_How the Spaniard Geronimo de Aguilar, who was in the power of the
Indians, came to us when he learnt that we had again returned to the
island of Cozumel, and what further happened._
When the Spaniard, who was in the power of the Indians got certain
information that we had again returned to the island Cozumel, he
rejoiced exceedingly and thanked God with all his heart.
He immediately hired a canoe, with six capital rowers, for himself and
the Indians who had brought him the glass beads. The former being richly
remunerated with these, so valuable in their estimation: they performed
their work so well, that the channel between the island and mainland, a
distance of about twelve miles, was soon crossed. After they had arrived
off the island and stepped on shore, some soldiers who were returning
from the chase of musk swine, informed Cortes that a large canoe had
just arrived from the promontory of Cotoche. Cortes immediately
despatched Andreas de Tapia with a few men to learn what news they had
brought. As Tapia with his men approached the shore, the Indians, who
had arrived with Geronimo, evinced great fear and ran back to their
canoe in order to put off to sea again. Aguilar, however, told him in
their language they need have no fear; for we were their brothers.
Andreas de Tapia, who took Aguilar also for an Indian, for he had every
appearance of one, sent to inform Cortes that the seven Indians who had
arrived were inhabitants of Cozumel. It was not until they had come up
to them and heard the Spaniard pronounce the words--God, holy Virgin,
Sevilla, in broken Spanish, and ran up to Tapia to embrace him, that
they recognized this strange-looking fellow. One of Tapia's men
immediately ran off to inform Cortes that a Spaniard had arrived in the
canoe, for which news he expected a handsome reward.
We all greatly rejoiced at this information, and it was not long before
Tapia himself arrived with the strange-looking Spaniard. As they passed
by us many of our men still kept inquiring of Tapia which among them was
the Spaniard? although he was walking at his very side, so much did his
countenance resemble that of an Indian. His complexion was naturally of
a brownish cast, added to which his hair had been shorn like that of an
Indian slave: he carried a paddle across his shoulder, had one of his
legs covered with an old tattered stocking; the other, which was not
much better, being tied around his waist. An old ragged cloak hung over
his shoulders, his maltatas was in a much worse condition. His
prayerbook, which was very much torn, he had folded in the corner of his
cloak.
When Cortes beheld the man in this attire, he, as all the rest of us had
done, asked Tapia where the Spaniard was? When Geronimo heard this, he
cowered down after the Indian fashion, and said: "I am he." Upon this
Cortes gave him a shirt, a coat, a pair of trousers, a cap and shoes,
from our stores. He then desired him to give us an account of the
adventures of his life, and explain how he had got into this country.
He said, though still in broken Spanish, that his name was Geronimo
d'Aguilar, and was a native of Ecija. About eight years ago he had been
shipwrecked with fifteen men and two women, on a voyage between Darien
and the island of St. Domingo, which they had undertaken on account of a
lawsuit between a certain Enciso and a certain Valdivia. They had 10,000
pesos on board, and papers relating to the lawsuit. The ship struck
against a rock, and they had not been able to get her off again. The
whole of the crew then got into the boat, in the hopes of making the
island of Cuba or Jamaica, but were driven on shore by the strong
currents, where the Calachionies had taken them prisoners and
distributed them among themselves. The most of his unfortunate
companions had been sacrificed to their gods, and some had died of
grief, of which also both the women pined away; being soon worn out by
the hard labour of grinding, to which they had been forced by the
Indians. He himself had also been doomed as a sacrifice to their idols,
but made his escape during the night, and fled to the cazique, with whom
he had last been staying, whose name, however, I cannot now remember. Of
all his companions, he himself and a certain Gonzalo Guerrero, were only
living. He had tried his best to induce him to leave, but in vain.
When Cortes heard this, he returned thanks to the Almighty, and told the
Spaniard that he hoped, with the blessing of God, he would never find
reason to regret the determination he had taken. He then put some
questions to him about the country and its inhabitants. Aguilar said he
was not able to give him much information about either, as he had been
treated like a slave, having been merely employed to fetch wood, water,
and to work in the maise-plantations. It was only upon one occasion he
was sent on some business to a distance of about twelve miles from his
village, but, owing to a heavy burden he had to carry and the weak state
of his body, he had not even been able to reach that distance; for the
rest, he had been given to understand that the country was very thickly
populated. With regard to his companion Alonso Guerrero, he had married
an Indian woman, and was become the father of three children. He had in
every respect adopted the Indian customs,--his cheeks were tattooed, his
ears pierced, and his lips turned down. He was a sailor by profession,
native of Palos, and was considered by the Indians to be a man of great
strength. It might have been about a year ago that a squadron,
consisting of three vessels, had touched at the promontory of Cotoche,
(probably the expedition under Hernandez de Cordoba,) when Guerrero
advised the inhabitants to commence hostilities, who, in common with the
caziques of a large district, commanded on that occasion. Cortes here
remarked, that he very much wished to get the man into his power, for
his staying among the Indians would do us no good.
The caziques of Cozumel showed Aguilar every possible friendship when
they heard him speak in their language. Aguilar advised them always to
do honour to the image of the holy Virgin and cross we had set up, as
they would prove a blessing to them. It was also upon his advice they
begged of Cortes to give them letters of recommendation to other
Spaniards who might run into this harbour, in order that they might not
be molested by them. Cortes readily complied with this request; and,
after mutual protestations of friendship had passed between us, we
weighed anchor, and set sail for the river Grijalva.
For the rest, I can assure the reader that what I have related of
Aguilar is all the man told us himself, although the historian Gomara
gives a very different account; which, however, should not excite our
surprise, as he merely thereby intended to divert his readers with some
strange story.