_How some of Diego Velasquez's adherents refused to take any further
part in our proceedings, and declared their determination to return
to Cuba, seeing that Cortes was earnestly bent upon founding a
colony, and had already commenced to pacify the inhabitants._
Next morning when our petty officers went round to our different
quarters and called upon the men to march out with their arms and
horses, the partisans of Velasquez insolently answered, that they would
take no further part in any expedition, but wished to return home to
their possessions in Cuba. They had already lost enough, by allowing
themselves to be led away by Cortes to join him in the first instance;
they now, however, would desire him to fulfil the promise, which he had
made in the camp on the downs, namely, to grant those their discharge
who wished to return to Cuba, and provide them a vessel and the
necessary provisions.
Seven men now declared they were positively determined to return home;
Cortes, therefore, desired they should be brought before him, and asked
them, "Why they wished to play him such a vile trick?" They answered in
rather an angry tone, "That they could not help feeling astonished, he
should think of founding a colony with a handful of men in a country
full of towns possessing many thousands of inhabitants. They were
suffering from indisposition, quite tired of roving about, and desired
to return to their settlements in Cuba; he ought, therefore, to grant
them their discharge according to promise."
To this Cortes answered, in the mildest manner possible, that he had
made such promise indeed; but, that they would be acting in a manner
forgetful of their duty to desert the standard of their captain at a
time when he was meditating an expedition: at the same time he commanded
them to embark themselves immediately, and provided them with a vessel,
cassave-bread, a bottle of oil, a quantity of vegetables, and such
things as ships generally take on distant voyages. One of these men, a
certain Moron of Delbayamo, had a well-trained horse, and exchanged it
most profitably with Juan Ruano for some valuable property the latter
had at Cuba.
When these men were about to set sail, the rest of our troops, headed by
the alcaldes and regidors of the town of Vera Cruz, repaired to Cortes
and begged of him to issue an order that no one should leave the
country, an order which both the service of God and his majesty
required, declaring that they considered every one merited death who
could think of such a thing, surrounded as we were by such numerous
enemies, nor could we look upon them in any other light than men who
wished to desert their commander and his standard in the midst of battle
and in the moment of the greatest danger. Cortes, nevertheless, did as
if he was desirous of discharging the malcontents, but soon after
countermanded this order. All they got for their pains was contempt and
disgrace, while Moron in the bargain was done out of his horse, which
Juan Ruano had no wish to return him. Upon this Cortes gave orders for
our march, and we arrived without any accident in Tzinpantzinco.