Читать книгу The pleasant historie of the conquest of the VVeast India, now called new Spayne - López de Gómara Francisco - Страница 11

The feare of the Indians of Acusamil

Hovv the people vver found A facte vvorthy of prayse

With the aforesayd communication, Cortez gaue great hope to his cōpany of waightie matters, yea and great admiration of his person, so that all his company had an earnest desire to procéede on that iorney. And Cortez likewise reioyced, to sée his men so willing: and incontinente, they embarqued themselues, and after their prayers made vnto God, hoysed vp their sayles, and with faire winde departed the eighttenth day of Februarie Anno 1519. And beyng at Sea, he willed all his nauie (as the vse is) to haue S. Peter for their patrone, warning them alwayes to follow the Admirall (wherin he went) bycause he carried a light for the night season to guide them the way, whiche was almost East and West from S. Anthonies point, being the nerest part of Cuba to Cape de Cotoche, which is the first lād point of Yucatan, whither they were bounde, so y^t being there, they might run alōg the coast, betwene the North point and the West. The firste night y^t Hernando Cortez begā to passe ouer the gulfe betweene Cuba & Yucatan, being little aboue lx. leagues, the winde rose vp at Northeast with much force, so y^t all the Fléete were separated without sight y^e one of the other: yet by the accompt that their Pilots kept, they arriued all sauing one at the Ilande of Acusamil, although not at one time, and those that last ariued, wer the Admirall, and Captayne Morla his Ship, who had lost his Ruther, but by shoting off a pece, Cortez vnderstood his necessitie, and came vering to him, and amayned his sailes to succour him, being in y^e night season. Yet when the day appeared, it pleased God y^t the rage of the tempest ceassed, & being cléere day, they found agayne their Ruther, and trimmed the Ship, and made sayle, and sayled that day and the next following, without sighte of land, or any of the Fléete. But the third day 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 y^e 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 w^t 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 y^e 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.