jealousy of velasquez—cortés embarks—equipment of his fleet—his person and character—rendezvous at havana—strength of his armament

1519

the importance given to cortés by his new position, and, perhaps, a somewhat more lofty bearing, gradually gave uneasiness to the naturally suspicious temper of velasquez, who became apprehensive that his officer, when away where he would have the power, might also have the inclination, to throw off his dependence on him altogether. an accidental circumstance at this time heightened these suspicions. a mad fellow, his jester, one of those crack-brained wits—half wit, half fool—who formed in those days a common appendage to every great man’s establishment, called out to the governor, as he was taking his usual walk one morning with cortés towards the port, “have a care, master velasquez, or we shall have to go a-hunting, some day or other, after this same captain of ours!” “do you hear what the rogue says?” exclaimed the governor to his companion. “do not heed him,” said cortés: “he is a saucy knave, and deserves a good whipping.{318}” the words sank deep, however, in the mind of velasquez,—as, indeed, true jests are apt to stick.

there were not wanting persons about his excellency who fanned the latent embers of jealousy into a blaze. these worthy gentlemen, some of them kinsmen of velasquez, who probably felt their own deserts somewhat thrown into the shade by the rising fortunes of cortés, reminded the governor of his ancient quarrel with that officer, and of the little probability that affronts so keenly felt at the time could ever be forgotten. by these and similar suggestions, and by misconstructions of the present conduct of cortés, they wrought on the passions of velasquez to such a degree that he resolved to intrust the expedition to other hands.[514]

he communicated his design to his confidential advisers, lares and duero, and these trusty personages reported it without delay to cortés, although, “to a man of half his penetration,” says las casas, “the thing would have been readily divined from the governor’s altered demeanor.”[515] the two functionaries advised their friend to expedite matters as much as possible, and to lose no time in getting his fleet ready for sea, if he would retain the command of it. cortés showed the same prompt decision on this occasion which more than{319} once afterwards in a similar crisis gave the direction to his destiny.

he had not yet got his complement of men, nor of vessels, and was very inadequately provided with supplies of any kind. but he resolved to weigh anchor that very night. he waited on his officers, informed them of his purpose, and probably of the cause of it; and at midnight, when the town was hushed in sleep, they all went quietly on board, and the little squadron dropped down the bay. first, however, cortés had visited the person whose business it was to supply the place with meat, and relieved him of all his stock on hand, notwithstanding his complaint that the city must suffer for it on the morrow, leaving him, at the same time, in payment, a massive gold chain of much value, which he wore round his neck.[516]

great was the amazement of the good citizens of st. jago when, at dawn, they saw that the fleet, which they knew was so ill prepared for the voyage, had left its moorings and was busily getting under way. the tidings soon came to the ears of his excellency, who, springing from his bed, hastily dressed himself, mounted his horse, and, followed by his retinue, galloped down to the quay. cortés, as soon as he descried their approach, entered an armed boat, and came within speaking-distance of the shore. “and is it thus you part from me?” exclaimed velasquez; “a courteous{320} way of taking leave, truly!” “pardon me,” answered cortés; “time presses, and there are some things that should be done before they are even thought of. has your excellency any commands?” but the mortified governor had no commands to give; and cortés, politely waving his hand, returned to his vessel, and the little fleet instantly made sail for the port of macaca, about fifteen leagues distant. (november 18, 1518.) velasquez rode back to his house to digest his chagrin as he best might; satisfied, probably, that he had made at least two blunders,—one in appointing cortés to the command, the other in attempting to deprive him of it. for, if it be true that by giving our confidence by halves we can scarcely hope to make a friend, it is equally true that by withdrawing it when given we shall make an enemy.[517]

this clandestine departure of cortés has been severely criticised by some writers, especially by{321} las casas.[518] yet much may be urged in vindication of his conduct. he had been appointed to the command by the voluntary act of the governor, and this had been fully ratified by the authorities of hispaniola. he had at once devoted all his resources to the undertaking, incurring, indeed, a heavy debt in addition. he was now to be deprived of his commission, without any misconduct having been alleged or at least proved against him. such an event must overwhelm him in irretrievable ruin, to say nothing of the friends from whom he had so largely borrowed, and the followers who had embarked their fortunes in the expedition on the faith of his commanding it. there are few persons, probably, who, under these circumstances, would have felt called tamely to acquiesce in the sacrifice of their hopes to a groundless and arbitrary whim. the most to have been expected from cortés was that he should feel obliged to provide faithfully for the interests of his employer in the conduct of the enterprise. how far he felt the force of this obligation will appear in the sequel.

