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ch. Malinche had been
importunate on this point, and it would not be well to refuse him. For
the eight or ten years he had ruled over them they had obeyed him like
faithful servants; for which reason he had enriched them, enlarged their
territories, and elevated them to high dignities. They were to consider
his present confinement as the will of Huitzilopochtli, who had
particularly advised him to it, as he had so often assured them on other
occasions.

After this reasoning and statement of Motecusuma, all present declared
themselves willing to comply with his wishes, but broke out into tears,
and sighed deeply, Motecusuma himself being most vehemently affected. He
then immediately despatched one of his principal officers to Cortes with
the information that the day following they would again meet, and take
the oath of allegiance to the emperor.

The next day accordingly this was done in the presence of Cortes, of our
officers, and the greater part of the soldiers. All the Mexicans seemed
deeply grieved, and Motecusuma himself could not refrain from shedding
tears. Even we ourselves, from the great affection we bore this monarch,
became quite affected at the sight of his tears, and many of us wept as
much as the monarch himself. We therefore strove, if possible, to
redouble our attention towards him, and Cortes, with Father Olmedo, who
was a man of great intelligence, scarcely left him for a moment; and
while we employed every means to cheer him, we never lost an opportunity
of exhorting him to abolish his false gods.

CHAPTER CII.

 _How Cortes sends out some of our men to explore the gold mines and
 those rivers which wash down gold; also the harbours from the Panuco
 to the Tabasco, but particularly the river Guacasualco._

Cortes one day, as usual, sitting with Motecusuma, the discourse, among
other things, turned upon mining, and he inquired of the monarch where
the gold mines and those rivers were situated where gold dust was found,
and what method they pursued to collect the same, as he intended sending
out two of his men for that purpose, who were great proficients in the
art of mining.

Motecusuma answered, that gold was found in three different parts of the
country; but more abundantly in the province of Zacatula, from ten to
twelve days' journey south of Mexico. There the earth which contained
the gold was washed in wooden vessels, and the gold dust sunk to the
bottom. At present gold was likewise brought from the northern province
of Tustepec, near to where we had landed. There it was collected from
the beds of the rivers; and very productive gold mines were also worked
in this province by the Chinantecs and Tzapotecs, two tribes which were
not subject to him. If Cortes was desirous of sending some of his men
there, he was very willing himself to despatch several distinguished
officers with them.

Cortes accepted of this offer, and thanked Motecusuma for his kindness,
and sent off our pilot Gonzalo de Umbria, with two miners, to Zacatula.
This Umbria was the same person whom Cortes sentenced to have his feet
cut off, while we were staying at San Juan de Ulua.[72] He and his
companions were to return within the space of forty days. To the mines
in the north he despatched an officer, named Pizarro, a young man
twenty-five years of age, whom he treated as one of his own relations.

At that time Peru was still unknown, and the name of Pizarro not thought
of. This young officer was accompanied by four miners and an equal
number of distinguished Mexicans. A space of forty days was likewise
allowed him to return to Mexico, as he had to travel a distance of 320
miles.

Motecusuma on that occasion likewise presented Cortes with a piece of
nequen cloth, on which all the rivers and indentures along the coast
running northwards of Panuco to Tabasco, a distance of 560 miles, were
very accurately described and drawn. By this chart our observation was
drawn to the river Guacasualco, and as we were well acquainted with all
the harbours and indentures there noted down, from our voyage under
Grijalva, but knew nothing of that river, which the Mexicans described
as very broad and deep, Cortes determined also to send some one there to
make soundings at its mouth, and further explore the country; Diego de
Ordas, a man of great intelligence and courage, offered himself for this
purpose, if two of our men, and some Mexicans, might accompany him.

Cortes was at first very loth to part with him, as he was so useful to
him in various ways, but at last gave his consent, to keep him in good
humour. Motecusuma likewise expressed his fears about this journey, as
the land of Guacasualco was not subject to him, and inhabited by a very
warlike people. He cautioned Ordas to be particularly on his guard, and
hoped that no reproach would be made him if any harm befel him. But if
Ordas should think proper, he would order a sufficient number of his
troops, which lay on the confines, to accompany him into Guacasualco.
Cortes and Ordas returned Motecusuma many thanks for his kindness, and
the latter then set out on his journey, accompanied by two of our men
and several distinguished Mexicans.

Here again the historian Gomara commits another blunder similar to the
one he previously made, respecting Pedro de Ircio, whom he sends to
Panuco; for here he despatches Juan Velasquez with 100 men to form a
colony in Guacasualco. In the next chapter I will give an account of
what these officers saw, and the samples of gold they brought with them.

[72] According to Torquemada, Umbria was only scourged, which appears
more probable. (p. 273.)

CHAPTER CIII.

 _How the officers whom Cortes had despatched to the gold mines and
 the river Guacasualco[73] returned to Mexico._

The first who returned to Mexico was Gonzalo de Umbria, with his
companions. He brought with him about 300 pesos worth of gold dust,
which they had collected in the township of Zacatula. There, he related,
the caziques of the province employed numbers of the inhabitants at the
rivers to wash gold out of the sand in small troughs. There were two
rivers from which gold dust was collected, and if clever miners were set
to work there, and the mining carried out in the same way as at St.
Domingo and Cuba, they would prove very profitable.

Four distinguished chiefs of that province had accompanied Umbria to
Mexico, with a present in gold trinkets for our emperor, valued at about
200 pesos. Cortes was as much pleased with this small quantity of gold
as if it had been worth 3000 pesos, as he now knew for a certainty that
there were rich mines in those parts. He treated the caziques who
brought this present very kindly, gave them glass beads, and promised
them all manner of good things; so that they returned home highly
delighted.

Besides this, Umbria spoke about many other large townships in the
neighbourhood of Mexico, and of a province on the confines, called
Matlaltzinco. We could well perceive that Umbria and his companions had
not forgotten

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