The herald., 1895-04-28
CHAPTER XIX
OF How We Gathered Together All the Women
and Slaves Whom We Had Captured in
Tepeyaca, Cachua, TecarachalcO and
sastlbianco So That They Should Be
Branded in the Ma me OF the King

We had now reduced all the surrounding
towns to obedience to our lord the King,
and Cortes agreed with the King S Off cials
that all the booty and slaves should be
branded in order that his fifth should be
set apart after that to the King had been
deducted.
And to this end Cortes ordered that
proclamation should be made ordering
all the soldiers to bring their booty and
prisoners to certain house within two
days, in order that it might be divided.
So we all brought our prisoners and booty
there, chiedy women and boys, rs we
took no men prisoners, leaving them to
the Tlascalans, rs they were too hard to
guard and we had no need of their ser
vices, having our friends the Tlascaans.
When all the booty had been placed in
the house as called for in the proclama-
ton. they tools out the royal fifth. and
then the fifth of Cortes, and as though
this were not enough, the night before,
they took away and hid all the pretty
Indian women, leaving none but the old
and ugly ones to be divided, and over
this there was great murmuring in the
camp against Cortes. And some OF the
soldiers of Narvarez SAID To Cortes him
self that before God they had never heard
of such a thing as two Kings in the ter
TibHTN u our lOIN llt Nlil9 III pain, d.
it appears that now there were. since two
ifths of the Spols of war had been taken
out; and one of the soldiers, one Juan
Bono de Quejo, said further that they
were not living in any such land and
that this matter would be borught 80
Spain before the Royal Council of the
lndias; and another soldier told Cortes
clearly that it seemed as though it was
not sufficient to divide the gold as it had
been divided in Mexico, for when it was
being divided did Cortes not say that
there was only three hundred thousand
dollars, and yet when we were forced to
| ilv from there after all we could carry
| eff we left behind according to Cortes
himself over seven hundred thousand
| dollars? And now the poor soldier who
| had taken all the hard blows and wounds,
! because he had pretty Indian woman.
| for whom he had probably bought skirt
and u chemise, she was taken away from
| him and hidden.
When the proc amation had been made
we understood that the booty of each sol
! dier would be valued, and his paying the
value of the royal fifth, his own booty
would be returned to him and no fifth
taken out for Cortes. These and worse
things were said in the camp; and when
| CorteS heard them he declared blandly
that he swore by his conscience (this was
his usual OATH that from this on it should
| not be done in this manner, but that good
| or bad, the Indian women should be sold
at public auction, so that If pretty one
sold for a certain sum an ugly one should
sell for less. SO that hereafter they should
have no cause to quarrel with him. But
we will leave this matter and speak of an
other matter, which is, if anything, worse
than the last, and that Is that on the sad
night when we were routed from Mexico
there remained in our quarters u great
deal more gold than we had packed on
the horses and the rlascalans and what
was stolen by the soldiers who had charge
OF Il. Now, as all OF it that could not be
carried off then would remain in the
hands of the MeXicans, Cortes had called
q royal escribano and declared in his
presence that any soldier who SO desired
could take all he could carry off Tor his
own share.
And many of the soldiers of Narvae2
and even some of our own men loaded
themselves with it, and many of them lost
their lives because of the load they car
ried. and Others came out covered with
wounds because they could not defend
themselves while carrying the gold. Now
1t happened at this time i'll our town of
Segura de la Frontera that Cortes learned
that a great many ingots OF gold were
passing around among those who gambled
for, as the saving is, gold and love al e
hard things to hide He made II procla-
nation that all who had gold should
bring it forward and give him one third
of it; and the soldiers who had it did not
want to give it up, but he took it from
some as a sort OF loan, although taken
more by force than given with good will,
and although all of the Captains and Off
cials vi the King had plenty OF gold, the
proclamation did not affect them and this
action of Cortes was very wrong and
looked badly.