horses and negroes were only to be
purchased for very high prices, which accounts for the small number of
the former we had with us on this expedition.
However, I will stop here, and relate in the next chapter what happened
as we were just about to embark.
[9] Jardines, or the Caribbee islands, lying along the south coast of
Cuba, better known as the Windward and Leeward islands. (p. 51.)