The pleasant historie of the conquest of the VVeast India, now called new Spayne. López de Gómara Francisco
they arriued at a cape or point of land, called Womens cape. Cortez cōmanded Morla to follow him, directing his course to séeke the residue of his Fléete, and arriued in this sorte at the Iland of Acusamil, and there found all his nauie excepte one, whereof they hearde no newes in many dayes after. The people of that Ilande beholding suche a straunge sight, were in great feare and admiratiō, so that they gathered their stuffe and wente vp into the Mountaynes. Cortez caused a certayne number of his mē to goe a land to a Towne which was néere the place where they were arriued, and they foūd the towne wrought with Masons worke, and good building, but they founde no creature therein, yet in some houses they foūd cloth made of cottē woll, and certaine Iewels of gold. Also they entred into a high tower made of stoneworke, néere the sea side, and there they founde nothing but Idols of earth and stone. With this newes they returned to Cortez, and enformed him what they had séene, and also many faire sowē fields of Maiz, and great store of hiues of Bées, and many trées of fruites, and also presented vnto him the gold and other things that they had foūd. Cortez reioyced with ye newes but yet maruelled that the people were fledde, considering that when Grijalua was there, they had not so done, wherby he iudged, that his nauie béeyng greater, caused them to feare and flie, and likewise he feared least a snare were prepared for him. Then he cōmanded to vnship his Horses for thrée causes: the one to discouer the Countrey: and the other to fight if néede were: and also to grase thē, hauing there abūdance. Also he vnshipped his mē of warre, and sent them to discouer the land. And in the thickest of the Mountaynes, they found four women, and thrée childrē, whome they brought to Cortez, so that not vnderstanding their language, by signes & tokens they ymagined that one of thē was the mother to the children, & mistresse to the other women. The pore creatures bewayled theyr captiuitie. Cortez made muche of them, & apparrelled the mistresse as wel as he might with Spanish attire: and to hir seruants he gaue loking glasses and sissers: and to the little children other toyes to play withall, vsing no dishonestie towards thē. And thē he determined to send one of the wenches to call hir maister, and to enforme him how well they were intreated. In this meane season came certaine spies lurking a farre off, by the cōmandement of their Lord, who was called Calachuni, to bring newes of his wife, & what else passed. Cortez receyued them gētly, & gaue vnto them certayne trifles, and sent others to their Lord, and returned thē wt embassage on his behalfe & his wiues, to desire hym to come vnto him, and to sée those folke from whome he had fledde, promising, that neyther his person, nor none of his countrey should receyue anye molestation of him, nor of any of his company. Calachuni vnderstāding this friendshippe, and also with the loue hée bare to his wife and childrē, came the next day following with all the Townesmen, in whose houses ye Spanyards were lodged, who woulde not permitte that their guestes should giue place. And the Lorde commaunded, that they should be wel entertayned, and frō that day forward prouided them of bread, fishe, honey, & fruite. Calachuni spake and saluted Cortez with greate humilitie and ceremonie, and euen so was he louingly receyued, & wel entertained. Cortez did then declare vnto him the commoditie that would ensue vnto him by that nation. And also presented vnto him & his cōpany many toyes, which were vnto thē of small valewe, but muche estéemed among them, yea more than golde. And moreouer Cortez cōmaunded, that all the golde and other things that his men had taken in the Towne, shoulde be broughte before him, and placed it so, that euery Indian knewe his owne, and was restored vnto them, whereat they were not a little ioyfull, wondering at the liberalitie of the straungers, and departed both merrie and riche with their straunge giftes, and went throughout al the Iland, shewing to their fellowes their presentes, commaunding them in the name of Calachuni their Lord, to returne euery man to his house, with ther wiues and children, commending highly the honest and gentle nature of the straungers. With this newes and commaundemente, euery man returned to his house and Towne from whence he had fledde. And after thys sort their feare was past, and they prouided the Camp abundantly of honey, bread, waxe, fishe, and frute, all the time that they abode in that Iland.
