to our general, in the name of many of his principal
nobles, requesting that all their women of rank who
had been taken by our soldiers, might be restored
to their husbands and fathers. This was a matter
of considerable difficulty; yet the general allowed
a search to be made, with an assurance that all should
be delivered up who were inclined to return. Every
house was accordingly searched; and though many were
found, three only of the whole number were inclined
to return to their families; all the rest expressed
their abhorrence at the idolatry of their countrymen,
besides which, many of them declared that they were
pregnant, and refused to quit the soldiers to whom
they were attached.
One of the first public works undertaken in Mexico
was an arsenal for the reception of our flotilla which
had been of such signal service during the siege.
To the best of my remembrance, Alvarado was appointed
alcalde, or chief magistrate, till the arrival of
Salazar de la Pedrada. It was currently reported
that Guatimotzin had thrown great quantities of gold,
silver, and jewels, into the lake four days before
his capture, and it was well known that our allies
had got large plunder as well as our own men who served
in the brigantines, and many of us suspected that Cortes
was well pleased that Guatimotzin had concealed much
treasure, as he expected to procure the whole for
himself. It was then proposed in the army, that
Guatimotzin and the prince of Tacuba, his most confidential
counsellor, should be put to the torture, to extort
confession of where the treasure was secreted; this
horrid act was certainly greatly against the inclination
of Cortes, yet he was forced to leave the unfortunate
king and the lord of Tacuba at the disposal of those
avaricious wretches, who alleged that our general
objected to this infernal measure that he might secure
the gold for himself. In answer to all interrogatories
on the subject of the treasure, the royal Mexican
officers uniformly protested that no more existed
than what had been produced; which, when melted, did
not exceed the value of 380,000 crowns; so that, when
the royal fifth and that for Cortes were deducted,
those of the conquerors who were not friends to Cortes
were exceedingly dissatisfied. All that could
be extorted by the inhuman procedure of torture from
the king and prince was, that they had thrown some
treasure into the lake, together with the muskets
and other arms captured during our flight from Mexico
in the preceding year, four days before the surrender.
The place indicated was repeatedly searched to no
purpose by our best divers; but a sun of solid gold,
similar to one we got from Montezuma, with many ornaments
of small value, were found in a deep pond near his
residence. The prince of Tacuba declared under
the torture that he had buried some gold at a place
about four leagues from Tacuba; but when Alvarado
and six soldiers accompanied him there, of whom I
was one, he declared he had no gold, and had only
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