_How the governor of Cuba, Velasquez, in all haste fits out an
armament against us, the command of which he gives to Pamfilo de
Narvaez, who was accompanied by the licentiate Lucas Vazquez de
Aillon, auditor of the royal court of audience at St. Domingo._
In order to explain what I am now about to relate I must refer to prior
events.
I have already mentioned, in the proper chapter, that Diego Velasquez
got information of our having sent agents to our emperor with all the
gold and presents we had received; and also of the bad reception they
had met with from the bishop of Burgos; who not only favoured Velasquez
in various ways, but even commanded him to fit out an armament against
us, for which he himself would be responsible to the emperor.
The governor of Cuba accordingly used the utmost exertions and assembled
a flotilla, consisting of nineteen sail, on board of which were 1400
soldiers, above forty cannon, with a quantity of powder, balls, and
gun-flints, besides two artillerymen, who, with the artillery stood
under the immediate command of the captain Rodrigo Martin. To this was
added eighty horse, ninety crossbow-men, and seventy musketeers. Fat and
corpulent as he was, Velasquez had, nevertheless, in the height of his
passion, visited every township in Cuba, to hasten the equipment of the
flotilla, and invited every inhabitant who had either Indians,
relations, or friends who could manage their estates, to join the
standard of Pamfilo Narvaez, and share the honour of taking Cortes and
all of us prisoners, or at least to blow out our brains. He had even
advanced as far as the promontory of Guaniguanico, in the height of his
zeal, though that promontory was above 240 miles from the Havannah.
Before this armament quitted the harbour, the royal court of audience at
St. Domingo, and the Hieronymite brothers, who were viceroys there, were
determined to look into the matter a little; as the licentiate Suazo,
who was their agent in Cuba, had sent them information of the
extensiveness of the armament.
As the great and valuable services which we had rendered God and his
majesty were very well known at St. Domingo, as also the fact of our
having sent valuable presents to our emperor, it was considered there
that Velasquez was not justified in fitting out an armament to revenge
himself upon us, but that his only way was to pursue us in a court of
law. These impartial men well foresaw how this armament would impede the
conquest of New Spain. They therefore despatched the licentiate Lucas
Vazquez de Aillon, who was auditor of the court of audience at St.
Domingo, to Cuba, with peremptory commands to Velasquez not to allow the
flotilla to leave the harbour.
The auditor punctually fulfilled these commands, and in due form
protested against the flotilla leaving the harbour; but Diego Velasquez,
who had spent all his property in fitting out this armament, relied upon
the good favour of the bishop of Burgos, and took no notice of the
protest. Upon this Vazquez de Aillon determined upon embarking himself
on board one of the vessels, to try at least if he could not prevent
hostilities between Narvaez and Cortes. Many even maintained that he
came to Mexico with the secret intention to side with our party, or, if
we could not succeed in defeating Narvaez, himself to take possession of
the country in the name of our emperor. At all events he embarked with
Narvaez and arrived in the harbour of San Juan de Ulua, of which we
shall hear more presently.