The Indians of Acusamil gaue nevves to Cortez of certaine bearded men
Now Cortez seeing these Indians quiet and wel pleased, and also very seruiceable, he did determyne to take away theyr Idols, and to giue them a remembraunce of Iesu Christ borne of the Virgin Mary, by one Melchior a fisher man and very rustical, who had bin ther before with Francisco Hernandez de Cordoua, who declared vnto them, that Cortez his Lord and captaine would enforme them of a better god, and better lawes, than those which they maintained. The Indians answered, that they were contented therewith, and went with them vnto their temples, and there brake downe their Idols, and celebrated diuine seruice, teaching them to adore and worshippe Christ crucifyed, so that they were verye attentiue to the doctrine, and ceased sacrifise of men which they were wōt to vse. These Indians did wonder much at the shippes and horses, yea and marueyled as muche at our colour and beardes, so that many times they would come and féele them, and signifyed vnto them by signes and tokens towardes Yucatan, that there were fiue or sixe bearded men. Then Cortez considering how profitable it wold be to haue an interpreter to vnderstand and to be vnderstood, he besought Calachuni that he would appoint a messenger to carrye a letter to the bearded men, who were in the power of a great Lord and Tyrant, and Calachuni found none that durst take that iourney in hand, fearing that they should be slaine and eaten. Cortez seing this, entreated with faire words, thrée of the Indians that serued him to accept the iourney, and gaue thē rewards for theyr labour: yet the Indians excused them, saying that they should be slayne, notwithstanding with faire promises and rewardes, they accepted the voyage, so that Cortez wrote with them this letter following.
Worshipful sirs, I departed from Cuba with eleuen saile in my fléete, furnished with fiue hundred and fiftie Spaniardes, and I arriued here at Acusamil from whence I write you this letter. The people of this Ilād haue certifyed me, that there is in that countrey fiue or sixe bearded men, and in al pointes like vnto vs: they can not here enforme me of anye other signes or tokens, but hereby I do coniecture, and certainely beleue that ye be Spaniards. Both I and these gentlemen of my company do come to discouer and inhabit this land, we hartily pray you yt within sixe days after the receite hereof, ye come vnto vs, wtout any excuse or delay, and if ye so doe, al we of this nauie wil gratifye your gentlenesse & good seruice yt ye shal do vnto vs. I do send you a Vergantyn wherin you may come, & two shippes for your safeconduct.
This letter being written, there was found an inconuenience, which was, they knew not how to carrye the letter so secretly yt it might not be séene, & they taken for espies, wherof the saide Indians stoode in great feare. Thē Cortez bethought him, yt the letter wold passe wrapped in ye haire of the head of one of thē, for ordinarily the Indians wear lōg heare, & on their solemn feasts & in wars they vse their haire platted & boūd about their forheads. And he appointed captaine of the Vergantine wherin ye messēgers wēt, Iohn de Escalante, & Iames de Ordas for captaine of the other two ships, with fiftie men if any nede should happen. So shortly after the ships arriued at the place appointed, Escalante set a land his messengers, and abode there eight days they returne, although he promised thē to abide there but sixe dayes. And thē séeing that they came not, he surmysed yt they were either slaine or taken captiues: & so returned backe againe to Acusamill without his messēgers, wherof al the army were sorowful, & chiefly Cortez, thinking that the Indians had wrōg enformed him. Nowe in this meane season they trymmed their shippes of the hurte receiued by the late tempest, & at the returne of the two ships and Vergantyne, they hoysed vp sailes and departed.
A miraculous chaunce hovv Geronimo de Aguilao came to Cortez
Calachuni and all his subiectes were full of heauinesse (as it semed) with the departure of the Christians, bycause they were wel vsed at their handes. From Acusamil the fleete sayled to get the coast of Yucatan to the cape called Womens point, with prosperous weather, & there Cortez came to an Anker, desirous to sée the disposition of the lande, and the manner of the people: but it liked