from macaca, where cortés laid in such stores as he could obtain from the royal farms, and which, he said, he considered as “a loan from the king,” he proceeded to trinidad; a more considerable town, on the southern coast of cuba. here he landed, and, erecting his standard in front of his quarters, made proclamation, with liberal offers to all who would join the expedition. volunteers came in daily, and among them more than a hundred of grijalva’s men, just returned from their{322} voyage and willing to follow up the discovery under an enterprising leader. the fame of cortés attracted, also, a number of cavaliers of family and distinction, some of whom, having accompanied grijalva, brought much information valuable for the present expedition. among these hidalgos may be mentioned pedro de alvarado and his brothers, cristóval de olid, alonso de avila, juan velasquez de leon, a near relation of the governor, alonso hernandez de puertocarrero, and gonzalo de sandoval,—all of them men who took a most important part in the conquest. their presence was of great moment, as giving consideration to the enterprise; and, when they entered the little camp of the adventurers, the latter turned out to welcome them amidst lively strains of music and joyous salvos of artillery.

cortés meanwhile was active in purchasing military stores and provisions. learning that a trading-vessel laden with grain and other commodities for the mines was off the coast, he ordered out one of his caravels to seize her and bring her into port. he paid the master in bills for both cargo and ship, and even persuaded this man, named sede?o,[519] who was wealthy, to join his fortunes to the expedition. he also despatched one of his officers, diego de ordaz, in quest of another ship,[520] of which he had{323} tidings, with instructions to seize it in like manner, and to meet him with it off cape st. antonio, the westerly point of the island.[521] by this he effected another object, that of getting rid of ordaz, who was one of the governor’s household, and an inconvenient spy on his own actions.

while thus occupied, letters from velasquez were received by the commander of trinidad, requiring him to seize the person of cortés and to detain him, as he had been deposed from the command of the fleet, which was given to another. this functionary communicated his instructions to the principal officers in the expedition, who counselled him not to make the attempt, as it would undoubtedly lead to a commotion among the soldiers, that might end in laying the town in ashes. verdugo thought it prudent to conform to this advice.{325}[522]

as cortés was willing to strengthen himself by still further reinforcements, he ordered alvarado with a small body of men to march across the country to the havana,[523] while he himself would sail{324} round the westerly point of the island and meet him there with the squadron. in this port he again displayed his standard, making the usual proclamation. he caused all the large guns to be brought on shore, and, with the small arms and cross-bows, to be put in order. as there was abundance of cotton raised in this neighborhood, he had the jackets of the soldiers thickly quilted with it, for a defence against the indian arrows, from which the troops in the former expeditions had grievously suffered. he distributed his men into eleven companies, each under the command of an experienced officer; and it was observed that, although several of the cavaliers in the service were the personal friends and even kinsmen of velasquez, he appeared to treat them all with perfect confidence.

his principal standard was of black velvet, embroidered with gold, and emblazoned with a red cross amidst flames of blue and white, with this motto in latin beneath: “friends, let us follow the cross; and under this sign, if we have faith, we shall conquer.” he now assumed more state in his own person and way of living, introducing a greater number of domestics and officers into his household, and placing it on a footing becoming a man of high station. this state he maintained through the rest of his life.[524]

cortés at this time was thirty-three, or perhaps thirty-four, years of age. in stature he was rather above the middle size. his complexion was pale; and his large dark eye gave an expression of gravity to his countenance, not to have been expected in one of his cheerful temperament. his figure was slender, at least until later life; but his chest was deep, his shoulders broad, his frame muscular and well proportioned. it presented the union of agility and vigor which qualified him to excel in fencing, horsemanship, and the other generous exercises of chivalry. in his diet he was temperate, careless of what he ate, and drinking little; while to toil and privation he seemed perfectly indifferent. his dress, for he did not disdain the impression produced by such adventitious aids, was such as to set off his handsome person to advantage; neither gaudy nor striking, but rich. he wore few ornaments, and usually the same; but those were of great price. his manners, frank and soldier-like, concealed a most cool and calculating spirit. with his gayest humor there mingled a settled air of resolution, which made those who approached him feel they must obey, and which infused something like awe into the attachment of his most devoted followers. such a combination, in which love was tempered by authority, was the one probably best calculated to inspire devotion in the rough and turbulent spirits among whom his lot was to be cast.

