When we arrived at the Pueblo of Naco and had collected maize, beans and peppers, we captured three chieftains in the maizefields and Sandoval coaxed them and gave them beads from Castile, and begged them to go and summon the other caciques and we would do them no harm whatever.

They set off as they were ordered to do, and two caciques came in, but Sandoval could not induce them to repeople the pueblo, only to bring a little food from time to time: they did us neither good nor harm, nor we to them, and thus we continued for the first [few] days. Cortés had written to Sandoval, as I have stated, to send ten soldiers, men of Coatzacoalcos, to the Puerto de Caballos. All ten were mentioned by name and I was one of them. At that time I was rather ill, and I told Sandoval that he must excuse me for I was disinclined, and, as it met his wishes, I remained and he sent eight soldiers, all good men to face any difficulty, but yet they went with such ill-will that they cursed Cortés and his journey, and they had good reason to do so, for they did not know whether the country they had to go through was at peace. Sandoval decided to ask the caciques of Naco for five Indian chieftains to accompany them to Puerto de Caballos, and threatened them that if any of the soldiers came to any harm he would burn their town, and would go in search of them and make war on them.