Work overview

Text 110 of 137

CHAPTER CIX.

The Memoirs of the Conquistador Bernal Diaz del Castillo, Vol 1 (of 2) Written by Himself Containing a True and Full Account of the Discovery and Conquest of Mexico and New Spain.

Bernal Díaz del Castillo · 2010

Contents

Text 110 of 137

  1. 01Front matter
  2. 02CHAPTER I.
  3. 03CHAPTER II.
  4. 04CHAPTER III.
  5. 05CHAPTER IV.
  6. 06CHAPTER V.
  7. 07CHAPTER VI.
  8. 08CHAPTER VII.
  9. 09CHAPTER VIII.
  10. 10CHAPTER IX.
  11. 11CHAPTER X.
  12. 12CHAPTER XI.
  13. 13CHAPTER XII.
  14. 14CHAPTER XIII.
  15. 15CHAPTER XIV.
  16. 16CHAPTER XV.
  17. 17CHAPTER XVI.
  18. 18CHAPTER XVII.
  19. 19CHAPTER XVIII.
  20. 20CHAPTER XIX.
  21. 21CHAPTER XX.
  22. 22CHAPTER XXI.
  23. 23CHAPTER XXII.
  24. 24CHAPTER XXIII.
  25. 25CHAPTER XXIV.
  26. 26CHAPTER XXV.
  27. 27CHAPTER XXVI.
  28. 28CHAPTER XXVII.
  29. 29CHAPTER XXVIII.
  30. 30CHAPTER XXIX.
  31. 31CHAPTER XXX.
  32. 32CHAPTER XXXI.
  33. 33CHAPTER XXXII.
  34. 34CHAPTER XXXIII.
  35. 35CHAPTER XXXIV.
  36. 36CHAPTER XXXV.
  37. 37CHAPTER XXXVI.
  38. 38CHAPTER XXXVII.
  39. 39CHAPTER XXXVIII.
  40. 40CHAPTER XXXIX.
  41. 41CHAPTER XL.
  42. 42CHAPTER XLI.
  43. 43CHAPTER XLII.
  44. 44CHAPTER XLIII.
  45. 45CHAPTER XLIV.
  46. 46CHAPTER XLV.
  47. 47CHAPTER XLVI.
  48. 48CHAPTER XLVII.
  49. 49CHAPTER XLVIII.
  50. 50CHAPTER XLIX.
  51. 51CHAPTER L.
  52. 52CHAPTER LI.
  53. 53CHAPTER LII.
  54. 54CHAPTER LIII.
  55. 55CHAPTER LIV.
  56. 56CHAPTER LV.
  57. 57CHAPTER LVI.
  58. 58CHAPTER LVII.
  59. 59CHAPTER LVIII.
  60. 60CHAPTER LIX.
  61. 61CHAPTER LX.
  62. 62CHAPTER LXI.
  63. 63CHAPTER LXII.
  64. 64CHAPTER LXIII.
  65. 65CHAPTER LXIV.
  66. 66CHAPTER LXV.
  67. 67CHAPTER LXVI.
  68. 68CHAPTER LXVII.
  69. 69CHAPTER LXVIII.
  70. 70CHAPTER LXIX.
  71. 71CHAPTER LXX.
  72. 72CHAPTER LXXI.
  73. 73CHAPTER LXXII.
  74. 74CHAPTER LXXIII.
  75. 75CHAPTER LXXIV.
  76. 76CHAPTER LXXV.
  77. 77CHAPTER LXXVI.
  78. 78CHAPTER LXXVII.
  79. 79CHAPTER LXXVIII.
  80. 80CHAPTER LXXIX.
  81. 81CHAPTER LXXX.
  82. 82CHAPTER LXXXI.
  83. 83CHAPTER LXXXII.
  84. 84CHAPTER LXXXIII.
  85. 85CHAPTER LXXXIV.
  86. 86CHAPTER LXXXV.
  87. 87CHAPTER LXXXVI.
  88. 88CHAPTER LXXXVII.
  89. 89CHAPTER LXXXVIII.
  90. 90CHAPTER LXXXIX.
  91. 91CHAPTER XC.
  92. 92CHAPTER XCI.
  93. 93CHAPTER XCII.
  94. 94CHAPTER XCIII.
  95. 95CHAPTER XCIV.
  96. 96CHAPTER XCV.
  97. 97CHAPTER XCVI.
  98. 98CHAPTER XCVII.
  99. 99CHAPTER XCVIII.
  100. 100CHAPTER XCIX.
  101. 101CHAPTER C.
  102. 102CHAPTER CI.
  103. 103CHAPTER CII.
  104. 104CHAPTER CIII.
  105. 105CHAPTER CIV.
  106. 106CHAPTER CV.
  107. 107CHAPTER CVI.
  108. 108CHAPTER CVII.
  109. 109CHAPTER CVIII.
  110. 110CHAPTER CIX.
  111. 111CHAPTER CX.
  112. 112CHAPTER CXI.
  113. 113CHAPTER CXII.
  114. 114CHAPTER CXIII.
  115. 115CHAPTER CXIV.
  116. 116CHAPTER CXV.
  117. 117CHAPTER CXVI.
  118. 118CHAPTER CXVII.
  119. 119CHAPTER CXVIII.
  120. 120CHAPTER CXIX.
  121. 121CHAPTER CXX.
  122. 122CHAPTER CXXI.
  123. 123CHAPTER CXXII.
  124. 124CHAPTER CXXIII.
  125. 125CHAPTER CXXIV.
  126. 126CHAPTER CXXV.
  127. 127CHAPTER CXXVI.
  128. 128CHAPTER CXXVII.
  129. 129CHAPTER CXXVIII.
  130. 130CHAPTER CXXIX.
  131. 131CHAPTER CXXX.
  132. 132CHAPTER CXXXI.
  133. 133CHAPTER CXXXII.
  134. 134CHAPTER CXXXIII.
  135. 135CHAPTER CXXXIV.
  136. 136CHAPTER CXXXV.
  137. 137CHAPTER CXXXVI.
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Work overview

Text 110 of 137

CHAPTER CIX.

Bernal Díaz del Castillo · about 3 minutes

Original source ↗

CHAPTER CIX.

_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.