the character of cortés seems to have under{326}gone some change with change of circumstances; or, to speak more correctly, the new scenes in which he was placed called forth qualities which before lay dormant in his bosom. there are some hardy natures that require the heats of excited action to unfold their energies; like the plants which, closed to the mild influence of a temperate latitude, come to their full growth, and give forth their fruits, only in the burning atmosphere of the tropics. such is the portrait left to us by his contemporaries of this remarkable man; the instrument selected by providence to scatter terror among the barbarian monarchs of the western world, and lay their empires in the dust.[525]

before the preparations were fully completed at the havana, the commander of the place, don pedro barba, received despatches from velasquez ordering him to apprehend cortés and to prevent the departure of his vessels; while another epistle from the same source was delivered to cortés himself, requesting him to postpone his voyage till the governor could communicate with him, as he proposed, in person. “never,” exclaims las casas, “did i see so little knowledge of affairs shown, as in this letter of diego velasquez,—that he should have imagined that a man who had so recently put such an affront on him would defer his departure at his bidding!”[526] it was, indeed, hoping to stay{327} the flight of the arrow by a word, after it had left the bow.

the captain-general, however, during his short stay, had entirely conciliated the good will of barba. and, if that officer had had the inclination, he knew he had not the power, to enforce his principal’s orders, in the face of a resolute soldiery, incensed at this ungenerous persecution of their commander, and “all of whom,” in the words of the honest chronicler who bore part in the expedition, “officers and privates, would have cheerfully laid down their lives for him.”[527] barba contented himself, therefore, with explaining to velasquez the impracticability of the attempt, and at the same time endeavored to tranquillize his apprehensions by asserting his own confidence in the fidelity of cortés. to this the latter added a communication of his own, couched “in the soft terms he knew so well how to use,”[528] in which he implored his excellency to rely on his devotion to his interests, and concluded with the comfortable assurance that he and the whole fleet, god willing, would sail on the following morning.

accordingly, on the 10th of february, 1519, the little squadron got under way, and directed its course towards cape st. antonio, the appointed place of rendezvous. when all were brought together, the vessels were found to be eleven in number; one of them, in which cortés himself went, was of a hundred tons’ burden, three others were from seventy to eighty tons; the remainder were{328} caravels and open brigantines. the whole was put under the direction of antonio de alaminos, as chief pilot; a veteran navigator, who had acted as pilot to columbus in his last voyage, and to cordova and grijalva in the former expeditions to yucatan.

landing on the cape and mustering his forces, cortés found they amounted to one hundred and ten mariners, five hundred and fifty-three soldiers, including thirty-two crossbowmen, and thirteen arquebusiers, besides two hundred indians of the island, and a few indian women for menial offices. he was provided with ten heavy guns, four lighter pieces called falconets, and with a good supply of ammunition.[529] he had besides sixteen horses. they were not easily procured; for the difficulty of transporting them across the ocean in the flimsy craft of that day made them rare and incredibly dear in the islands.[530] but cortés rightfully esti{329}mated the importance of cavalry, however small in number, both for their actual service in the field, and for striking terror into the savages. with so paltry a force did he enter on a conquest which even his stout heart must have shrunk from attempting with such means, had he but foreseen half its real difficulties!

before embarking, cortés addressed his soldiers in a short but animated harangue. he told them they were about to enter on a noble enterprise, one that would make their name famous to after-ages. he was leading them to countries more vast and opulent than any yet visited by europeans. “i hold out to you a glorious prize,” continued the orator, “but it is to be won by incessant toil. great things are achieved only by great exertions, and glory was never the reward of sloth.[531] if i have labored hard and staked my all on this undertaking, it is for the love of that renown which is the noblest recompense of man. but, if any among you covet riches more, be but true to me, as i will be true to you and to the occasion, and i will make you masters of such as our countrymen have never dreamed of! you are few in number, but strong in resolution; and, if this does not falter, doubt not but that the almighty, who has never deserted the spaniard in his contest with the infi{330}del, will shield you, though encompassed by a cloud of enemies; for your cause is a just cause, and you are to fight under the banner of the cross. go forward, then,” he concluded, “with alacrity and confidence, and carry to a glorious issue the work so auspiciously begun.”[532]

the rough eloquence of the general, touching the various chords of ambition, avarice, and religious zeal, sent a thrill through the bosoms of his martial audience; and, receiving it with acclamations, they seemed eager to press forward under a chief who was to lead them not so much to battle, as to triumph.

cortés was well satisfied to find his own enthusiasm so largely shared by his followers. mass was then celebrated with the solemnities usual with the spanish navigators when entering on their voyages of discovery. the fleet was placed under the immediate protection of st. peter, the patron saint of cortés, and, weighing anchor, took its departure on the eighteenth day of february, 1519, for the coast of yucatan.