Page:Letters of Cortes to Emperor Charles V - Vol 2.djvu/250

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Letters of Cortes

destined. I will relate the principal and most important occurrences of the said journey, omitting a great many as accessory, though each would furnish material for ample writing.

Having given my orders respecting that affair of Cristobal de Olid, as I related to Your Majesty,
Cortes
Leaves
Mexico
it seemed to me I had been a long time inactive, and without undertaking anything in Your Majesty's service; and, although my arm was not yet healed of its wound, I nevertheless determined to undertake something. I left this great city of Temixtitan on the 12 October of 1524 last, accompanied by some horsemen and foot soldiers, chosen among my old retainers and servants, and by some friends and relatives of mine, amongst whom were Gonzalo de Salazar, and Peralmindez Chirino,^[1] the former a factor, and the latter an inspector, for Your Majesty; and I also took with me some noble persons of the natives, and I left the administration of justice and government to the

↑ Gonzalo de Salazar, Pero Armildez Chirino, Alonso de Estrada, and Rodrigo de Albornoz, were sent as revenue officers to Mexico in 1524, and to establish a court of accounts. Estrada was treasurer, Albornoz was accountant, Salazar factor, and Chirino inspector. Their expectations of finding immense treasures ready at hand were disappointed, and the only explanation which seemed to them adequate was that Cortes had concealed or made way with them. In their joint despatch to the Emperor, they accused him of possessing great riches, and of having hidden the treasure of Montezuma instead of accounting for it to the crown. They described Cortes as tyrannical, disloyal, and engaged in plotting to establish his authority independently in the country. This despatch was closely followed by two other letters, one signed by all of them, and the other by Salazar alone. Salazar stated that Cortes had collected three hundred and four million castellanos, without counting Montezuma's treasure, which was buried in various secret places; that he had retained for himself some thirtyseven to forty provinces, some of them as large as all Andalusia; that he was commonly believed to have poisoned Francisco de Garay; and that the ships he pretended were preparing for the expedition to the Spice Islands were really for carrying his treasure and himself in safety to France.

[1] Gonzalo de Salazar, Pero Armildez Chirino, Alonso de Estrada, and Rodrigo de Albornoz, were sent as revenue officers to Mexico in 1524, and to establish a court of accounts. Estrada was treasurer, Albornoz was accountant, Salazar factor, and Chirino inspector. Their expectations of finding immense treasures ready at hand were disappointed, and the only explanation which seemed to them adequate was that Cortes had concealed or made way with them. In their joint despatch to the Emperor, they accused him of possessing great riches, and of having hidden the treasure of Montezuma instead of accounting for it to the crown. They described Cortes as tyrannical, disloyal, and engaged in plotting to establish his authority independently in the country. This despatch was closely followed by two other letters, one signed by all of them, and the other by Salazar alone. Salazar stated that Cortes had collected three hundred and four million castellanos, without counting Montezuma's treasure, which was buried in various secret places; that he had retained for himself some thirtyseven to forty provinces, some of them as large as all Andalusia; that he was commonly believed to have poisoned Francisco de Garay; and that the ships he pretended were preparing for the expedition to the Spice Islands were really for carrying his treasure and himself in safety to France.

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