my horse to another soldier, and you may follow in the rear with the cavalry.”  “You give good advice, said Rangel, and we will march on.”  This was done accordingly, to the great regret of many of our companions, and we advanced in good order to Cimatan, the principal town of the district, where we were saluted as usual by a shower of arrows.  We entered the town, however, which was abandoned by the enemy, yet took several prisoners, whom I dismissed, with an invitation to the chiefs to come in and make peace with us; but they never returned.  Rangel was very angry at me on this account, and swore that he would make me procure Indians for him, in place of those whom I had liberated.  To pacify him, I went among the neighbouring marshes with thirty soldiers, where we picked up several stragglers, whom we brought to him.  But he dismissed these likewise, in hopes to induce the rest to submit, yet all to no purpose.  Thus ended the two famous expeditions against the Zapotecans and Cimatanese, and such was all the fame acquired by Rangel in the wars of New Spain.  Two years afterwards, we effected the conquest of both these countries, the natives of which were converted to our holy religion, by the grace of God, and through the exertions of Father Olmedo, now grown weak and infirm, to the great regret of all who knew him, as he was an excellent minister of the gospel.

Cortes had now collected 80,000 crowns in gold, and had caused a superb golden culverin to be made as a present for the emperor, on which the following motto was engraved: 

  Esta ave nacio sin par:  Yo en servir os sin segundo;
    Y vos sin iqual en el Mundo[1].

This sumptuous present was sent over to Spain under the care of Diego de Soto.  I am uncertain whether Juan de Ribera, who had been secretary to Cortes went over at the same time with Soto; but I know that he carried over a sum of money for the generals father, which he appropriated to his own use; and, unmindful of the many obligations he had received, he reported much evil of Cortes, combining with the bishop of Burgos and others to injure him.  I always thought him a bad man, from what I had observed of him when engaged in gaming, and many other circumstances:  But, as he was of a fluent speech, and had been secretary to Cortes, he did him much harm, and would have injured him much more, if it had not been for the interest of the Duke of Bejar, who protected Cortes, who was then engaged in a treaty of marriage with the dukes niece, Donna Juana de Zuniga[2].  By this interest, and combined with the magnificent present brought over by Soto, the affairs of Cortes at the court of Spain took a favourable turn.  The golden Phoenix with its motto, gave great offence to many, who thought it presumptuous in Cortes to insinuate that he had no equal in his services:  But his friends justly defended him, observing that no one had so far extended the fame and power of his majesty, or had brought