_Cortes sets sail with the whole squadron for the island of Cozumel,
and what further took place._
Cortes deferred the review of his troops until we should have arrived at
the island of Cozumel, and gave orders for the embarking of our horses.
Pedro de Alvarado, in the San Sebastian, which was a very fast sailer,
was ordered to shape his course along the north coast, and his pilot
received strict orders to steer direct for the cape of St. Antonio,
where all the other vessels would meet and set sail for Cozumel: like
instructions were forwarded to Diego de Ordas. Mass having been said,
the nine remaining vessels set sail, in a southerly direction, on the
10th of February, 1519. There were sixty soldiers on board the San
Sebastian, under Alvarado, among which number I was myself. Camacho, our
pilot, took no notice of the orders he had received from Cortes, but
shaped his course direct for Cozumel, so that we arrived two days
earlier there than the rest. We landed our men in the same harbour I
before mentioned in our expedition under Grijalva. Cortes had been
detained on his passage by the breaking of the rudder of Francisco de
Morla's vessel, which had to be replaced from what they had at hand.
Our vessel, as I have stated above, arrived two days earlier at Cozumel
than the rest, and the whole of the men proceeded on shore. We did not
meet with a single Indian in the village of Cozumel, as all the
inhabitants had fled away. Alvarado, therefore, ordered us to another
village at about four miles distance from the latter. Here the
inhabitants had likewise fled to the woods, without, however, being able
to carry off all their property, so that we found numbers of fowls and
other things; of the former, Alvarado would not permit us to take more
than forty. Out of a temple near at hand we took several cotton mats,
and a few small boxes containing a species of diadem, small idols,
corals, with all manner of trinkets made of an inferior sort of gold. We
also took two Indians and a female prisoners, after which we returned to
the village near which we had landed.
In the meantime Cortes had arrived with the remaining vessels. He had
scarcely stepped on shore when he ordered our pilot Camacho to be put in
irons, for having followed a contrary course to what he had been
ordered. But his displeasure was still greater when he learnt that the
village was quite deserted, and that Alvarado had taken away, besides
the fowls, the religious implements and other matters, though of little
value, being half copper. Having shown no lenity to Camacho, he now also
gave Alvarado an earnest reproof, telling him that it was not the way to
gain the love of the inhabitants by beginning to rob them of their
property. He then ordered the two Indians and the female whom we had
taken prisoners to be brought into his presence, and put several
questions to them. Melchorillo, whom we had captured at the promontory
of Cotoche, (Julianillo had since died,) and taken with us, perfectly
understood the language of this country, and interpreted on the
occasion. Cortes sent the three Indians to the cazique and the
inhabitants, desiring them to state that they had nothing to fear from
us, and to return to their village. He also restored to them the
religious implements, with the golden trinkets, and gave them glass
beads in exchange for the fowls, which we had eaten: besides this, he
presented each of them with a Spanish shirt. They faithfully executed
Cortes's commission; for the very next day the cazique returned with the
whole of the inhabitants, and so confidently did they converse with us
as if they had known us all their lives: indeed, Cortes had given
peremptory orders that they should in no wise be molested. It was here
also that Cortes began strict discipline, and set to work with
unremitting assiduity, to which Providence lent his blessing; for
everything in which he concerned himself went well, particularly with
regard to making peace with the tribes or inhabitants of these
countries. This the reader will find fully confirmed in the course of my
history.